(NON FINANCIAL) Retirement plans/ dreams/ discussion.

L9XSS

43 months months to retirement ( not that I’m counting). I do wish I had paid more into my pension when times and salary were very good, but I was focusing on paying off my mortgage (11 years early as it stands). I do worry about helping out my children however you can only do so much. Not sure if I want to go semi retirement and work part time for a few years, will make that decision nearer the time.
For me it’s travel and caring for my mum plus more time outdoors. Want to see more of this great country.
Volunteering would be a good area for me I believe so I can give something back, whatever this may be

MallyGirl

michaels said:

Does a camper van make more sense than a nice car and airbnb/hotels?  I'm thinking with a large luxury campervan you potentially also need a tow car and even a small one might be hard to drive around many tourist towns.  I can't see that a campervan will work out much cheaper overall by the tiem you factor in deprciation?

It is certainly not cheaper, no. Ours is a high end conversion in a small vehicle (VW T5) so we can park in a normal sized space in a car park as long as there isn't a low barrier. It is no more difficult to drive than a car. We have a tow bar on the back for a bike rack. At the moment, with the travel restrictions, then campers are not depreciating!
What it brings is the freedom to just go - we have a solar panel that will power the fridge and we have a gas hob and cold water sink. We generally BBQ outside the van under a wind out awning so it doesn't pick up the smell of cooking food. We can take the dogs with us if we want to disappear somewhere nice to walk them - maybe overnight or just for a long day with somewhere to rest up, have a brew etc.. Once the world is more normal I would like to travel around Europe in it for a few weeks as I haven't really seen much of many countries that aren't that far.

kangoora

I struggle to understand the benefit of a camper van over a caravan. With a campervan if you want a day out in your destination you have to pack everything up and then unpack it again on return - or you tow a smart car behind the van as my mum's neighbour does (this means they need a 3rd car as they don't want to use the smart car for day to day usage).

You're insuring, mot'ing, taking depreciation on and taxing 2 (or 3) motor vehicles. They are horrendously expensive compared to a caravan. They're smaller by a wide margin than a standard caravan in any price bracket.

The only benefit I can see of a campervan is you're not towing a caravan when moving (obviously).

I really don't get the campervan > caravan mindset.

Anonymous101

kangoora said:

I struggle to understand the benefit of a camper van over a caravan. With a campervan if you want a day out in your destination you have to pack everything up and then unpack it again on return - or you tow a smart car behind the van as my mum's neighbour does (this means they need a 3rd car as they don't want to use the smart car for day to day usage).

You're insuring, mot'ing, taking depreciation on and taxing 2 (or 3) motor vehicles. They are horrendously expensive compared to a caravan. They're smaller by a wide margin than a standard caravan in any price bracket.

The only benefit I can see of a campervan is you're not towing a caravan when moving (obviously).

I really don't get the campervan > caravan mindset.

I have a Campervan (VWT4) and think that the caravan / campervan decision absolutely depends on the type of use that you'll get out of it.
If, like me, you do a lot of outdoor type hobbies, fishing, hiking, surfing or mountain biking then Campervan's can be much better. They're more mobile so I can drive to a location one evening, grab a couple of hours sleep then get up early and get on with the actively early the next morning. Afterwards getting back to your vehicle cold and wet then getting changed and having a brew is much easier with a van than anything else.

I take the point that Caravan's have an advantage when you're pitching up somewhere for several days. You have a set up and can just leave for the day etc. However we do go on family holidays in the campervan too. We have an awning which we leave set up as you would camping so it really takes no time at all to unzip and head off out for the day. We don't have to go through a long winded process of packing up each time we want to go out.
I'd say that Caravan's generally have more space though.

It depends on how you're planning on using them. I wouldn't say one is inherently better than the other.

Nick9967

This post is driving me crazy, I cant wait!
4 years 11 months and a few days till 55! that's my semi-retirement day! I'll happily work 16 hours per week for £10 an hour for 4 years after that, then sorted!
My wife is 44 this year and likes work (works in a school) so bodes well for long holidays until she's retired at 58! (latest)
The burning questions is what will we do, have until 61 when the last small person finished uni!
I have more than enough hobbies and interests to keep me over occupied till the youngsters are done.
What then though? 
Downsize - that would give me 350+275PP - buy a smaller property locally (225-250) as our safe haven!
so £100k cash and £275 PP drawdown!
few thoughts -

• Static van south of Spain (hilarious viewing Bargain Loving Brits) I'd do it just for a laugh!
• Apartment Spain - retire live off less -chill out drink lots!
• Mobile home - do Devon/Cornwall/France & Spain - then back to safe haven - couple of times a year!
• Buy a nice car and tour B&B's / Airbnb or similar in UK/France/Spain
• Sell up completely buy nice villa in Spain and retire to the sun for good?

 I have a second property 250k that we'll probably sell when I'm about 75 or so , that'll see the wife and kids through whilst I'm not around.
My problem is i don't know which to go for , they all sound great! 

MallyGirl

kangoora said:

I struggle to understand the benefit of a camper van over a caravan. With a campervan if you want a day out in your destination you have to pack everything up and then unpack it again on return - or you tow a smart car behind the van as my mum's neighbour does (this means they need a 3rd car as they don't want to use the smart car for day to day usage).

You're insuring, mot'ing, taking depreciation on and taxing 2 (or 3) motor vehicles. They are horrendously expensive compared to a caravan. They're smaller by a wide margin than a standard caravan in any price bracket.

The only benefit I can see of a campervan is you're not towing a caravan when moving (obviously).

I really don't get the campervan > caravan mindset.

I rarely move the camper while at a site - we walk, we cycle, in pre-covid days we might even let the train take the strain. When we have spent enough time exploring the local area we move to a different location. We travel light by choice so we only need to put the table and chairs back in the van before heading out for the day - we have looked at a drive away awning but not yet needed one. If it is windy we wind in the awning too. Campers definitely are smaller living space but it works for us - I have not filled it with crocheted tatt or fairy lights, it is minimal with efficiently used storage, there's a fridge for the ice for my G&T, all is good. The camper fits on my drive under my security camera - with a caravan I would have to store it in some sort of offsite storage facility which might limit the ability to just head off with no notice because the weather looks good. Maybe a caravan would be OK if we had land to house it but we don't. I can zip along the motorway at 70mph without a big queue of people behind me cursing.

waveydavey48

Don't forget there are campervans other than VW. We have a (currently unconverted) toyota alphard which has been our sole vehicle for nearly 4 years. Has passed all MOT's with no advisories despite being 17 years old, looks like a 2 year old vehicle, is cheap to insure and service, parts are cheap and easy to get. Under £25k for a top class conversion ( google "northstar conversions" - no I'm not on commission!) on a vehicle which is likely to have at least another 100k miles in it.  Many folks erect a drive away awning when camping which allows you to use the vehicle for mooching about when you get to your campsite.

DairyQueen

Our plans are a work in progress. Not completely thrown off course by C19 but taking longer to reach our objectives.

Mr DQ was planning to retire at the end of the year but work has become post-lockdown busy so he has extended to next April.

We had planned to move this year (two properties to sell and one to buy). First property already had the decorators in-situ when lockdown hit. Luckily, they were able to complete the job on time. We then lost 2 months whilst the estate agents were closed so it went on the market correspondingly late. The market was revving up when it went under offer in mid July and we are still waiting to exchange. The buyer's mortgagor only has one speed and that's C-19-slow.

Meanwhile, it took us until last week to find a property and have an offer accepted. The market is now so exuberant in our area that people either offer full-asking or lose the property. We were hoping to have completed on sale and purchase by October but we will be lucky to be in by the end of the year. We must then decide what to do with property 2. 

Our retirement budget is in disarray as we don't know how much we will need to fund improvements on the new property or, indeed, whether the purchase will go through uninterrupted by lockdown-2.

Mr DQ decided to put his DB into payment this year despite not needing the income. DB provider reduced the late retirement factor retrospectively and without notice. The risk of a repeat next year was too great. Our income is therefore higher than expected this year and so is our tax bill. So much for my carefully-planned income projections. 

Plans to take an extended UK break next year have been shelved as the housing situation takes priority. When we are able to resume normal (holiday) life, campers, caravans and motorhomes won't feature. Mr DQ is more of the hotel-type and his concession to my preference for self-catering is a nice villa, gites, cottage or lodge. Right now, any type of holiday is sounding good as our two, short trips this year were both cancelled courtesy of lockdown and the pre-Xmas long weekend we had planned with stepdaughter and husband is looking increasingly iffy.

The activities we prefer are mostly group-based and are yet to resume so social life is restricted to meeting friends for lunch in a local pub or home visits to family. Overseas holidays are definitely off until the crisis passes. I have elderly parents who need to be shielded and a sibling who is on the very vulnerable list. Lockdown-2 would create an immediate need for daily support.

We face a long winter in a teeny cottage and OH may be working entirely from home if new restrictions are onerous. Minus other enjoyable activities to occupy his time he has decided it's best for him to continue to work until normality resumes - whenever that may be. Meanwhile I am at least able to continue my role as a volunteer. It has kept me sane throughout this crazy year and allowed me to maintain my social network and do my bit outside of the family network.

This is not the start to retirement that we had envisaged but our problems are all of the first-world variety. Life is a challenge for everyone at the moment so if the worst for us is a delayed start to the full and colourful retirement we had planned then we will be very lucky.

crv1963

Like DQ and many others our plans are fluid and more a work in progress than cast in stone! Since this thread started there have been so many changes, not all Covid-19 related, although that has impacted in unexpected ways, not just the canceled trips and  holidays.

I've retired and returned and now work more hours than I did before retirement and at a greater distance from home than previously. Just have agreed I will continue this for the next 6 months, then review. The plans for holidays are mostly on hold, I do have a long weekend to Copenhagen booked for November going with our youngest son, we both fully expect this will be cancelled.

We've increased our contributions to pensions, putting more into our general savings fund in readiness for when our building work resumes- it is getting hold of materials that is the issue not the professions such as building workers. We found ourselves helping youngest out financially during his furlough, not a vast amount but losing 20% of your wage when just starting out living as an independent adult is hard. Plus writing off a small loan towards a new car (to him).

So our plans are to continue working as long as needed, the Covid-19 has given us an unexpected boost, in terms of the need for our particular skill set being in demand- I would of course prefer that they were not. I'm pension saving into NEST through employer- not abandoning employers contributions and SIPP to boost our pots- mine to try to reduce the amount of HRT I pay and Mrs CRV to build a pot large enough for her to retire at 55, running her pots down at a rate equal to her eventual SP.

Mrs CRV hasn't set foot in a supermarket since March, I get sent, she simply goes to work and back. I've been to my local twice since then, all very controlled and strict on following the rules- no complaints here on that. Limited contact with others outside of us two, I've visited son once, regularly see my Mum but think I've only been into her house twice since March, although I did bring her over to us when the restrictions were lifted to see the progress of our building works.

We're debating the Campervan vs Caravan vs hotels at the moment. I'm not sure which we'll opt for, one decision I think I'll let Mrs CRV take! Like a lot of people I've been staying in a hotel near work during my time away, variable quality and levels of noise mean I'm thinking of taking on a short term rental property- a colleague has a holiday let in the town I find myself based in and the frequent changes in rules and restrictions mean they have had lots of cancellations and they just want it occupied and utility costs covered (they don't have a mortgage on it).

On my way home every week (since April) I go to the same Fishmonger in a famous Seaside Town, buy Crab and then motor home. Talking yesterday to the owner she explained that if forced to close she'd meet me weekly outside the shop and I can get my crabs, this is because her husband and father can't just mothball their small fishing boat and ride out a close down, so she is making plans to keep all of their livelihoods going by ensuring regular customers orders are met. So it brought home to me the real life impact of all that is happening now. I'm busy saving and planning to retire at some point, they are fighting to stay afloat.

So our plans have changed slightly - increased saving because of limited spending opportunities, trying harder to support our small shops/ business with our spending as well as supporting sons where needed. As we move forwards we hope to work out (like everyone else) how we can live a life we enjoy, with travel and holidays somewhere in the mix. We have also learnt that we are happy where we live, can keep ourselves occupied and most of our problems are as DQ puts it "first world problems". 

Nebulous2

I’d have expected to be further ahead with my planning by now, but dealing with the pandemic and working from home has distracted me. 

We’ve camped and caravanned forever and had a self-build motorhome at one 
point. I’m a keen cyclist and I like my bikes under cover, not on a roof or rear rack. 

Whatever you do involves compromises. There is no right or wrong, just degrees of different usability. My wife wanted a fixed bed, and I wanted a garage for my bikes. These two generally go together, but involve a big vehicle with associated costs. 

Eventually we bought a large twin-axle caravan with a van as a towing vehicle. Bikes live in the back of the van, if I was at a cycling event on my own I could have a roll mat and sleeping bag in the back, and when you combine the two we have ample room for two of us, two dogs, two bikes and all the associated paraphernalia to spend a winter on the continent. (Dogs could be restricted to 6 weeks unfortunately.) We also have a fixed bed and reasonably big separate shower / dressing area. 

We only got it in October and have had limited usage so far due to to the lockdown, but it all appears to work as planned when we have used it. Due to the rise in staycations the caravan has probably gained about £3k since we bought it, which is pleasing but purely academic, as we’re in it for the long haul.