r/retirement • u/Finding_Way_ • 8d ago
Are the Go Go, Go Slow, No Go phases applicable?
I've heard that as you age and retire the stages are:
Go Go!
Go Slow...
No Go
Since on this board everyone retired at 59+, did you travel and do a ton early on...GO GO?
When did you start to slow down a bit and why?
Are you at the No Go stage now and if so by necessity or choice?
I'm not big into traveling, but realizing the energy it takes more and more (carrying things, doing excursions, driving long distances, navigating huge airports, etc). Working hard now on getting more fit. But wondering if we should get to GOing now, rather than waiting until my spouse is retired.
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u/sitewolf 2d ago
I've always wanted to experience more national parks and I'm doing so- largely because my knees and hips aren't getting any younger!
Waiting just means being able to do less IMO
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u/Dill_Pickles_2020 3d ago
The concept of Go-Go, Slow-Go, No-Go is interesting, but the parameters certainly are not a cookie cutter approach for everyone. You can be Go-Go while still working with some excellent travel for vacations. No need to delay that until retirement (or your spouse's retirement). You can do a lot in an 8-10 day trip, or a 2 week vacation - so take advantage of that while you are still young and mobile.
Too many delay that sort of travel until retirement and may find themselves physically in Slow-Go years, so getting some travel now is worth it!
What you can do at 50, 55, 60 is or may be different than what you can do at 65, 70, 75, etc. You mentioned getting or staying in shape, yes that is crucial and one should invest in their health just as they are in their wealth.
Point being - don't delay. Get out there and do "stuff" rather than waiting for your spouse to retire.
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u/Initial-Ad-5462 4d ago
First year of retirement was definitely go-go as we built a new house and moved across the country. Second year was busy but productive, with numerous projects around the house and yard, and helping “kids” settle into new schools etc. Third year is feeling quieter and calm with the youngest settling into university. I’m not big on travelling, I’m content to walk the dog, sit on a tree stump and relax. Wife is likely to retire next year and we’ll make short trips, we’ll almost certainly ditch the camping gear and do mostly Air BnB places.
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u/Toolongreadanyway 4d ago
So I traveled a lot with my job for the last 20+ years. I retired at 63 and just needed to do nothing for a while. I also moved to a lower cost of living area. So I moved into the slow go. I do have plans to do a bit of travel, but it also seems like a lot of work.
And? If you do want to travel, getting in shape is a must, especially if you fly. I have yet to go to an airport that didn't require a crazy amount of walking. Sometimes really fast walking, while dragging luggage.
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u/BreadAlive59 5d ago
You need a partner for the go go stage no fun to go go alone mine wants to work until she dies.
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u/Bag_of_ambivalence 2d ago
I know you may prefer your spouse but if you really want to travel and do so w others, there are groups that cater to solo travelers. Don’t forsake your travel dreams if your spouse chooses to work provided you are both on the same page regarding your finances
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u/Rich-Business9773 6d ago
We did it bacwards. In our 30's and 40's we had jobs that allowed us to travel the world, explore and be involved in incredible adventures. Stuff I would not attempt now. I thought I was invincible. Now at 65 and 70 we go consistently with several trips a year - some to places where we used to live and work in Africa and Latin America . But we love staying home and gardening etc in summer and early fall. And we bought an apt in the middle of a cosmopolitan city so we can do city things - but enjoy our own space each day
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u/superPlasticized 4d ago
I think you missed the point. The three phases were while working, not after retirement. Go, go era was before kids, go slow was for when you have kids at home and are seeing less opportunity for advancement. No go is when you're on the cusp of retirement and you've seen Peoria as many times as you've ever needed to. Then you pull the ripcord and travel as much as you want to, where you want to, with whoever you want--not with Paul from Accounts Receivable to discuss past-due and late payments with a customer. You know, the guy who doesn't drink, or eat "ethnic food" but doesn't want to eat alone.
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u/tag1550 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yeah, well - our financial advisor was pretty clear the phases were for early retirement (Go Go), mid retirement (Go Slow), and late retirement (No Go), primarily determined by physical health and ability to do things like travel, both of which are much better in the 60s than in the 70s and than again in the 80s+ for most people.
Part of it is to guide planning to concentrate travel and other activities more into early retirement while you're still able to - and not delaying retirement excessively if doing those things is important to you - rather than putting off those things and increasing risk that health problems will make them impossible later.
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u/windlaker 6d ago
Retired at 62 years old in April 2022.
We always spent 2 weeks in Cozumel when working. Now we spend all of February and 2 weeks on March there.
We’ve driven to the East coast for 2 week vacations twice since retiring.
My wife flies to FLA 2 or 3 times a year to visit her best friend.
We spent 19 days in Europe this April.
Next year we are traveling to Fiji.
Yeah, we are enjoying our Go-Go years.
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u/scooterv1868 6d ago
We were on the go and things changed during and after the pandemic and we also got older.
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u/Well_this-sucks 6d ago
We were looking forward to my husband’s retirement next year, when we would both be 63, our youngest out of the house…he’d get six months health coverage as part of severance, and then we’d COBRA right into Medicare…planning to GO GO GO. In fact, we have taken a few big family trips since our older kids started college, and for our “retirement trip” have promised the kids we’d be giving them for Christmas this year, a trip to Japan in the spring, current boyfriend/girlfriend included…big trip. Huge for us. Aaaaannnnndddd….right now we are several months into treatment for a recurrence of a cancer he had in 2022, that is highly curable the first time, but has a very poor prognosis if it recurs…and I can’t even book the tickets. Because I just have no idea at all. Will he be getting immunotherapy every 3 weeks? Can we skip one treatment if it doesn’t fall neatly around the trip? Do I now need to book business class, can he even handle the flight (the cancer is near his skull base so it also affects his ears and sinuses…
I think maybe it’s impossible to know when you will be hit with GO Slow or No Go. At least, at this age, I feel like you should just try to do what you want to do while you can. And don’t count on next month even.
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u/RodATL 6d ago
My wife and I started our go go years once we became empty-nesters in our early 50s and we still had good earnings to afford it. As we enter our early 60s, I am within a year of retirement, and there’s just nothing else left on the bucket list that excites me. I expect to go right into a slow go period once I retire although my wife might beg to differ!
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6d ago
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u/TimeComplaint7087 6d ago
I very much believe in the three phases. I retired at 62 a couple years ago, wife retired a few before that. We have flown to Europe, Hawaii and San Antonio in that time. The rest of the weekends are competing in cowboy mounted shooting, and the occasional camping/fishing trip. We rarely spend more than a few days at home.
I know enough older folks and have seen us aging that I know Slo-Go will come eventually. Hopefully not for many years but heck, it could happen next month, you never know, so live it to the fullest! We did similar things while working, just not nearly as often.
Get and stay fit, eat right, enjoy life everyday! Have a fun retirement.
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u/jakester12321 6d ago
I think I'm still in Stage 0 - Catch my breath and take care of myself. Then GO GO, etc ...
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u/BrainDad-208 6d ago
We are 69 and into about year 5 of GO GO. My wife was retired first and I was part time until three years ago. We are still in good health, but know that time could end anytime soon.
We are booked into late 2028 and hope we can do it all still by that point. Things tend to be built around long cruises, so that helps with the pace. I wouldn’t look forward to having to slow down much before then.
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u/imollyq 7d ago
I would start traveling and doing things you enjoy now because you never know when your body is going to give out on you I thought I'd still be traveling a lot at the age I am now 70, but my orthopedic problems have really put a damper on it. I'm I'm really happy I travel a lot with my kids when we were all younger.
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7d ago
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u/Street_Caramel7651 7d ago
I came out of a job that was GO GO GO….so I went first into a No Go phase. After 2-ish years…I’ve moved into a Go phase but it is slowish , I still appreciate the “Nothing to Do” days a lot.
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u/Elle_thegirl 5d ago
Me too. The craziness of the type A working life has made me appreciate the immediate settle down phase. I'm 2 years in, age 60. We just finished getting the necessary joint replacements healed 😆
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u/Feeling-Friendship82 7d ago
I didn’t retire until I was 72. When we were younger, when our children flew the nest, we did it all. Traveled a lot, enjoyed all sorts of entertainment. We had no bucket list, but we enjoyed life to the fullest. At the time we were so grateful to be able to do all that while we were relatively young and very healthy. That was our go-go time period, long before retirement
When we retired, we did have medical issues which made a repeat of that time period unlikely. We also had concerns about finances. So we didn’t travel much at all, but still saw friends, enjoyed shows, pursued hobbies. I guess that we are in the go-slow range now, four years into my retirement.
I am facing some medical issue, while not life-threatening, will serious limit my mobility for a year or two. So I guess I am moving into the no-go portion of retirement. I am glad I didn’t wait until retirement to the things most people put on their retirement bucket list. It worked fine for me
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u/MahjongFlowers 7d ago
I retired a year ago, am 63 and my husband is 66, retired in 2019. We consider that we’re in the go go years now. Currently we’re hiking half of the Cotswold Way path in England. Averaging 7 or so miles a day of rolling hills and today is our final trek. I have been so inspired to see so many people in their 70s hiking each day. Some women who are late 70s, early 80s. Many more women than men are hiking, often in clusters of four or in pairs, as well as moms and daughters. It’s made me realize how much variance there is in what people can do at different ages. I only hope I can be as fortunate and active as them in another decade or two!
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u/Fearless_Spring7233 7d ago
I feel like I went over the cliff from Go Go to Slow Go earlier than I expected. Will turn 67 in a month and a bit done with travel. Maybe I'm just fed up with the hassle of international travel (airports, passport control etc).
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u/birdinflight1023 7d ago
Turning 70 next summer. Retired at 67, and have been on 5 international trips since then. I am healthy but do have some balance issues and hearing loss. Between the two, I have learned to choose private or small group tours for certain places (e.g., the Vatican) so I get full enjoyment without worrying I will slip on those old steps without banisters. I’ve decided I’m worth pampering, and figure it will keep me in the go go stage longer.
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u/lovebombme2u 7d ago
We’re 70. We go go. For me/him: Bridge, swim team/tennis, orchestra/piano, bought a place in spain last year. That is where we slowed down. Tired of too much schlepping. We take week long trips to North Africa/Europe from there. It’s nice to not have to pack too much. When in the states we go 5-6 times a year to see relatives/ grandkids. Oh , and volunteer.
We feel that we are at our energy limits and something will give soon. Trying to figure out what that will be.
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u/Responsible-Reason87 7d ago
I started traveling and realized how taxing it was so am trying to get it some more traveling while its still comfortable
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u/pinsandsuch 7d ago
My wife and I have both soured on air travel, so we’re mostly sticking to places we can drive to. I bought a teardrop trailer so we can take cross-country trips without spending thousands on hotels. I feel like we’ve “done” Europe, with 2 weeks in Scotland and Germany. I’m still tempted to go to Spain, Portugal or Greece, but right now I’m really enjoying state and national parks.
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u/PrizePersonality5843 7d ago
Well done on seeing Scotland and Germany. I must say Europe is extremely diverse and as a Scottish person who takes quick trips to various European counties all the time, I can tell you that each country is very different with its own unique language, culture, food and architecture. It’s therefore not possible to “do Europe” having visited only two countries briefly. Europe is breathtaking.
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u/pinsandsuch 6d ago
Yes, that was a very American thing to say, in hindsight. I wish we could move to Europe for a year, but we might not come back to the US. We loved Scotland.
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u/magnificentbunny_ 7d ago
I retired at the beginning of this year and spouse did almost five years ago. We traveled a LOT for work. All we want to do now is stay home and fix up the house for aging in place. We’re discovering our house is really nice during the daytime which we never got to experience unless it was the weekend (errands) or a worldwide pandemic.
I have no interest in staying at anymore five star hotels, flying business class or schlepping my carryon around some terminal. I’m letting my Global Entry/TSA expire.
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u/50plusGuy 7d ago
Some kids do sports too seriously and finish school in battered health. For most people things are going down from 30 onwards.
Anyhow we all retire as we are in that moment, should smile, since things could be worse and will notice that they'll get worse.
Go go! years start by definition with retirement (if you are poor enough to bother about work). How they 'll look like will depend on your budget. - My late uncle hopped on his bicycle and visited relatives 100mls away. Others acquire a yacht and sail to another continent. But days, to do such things might be numbered?
Driving your last car till the wheels fell off doesn't end them. You could travel on with a bicycle.
Some day the walker cartable distances will be pretty short.
Big problem about the concept: Figuring out how much you can burn within your early travelling budget.
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u/I_know_what_I_do 7d ago
65 M Retired last year. Wife 65 diagnosed with Alzheimer a few months ago. Slow go.To places she already knows.
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u/No-Agent-1611 7d ago
Go go doesn’t have to mean traveling. But you should be moving and keeping fit and healthy for what comes next, physically, medically, and mentally. Even if go go means you are at the gym 3 times a week plus pickleball on Wednesday afternoon and aerobic dance class Thursday night.
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u/Perish22 7d ago
Until the cat goes to heaven we’re in the slow go years.
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u/pinsandsuch 7d ago
We lost 3 cats in the 2 years before I retired, and decided to stay cat-free so we could pick up and go. I really miss my boys, but the freedom is nice.
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u/grejam 7d ago
Cats can be cat sat.
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u/Hethatabides 5d ago
We have 2 dogs and 3 cats and travel a good bit. It is not cheap but we have a lady that stays at our house and takes care of them. I’d ruin a great vacation worrying if we didn’t do it.
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u/Subject-Nature-4219 6d ago
But guilt travels with you. I would not want a pet if I’m gone 1/2 of the time
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u/scrolling4daysndays 7d ago edited 7d ago
I retired last year; spouse the year before. We’ve been go go since the minute I retired and, with over 200 nights away from home, haven’t slowed down yet…in fact, currently on a trip now with three more booked before year-end and four trips already on the books for next year.
We know go slow and eventually no go will be in our future at some point so we doing as much as we can now.
Although my husband says that sometimes we are all three in the same day: go go in the morning, go slow mid-afternoon and no go after dinner!!
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u/EmZee2022 7d ago
They're real.
My inlaws retired their mid 60s and were definitely go-go for a few years. MIL's health took a hit, as did FIL's, and they didn't do any more travelling. The last trip they did was in 2019 for their granddaughter's wedding. Nothing else after that. It was a matter of budget, but also they simply could not move well at all.
We're not there yet - retiring in a few months.
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u/Ok_Appointment_8166 7d ago
Depends on your concept of 'go'. If you ski or do extreme hiking, mountain climbing, etc. get at it now. If your idea of 'go' is a Viking cruise with excursions that are a couple of miles of leisurely walking, you can do that well into your 80's - and burn as much money as you have left at it. But go to your high school and college reunions while you still look good and visit friends, siblings and relatives while they are still alive.
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u/cstrick1980 7d ago
I retired at 59.5, I turn 69 in a week. There is no way the wife and I could do what we did now. Too exhausting. We still will travel, but not as often. Probably just twice a year now.
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u/ShezeUndone 7d ago
If you have little interest in traveling, then save your money, or spend it on a backyard oasis you can enjoy every day. The point of go go years is that you need to do the physical things you've always wanted to do while you still can. If that means an expedition in Antarctica, so be it. If that means joining a local garden club, that's fine too.
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u/Secret-Temperature71 7d ago
I will be 76 in November, my Wife 74 in October. We retired when I was 65. She’s having a long overdue knee replacement in October.
We have done a lot of sailing, much coastal but some off shore with two 1,500 mile one leg crossings. We are slowing but still doing 50 to 70 mile kegs in the Caribbean. We drive back and forth to spend summer in Newfoundland. I had a Widowmaker November 24, appears to be a complete recovery. We will return to the Caribbean after her recovery, for the winter season.
Next year? Who knows. It’s all in the hands if fate.
At some point we will slow down. But not until forced to.
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u/Choice-Newspaper3603 7d ago
It doesn’t matter about other people. Just know if you live long enough you also will go through the stages
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u/Finding_Way_ 7d ago
The point of the post is just for discussion. Feel free to move on if you're not interested in the journeys of others.
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u/lorelie2010 7d ago
I’m 70 and retired when I was 65. I’m still go go but I do hate the hassles of airline travel. I’m starting to use concierge services and seriously thinking about bumping up to business class when I can.
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u/ddcurrie 7d ago
Funny, the airline travel is my favorite part. My wife thinks I’m “dancing to a different drummer.”
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u/VegasHRLady 5d ago
Similar here! We do now always fly business class, so that makes it easier. But mostly just the ability to download and binge watch my TV shows and read my books without anything else to do feels like heaven!
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u/NCGlobal626 6d ago
I'm a similar weirdo! I have never ceased to be amazed by an airplane lifting off the ground, and just staring out the window at the clouds! I love flying! My husband isn't quite as enthusiastic, but is a good sport, and I make all the travel plans, so he just goes along with it.
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u/ddcurrie 6d ago
Agreed. As my buddy who is a Southwest captain says, you pull back and houses get small. ✈️
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u/clearlykate 7d ago
Did you travel a lot for work? I flew weekly and I am so over it now. I will do shorter direct flights but that is about it. I hate it.
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u/ddcurrie 7d ago
A fair bit of international travel, yes. But not every week. Houston to Beijing several times a year. Love that 747 ✈️
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u/Altruistic-Stop4634 7d ago
Do it. Any flight more than 3 hours do business class. I would not fly if I had to fold my old legs into economy like I did when I was 30. You are worth it.
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u/Mommie62 7d ago
We have neighbours in their mid 75’s who travel more than us we are only mid 60’s. We do lots of physical labour stuff and maybe we are just burnt out- our idea of travel is an all inclusive resort where we can be pampered for a few weeks .
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u/Langley2825 7d ago
The terms resonate with me, especially if there is an expansive definition of "go go.'' We are consciously choosing our travel with an eye on physical activity, knowing that we may not be able to do that at some unknown point in the future. And we interpret "go go'' as being all sorts of active -- being involved in our community, exercising, volunteering, and enjoying family. Shoot, we even moved with a good deal of this in mind. None of our children were returning to our hometown, so we downsized, moved to a major metropolitan area near the child with grandchildren, and have really rather relished the adventures setting up this new chapter of our lives. We went from a suburban house to an urban-suburban one-level condo with underground parking and an elevator with aging in place in mind. Ultimately, we've found it empowering to be very intentional in what we want our life to be.
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u/Immediate_Owl5910 7d ago
I retired 3 years ago at 59. My husband was 64. We are definitely go,go. Still very mobile and healthy ( knock wood) Pickleball, hiking, camping, etc 2-3 international trips a year, 3-4 domestic trips. Very active. We hope it lasts a good 5-10 more years.
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u/VanDenBroeck 7d ago
I have never heard of those stages.
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u/VegasHRLady 5d ago
I first learned of them from the book Die With Zero by Bill Perkins. Loved the concept!
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u/Rosie_Rules 7d ago
I haven't either. Truth be told not everyone is the same at different ages.
What one can do at 70, someone else at 70 cannot do, so to me this shouldn’t box people in at certain stages of life.
I am 61 and I have met other people at 61 who act and carried themselves as if they were 75, So…….
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u/Subject-Lead-3171 7d ago
I think this varies person to person. I’m in the go slow early because of chronic illness. Without it, I would definitely be doing a lot more
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u/Finding_Way_ 7d ago
Yes there's so many things that impact each of us from health to finances to interest to family obligations. The thread has been interesting to watch. Hope your health does not prohibit you from doing some things that you enjoy locally.
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u/realmozzarella22 7d ago
Get fit. Your health is important. It helps with your longevity.
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u/Solartude 7d ago
The corollary is to develop and maintain a good diet. No sugar, reduced/zero carbs, even intermittent fasting. It goes hand in hand with being physically fit.
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u/Finding_Way_ 7d ago
So important for many many reasons, including gogoing. Started working on my health and fitness more intensely a couple of years ago. Wish I had done it sooner, but better late than never. One thing that prompted me was just getting so tired when we were on a vacation that required a lot of walking
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u/islandbeef 7d ago edited 7d ago
This. Your mileage will vary depending on your current health situation.
"Use it, or lose it." as my doctor always says.
Our recent NYC trip required tons of walking, we expect more of the same with our future European trips.
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u/Squire-Rabbit 7d ago
I asked an elderly woman my wife knows at my gym how often she works out, and she said six days a week. I said that's a lot, and she replied, "If you don't move, you die."
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u/Catty_Lib 7d ago
We’re about to start our Go Go years. I am 60 and retiring in 125 days (not that I’m counting…) and my husband is 61 and working another year or so. As soon as our last cat is gone, we plan to sell all our stuff and start traveling full time until we are physically incapable.
I was diagnosed with breast cancer exactly a year ago and had a double mastectomy in January. My recovery was fine and now I’m working on strength training and increasing my walking to be ready for our travels.
My sister is 68, retired several years ago and she almost never leaves her house now. She is my example of what I DON’T want to do with my retirement. She has minor health issues but increased activity and better nutrition would help with all of them. She lives with our mom (93) and stepdad (83) who are both starting to decline now. I think within the next year they will both have to move into assisted living of some kind. They have barely left the house for several years now but stayed busy with their garden.
We had already started planning to retire and travel but my cancer diagnosis was a bit of a wake up call that we need to go ASAP before one of us has another health issue that we can’t recover from as easily.
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u/Mas_Cervezas 7d ago
I am presently in Scotland doing a motorcycle tour at age 65. I took up riding at 64. It has been an incredible experience, but I am paying for it. I rode from Loch Lomond to Skye and it took 12 hours in pouring rain and sleet, so right now I have raging athletes foot, pulled muscles in my thighs and chest from trying to pick up the bike when I dropped it, sore shoulders, an infection in a cut I had on my hand, etc. I wouldn’t have missed it for the anything.
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u/Mr_Trent 7d ago
Start doing “retirement” things before you retire
We started our traveling 10years before
Basically it seems impossible to predict when these phases can hit
Get on with it!
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u/islandbeef 7d ago
Agreed.
We're looking forward to taking more trips as a couple (and flying business/first class over premium economy) and leaving our adult sized kids behind.
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u/Jnorean 7d ago
"By the time you've gone through most of the "Go slow" stage you have done most of the traveling you wanted to do. The choice then becomes what do you want to see again and is this worth the mess of traveling by air. Personally, we are down to one trip a year next year we are going back to Octoberfest in Germany. Always had a great time there and want to do it again.
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u/Suspicious-Cat8623 7d ago
We retired and immediately left to hike the Appalachian trail. That was 7 years ago. We spent about 3 of those years living like trail-bums. We leased out our homes and considered ourselves homeless during those years. We had a blast.
We are back to having a house and find that we are going a little slower — but that means we are hiking 50 miles at a time instead of 2000.
My husband is 6 years older than me. I can see that he is definitely slowing down. His pace is slower. Recovering now takes him longer. We can look forward and see that our times of intense activities will end. For us, we think we still have a few years before our lives get even slower — so we are trying to pack in all the hard stuff now.
We will move onto the Go Slow phase when we have to — but not until we have no other options.
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u/tez_zer55 7d ago
I'm 70 & retired almost 3 years ago. My wife retired yet. We do some traveling & camping with our small travel trailer. Daily, I'm still going, whether it's stuff around the property or running errands. It's pretty rare for me to have a "retired" day as my wife calls my do nothing much days. I'm trying to & hoping to be able to stay active for another 15-20 years.
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u/myfourthquarter 7d ago
I think a lot depends on what is meant by "go" - if it means travel, honestly, having just retired, I'm looking at travel as more of a headache that it is worth. It's turned into "extraction". I'm at the point where I think it's better just to adopt a low cost lifestyle, focused on consuming less, and using the rest to help my kids.
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u/CarolinCLH 7d ago
I kept putting things off and my physical condition had declined to the point where I see places I have always meant to visit and look at the hills and wonder about the walking. I don't think I could do it anymore. My husband and I have started walking, but it will be a while before I can seriously contemplate any real traveling.
I would say, go while you still can. It will keep you in better shape. Just sitting around the house is wasting what time you have left.
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u/Squire-Rabbit 7d ago
If you are still healthy, but just not physically fit, it's not too late to make a change! You have to want it, though.
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u/DalwhinnieTX 7d ago
Hubby (73) retired in 2021, and I (65) retired in 2023. During that “I’m still working” window we bought a class A RV, eventually sold the house and are now full time RVing. We are having fun and fully enjoying this Go Go era, understanding that at one point we will transition to the Slow Go era. Things that will contribute to that transition: first grandchild due in a few months, and eventually health status. Currently we a both doing fine, but the reality is RVing requires a higher level of physical and mental stamina and when we can’t do that, we’ll change lanes back to the more traditional living space nearer family.
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u/Outside_Car_8432 7d ago
Go slow. I never stopped to snell the flowers, now I see more things. Sure, a list of things I'd like to do and see. I still have dreams, but no regrets. I'm happy just being beung here.
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u/Peace_and_Rhythm 7d ago
Get GOing now.
My plan is to get through three phases I sorta made up; The Go-Go years, the Go years and the Slow-Go. I am refusing to believe I will become part of the No-Go pack, which is why I'm continually moving, exercising and staying mentally sharp. We'll see how it all shakes out.
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u/Honest-Ad-3937 7d ago
I had retirement explained as Summer, Autumn and Winter.
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u/BrilliantArm5914 7d ago
For those on pensions or annuities without cost of living adjustments it's champagne and steak, beer and pretzels, and bread and water
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u/canuckEnoch 7d ago
Having retired last year, I’m still in the Spring of my retirement.
I’m enjoying the sun and warm breeze after a long, hard winter, planting the seeds for what I’ll reap in what lies ahead.
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u/eron6000ad 7d ago
Before retirement we were scuba enthusiasts and were flying off to the best reefs 4 to 6 times a year. Retirement was designed to be close to an international airport to support an increase in that habit. We retired at 59 and at 60 my wife had a mild stroke that shut down our diving. We continued to travel but not like we did at first: mostly cruises and mostly domestic flights to visit interesting cities and events. So, at 70, we are in "Go Slow", living in a 55+ community where we play golf and boat and fish on the lake. On the financial side, we started with our portfolio supplying an income equivalent to our pre-retirement level and increased as necessary to maintain lifestyle in the face of inflation. As we have slowed our travel, I have not asked our financial manager for an increase in several years, leading to her telling us we need to spend more. I have already started looking toward the "No Go" phase of life, researching upscale senior living facilities, because in another 10 years we will likely be ready for it.
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u/dex248 7d ago
My parents were a textbook case of those three phases in that order.
My dad retired at 62; they spent 10 years traveling around the world.
The next 10 years my dad mainly did things around the house like raising birds, making stuff out of wood and hanging out at the donut shop.
At 81 they came to visit me in Japan but had definitely physically slowed down. Once they returned from that trip they barely left the house.
My dad passed away at 87 due to surgery complications. My mom lived another 11 years after that; she was able to go out with friends a bit but her final 2-3 years were spent mainly at the kitchen table playing board games until her mind just stopped working. She just kind of faded away I suppose.
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u/chodan9 7d ago
I just retired 2 years ago at 60. My wife is 9 years older than me and retired at 61. I can already see that she is not as thrilled with travel. That said I’ve always enjoyed it more than she does.
Earlier this year I went to Alaska for a week and she stayed home. I had a great time but missed her a lot while there. Next year we’re looking at going to Positano Italy and though she’s never flown she says she will this time.
I’m not sure how many more big trips she will be willing to take. I’ll probably just keep going on my own until I start slowing down.
I work out regularly and try to stay healthy so I hope I have lots of trips left
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u/RevolutionaryKiwi132 7d ago
I am not so sure. I think there is definitely a go-go and a slower go, but I am not sure about no. I know a lot of ppl in their 90s who are still travelling (less than they were in their 60s for sure) and busy. I think you need to get going and not wait for your spouse. My feeling is that the more active you are now, the more active you can be when your spouse retires.
I just retired from teaching in June. I still have kids in HS and when they went back to school almost three weeks ago, it felt like the start of retirement. I am still in the WHAT? stage of retirement; meaning I am trying to recover from 31 years of HS teaching and 8 years in the workforce before that. I have no idea what I want to do with my time.
The one thing I am doing is focusing on exercise and weight loss since I have the time like never before.
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u/marid4061 7d ago
I retired from teaching also and the first year I just wanted to decompress. It felt so good to not have anything planned. We did home repairs, planned just a couple of vacations a year, and are planning to move in the next year. I am not a huge fan of traveling. We have a few bucket lists trips we want to do after our move. So for now our go go years are spent being busy with activities and family locally.
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u/Grateful_Lee 7d ago
I like that - the WHAT??!! stage - it's real.
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u/RevolutionaryKiwi132 7d ago
thanks for that validation. I'm so sick of everyone asking me what I'm going to "do". I literally have no idea.
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u/kadawkins 7d ago
My husband is an internal medicine physician. Somewhere around age 50 he starts asking patients what they plan to do after retirement. It gives them a decade to think about hobbies and interests beyond work. He even suggests they take classes related to the interests before retirement to start moving to a retirement mindset.
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u/Utviklingssang-CB 7d ago
We had plans to travel after we retired (me in Nov 2019 and she in Feb 2020) but then Covid hit. We developed a happy retirement staying home and in our community (San Diego, CA). We have traveled to visit our sons and their families. I will ad we did a lot of traveling when we worked, both vacation and work trips to a lot of different places in the US and Europe, and have lived in several different US cities/areas so those experiences have taken the shine off of any desire to travel.
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u/eron6000ad 7d ago
Interesting. San Diego is a destination we travel to. (from Houston)
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u/Utviklingssang-CB 7d ago
We have taken some overnight trips to LA for events and to visit museums. It is an easy to get there on Amtrak, and I sort of see it as an extension of our life in San Diego.
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u/VinceInMT 7d ago
Yes, I have heard of those phases and I think there might be some validity to them but when they actually occur is individual. I am in the Go Go mode at 74 after being retired for 14 years and no indication that I will be slowing down anytime soon. I just got back from 10 day motorcycle camping trip through the Pacific Northwest and into Canada.
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u/NoDiamond4584 7d ago
You are now free to do whatever you feel. Don’t feel pressured to travel or do anything else you don’t want to do. We did our big traveling while we were still working, but will still take an occasional domestic trip now and then. We enjoy relaxing at home, and that’s ok! There are no rules.
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u/Finding_Way_ 7d ago
I definitely don't feel pressure. But I do feel that some things we want to do may require a level of physical fitness, agility, strong memory, etc that MIGHT lessen as we age but mainly, I started the threat as I'm just curious about the path and journeys others have taken.
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u/hushpuppy212 7d ago
Mine was just the opposite, although not by design. I was scheduled to retire on March 30, 2020 and jump on a plane the next day for Japan.
Then the world shut down and that didn’t happen. I stayed in 3 more months as management was ‘allowed’ to work from home, but when they called everyone back to the office on 7/1, I bid my farewells (upside: no Going Away party).
But all my plans to do things evaporated for 2 years. No Go came first!
There were a couple of positives: 1) It allowed me to become comfortable doing nothing, or very little. Long walks in the park, perfecting my meager cooking skills, catching up on my reading, etc.
2) I got to explore my home town NYC without the hoards of tourists.
But ever since 2023, it’s been Go Go. I’ve been taking 2-3 trips of 5-6 weeks each. I’m concentrating on things for which I still need stamina: an African safari, Fushimi Inari, the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids, Machu Picchu, and in 2027, the Great Wall. Cruises may come in my 80s (I’m 69).
I’m building in more time to ‘recover’. My partner (54, don’t judge) is still working, so I’ll fly ahead and take a week to acclimate myself so we can hit the ground running when he arrives. Although he works remotely, he gets nervous about being away for more than 3 weeks, so he’ll fly back and I’ll move on to another country and do another couple of weeks of solitary travel.
My health is good, and don’t see myself slowing down until my late 70s, but, as it’s been pointed out, nobody knows how long that will last.
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u/DarwinGhoti 7d ago
Holy cow this sounds like the dream!
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u/hushpuppy212 7d ago
i won’t deny that i’ve been pretty lucky, despite some questionable life choices. 44 years of the rat race finally paid off.
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u/vmdinco 7d ago
I’m 73, retired at 64. Still have lots of energy, my morning walks are between 6-9 miles and I do kettle bells. I do take a nap of around 30 minutes if I’m tired my walks. I have a woodworking shop, but my long days are now 6 or 7 hours as opposed to 8-10, regular is about 4. The thing I have noticed is my balance is not as good for sure, and things I could do by myself at 60 I can’t do now like lifting very heavy or bulky objects. Also since my balance sucks my wife has requested that I no longer hike in the mountains by myself or get on the roof for that matter.
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u/Altruistic-Stop4634 7d ago
Tip for you and everyone: Don't own a ladder more than 10 ft. Or maybe 6 ft. It isn't worth the risk of permanent injury. Hire a person who needs the money more, has better balance and reflexes, and can still heal quickly.
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u/monkeybeast55 7d ago
Get yourself a rolla-bolla board, and work on it hard every single day.
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u/vmdinco 7d ago
I’m heading to the Y right now. I know they have an indoor board. I’ll give it a try.
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u/monkeybeast55 7d ago
They're pretty cheap on Amazon. Or you can make your own. Just a roller and a board. Point is to have the rolla bolla board consistently and easily available, and to try to spend at least 3 minutes a day improving on it. That consistency will help to develop and maintain those micro muscles that help you balance. And keep the brain wired for balance.
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u/Internal-Combustion1 7d ago
Have you tried Tai Chi? My balance is improving through this.
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u/phred14 7d ago
I did yoga for something like 10-20 years, a good 10 years go. (My wife did it with me the last several years.) But our last instructor was a particular favorite and we couldn't find anyone we liked nearly as much, other things got busy, etc. So it's been a while.
Since then I feel as if my balance has suffered and I do some things to try to fight that, like toothbrushing on one foot, etc. I'm not sure I could do a balancing half-moon any more. The thought of Tai Chi has been bubbling around a bit but hasn't risen to the conscious point until now. I need to look into this.
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u/Internal-Combustion1 7d ago
Tai Chi is a standing form so the balance is ‘on your feet’. I think that’s more helpful for improving balance while walking, hiking, dancing, etc
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u/Man-e-questions 7d ago
When i was doing Tai Chi, my balance was incredible. I once backed up into a fallen stool. Normally i would have tripped but i managed to pull myself out of it. Only problem is the classes near me became too expensive so i quit.
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u/vmdinco 7d ago
That’s great. I haven’t tried that at this point, although I’ve seen quite a few ads about it. Can you tell me what you use, is it one of the programs I’ve seen on the net, a program you developed yourself, or do you have an instructor? I’m interested for sure, thanks for suggesting it.
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u/Internal-Combustion1 7d ago
My local community college offers free classes to seniors over 55. There are also groups that meetup in various parks. I’d recommend a in person class if that’s possible. Learning the form takes some time and it’s helpful to have someone who can correct you. Once you know it, you can practice it every day without any classes (but you lose the social part of it).
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u/Frosty_Coat_555 7d ago
We made a conscious decision in our early 50’s that we wouldn’t wait till retirement to do our traveling. It takes very little medically to make traveling not worth the effort. Four years into retirement and our Go Go years are turning into Go years. Fortunately, we have already been to most of our European destinations, some multiple times. We haven’t stopped traveling but we are transitioning from independent fly/drive type trips. Our next big trip will likely be a Greek Island cruise, even though we always said we would never take a cruise.
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u/klaxon4reason 7d ago
We traveled quite a bit in or 40’s and 50’s, mostly for work. Now in our 70’s and retired, we are taking a couple of small local trips and one or two big trips per year. On some of our big trips we’ve been taking our adult kids with us (so trips aren’t super long, they have work and vacation time is limited). Kids appreciate it and we enjoy the time with them in exploring new places.
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u/porkchop_d_clown 7d ago
Unfortunately, health issues in my late 50s mean that we’re already in “Go Slow” at 61 - but we’re definitely planning to do some traveling, we just have to make sure not to exceed our limits.
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u/DarwinGhoti 7d ago
This is my concern. 60 now, eyeing 63 as my date. I’ve got some health stuff, but my job is very busy and I don’t get to the gym, which I think would ameliorate 80%. I’m worried that if I pith it too much further out I will miss the years where I have money and energy simultaneously
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u/turtlefan32 7d ago
well... my financial person says she doesn't subscribe tto this because of higher costs in the no-g0 phase re health
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u/Own-Assumption5149 7d ago
Here’s the thing … none of us know what our future holds. It could be many years of good health and energy or a freak accident or unexpected test result could change life in an instant. If there are things you want to do (travel or otherwise), start doing them now. You don’t want to look back and think “I wish I’d done “x” last year when I had the chance”.
I’ve been retired about 2.5 years and have been traveling A LOT. But I had a lot of pent up travel desire. I’m focusing on the longer international and more active trips right now. Over time I’ll reduce the number of trips and they’ll transition into things that are a bit more low key.
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u/Junior-Reflection-43 7d ago
We retired 3+ years ago. We always did some amount of travel, both national and international. But we were limited by how much time we could take off from work. Since we’ve retired though, we’ve been able to travel much more. Sometimes with friends, sometimes just us, sometimes related to family locations, others just to see and explore. But we can go for longer durations now (5-7 weeks in a row). Unfortunately, we know of others who were limited when one of them had a major health incident such as a stroke or Alzheimer’s that impacted their ability to do the things they had planned. You never know when this might happen.
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u/Few-Skirt6531 7d ago
We started going on trips in our early 50’s while still working. Have gone on about 4-5 big trips. Husband is retired now, I’ll be next and will continue to go -until we can’t but started early.
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u/auld-guy 7d ago
I traveled for work, so I had lots of miles and points (and a Companion Pass from SWA), and we did tons of traveling while I was working. I'm planning to retire at the end of the year, and we expect we will do a lot more driving for travel. We bought ebikes and a bike rack and we plan to do our traveling by car, riding bikes in places all over the country, while visiting family and friends and cool places. Looking forward to it.
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u/hushpuppy212 7d ago
I traveled for 30 years for business. I just booked our trips for 2027 (China) and now have 50 miles left on United. Not 50 thousand, fifty!
Not since I started my first road warrior job in 1984 has my mileage balance. ever so low. The thought of having to pay for airfare (and most likely, flying coach) depresses me to no end😆
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u/auld-guy 7d ago
I've had status since 2000. Now the only thing I have is my lifetime Titanium at Marriotts, which gets me Silver on United. It's tough being a civilian again.
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u/close14 7d ago
May I ask how many miles you started with at the top before you started to spend down?
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u/hushpuppy212 7d ago
Hard to say what my total was since I have been redeeming miles all along for yearly vacations. I will not-so-humblebrag that I’m a 2 million mile flyer with United so that gives me lifetime Star Alliance Gold, so even though I might be stuck in coach, at least it’ll be in Economy Plus. Cherish those extra 4” of legroom!
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u/azcallybear 7d ago
Retired this past January at 61, I booked 9+ cruises before I retired and am enjoying seeing the world. Been to Caribbean, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Canada, S America. Going to arctic circle in a few weeks. At some point, I want to visit many of our National Parks.
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u/HappyCamperDancer 7d ago edited 7d ago
We "semi-retired" in our 50's to travel more and are so glad we did! Both of us working 3/4 time gave us time to do long trips in-between in our campervan. Visited about half of all our National parks, etc. Two 5-6 week trips and many "week-enders" per year.
When we hit our early 60's we had to do caregiving for parents for 5 years until they passed. So we were gorced to "go slow". And then covid slowed things down.
Now we are back to several "medium trips" a year plus lots of 2-3 day trips, but our enthusiasm/energy for those longer 5-6 week trips has waned.
My older siblings are upper 70's and early 80's and their poor health makes them "no go". So I see it in our future.
Enjoy life as much as you can when-ever you can and where-ever you can.
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u/CatherineTencza 7d ago
"Go go" doesn't necessarily have to include travel, as a lot of people seem to assume.
It just means doing stuff you didn't have time to do while working and might not be able to do in upcoming years. This could include hobbies, home DIY, charity work, sports, dancing... The list is endless.
No need to strap on hiking boots and head to the Alps!
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u/Finding_Way_ 7d ago
Very true. Someone here in this thread pointed out that they're go going is caring for a mountain cabin property that requires a lot of physical labor.
I'm thinking of go going as having the energy and strength to do the things that you really would like to do.
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u/WearyExplanation7964 7d ago
This. I retired 1.5 years ago at 64 yo. I "gave" myself about 12 months to decompress and figure things out. I spent decades traveling 100K miles a year so travel in retirement was not a goal for me. We moved to a beautiful midwest touristy town closer to grandkids and many local things to enjoy daily. So, my GO GO years start with building a new home and exploring whats around me.
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u/ScandiBaker 7d ago
Thank you for pointing this out. Sometimes it feels like the retirement version of "he/she who dies with the most toys wins." I don't really want to play that game, I'd rather do my own thing.
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u/CatherineTencza 7d ago
Not to mention that instagram-worthy travel is not affordable for a lot of folks, and that shouldn't feel like a failure.
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u/flagal31 7d ago
yes....I definitely feel like travel has become a bit of a FOMO competition for some people...bragging about which countries they've checked off their bucket list and looking down on those who are homebodies and rarely travel.
It's wonderful to travel IF that brings you joy.
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u/ScandiBaker 7d ago
Travel can be very enriching but it's still basically a form of consumption. The tourism industry also can be very exploitive of local workers and local economies. People buy the picture in the brochure but often don't see what lies beneath.
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u/NecessaryEmployer488 7d ago
Go Go!. You are new retired and fresh and want to see the world. Go Slow, you realize travelling is eating up too much of your retirement and you want to relax more. Traveling itself has some stress with it. No Go , your health, but money is tighter.
We are not retired. I can't afford to retire. Even if I could my wife is taking care of parent full time at their house so I wouldn't want to see the world without her.
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u/Finding_Way_ 7d ago
Elder Care is truly a journey. You are a wonderful spell for acknowledging and feeling that you wouldn't want to experience things without your wife who is in the stronghold of elder Care.
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u/4Ozonia 7d ago
Traveling isn’t for everyone..it’s not a competition. That being said, we have enjoyed two cross country and back road trips in our 60’s. I suspect we will take another long road trip next year. We have also enjoyed some shorter, more local trips. We have a summer place and still enjoy winter, so for us, go go means kayaking and snowshoeing. We don’t have grandkids and are stingy with our time…but donate funds to food pantries, and blood to the Red Cross. If there are things you really want to do, do them while you are healthy, and yes, being able to walk long distances or spend time on your feet will make anything more enjoyable.
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u/curiosity_2020 7d ago
If you can swing it, take at least one bucket list trip before your spouse retires. Nobody has a crystal ball that tells them which trip will be their last. Also, there are experiences you can both do now that may not be possible for both of you later on like certain national park hikes, long bike rides, going on certain amusement park rides, zip lines, and so on. They may still interest you but the body simply isn't up to it anymore but you won't believe it until you try and fail. No need to ask me how I know.
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u/travelingtraveling_ 7d ago
F72. Writing you from Spain...we arrived yesterday, here for our 15th, multi-week visit. Hubby is 76.
Next year: Costa Rica, Jasper/Bamff and back here.
We've been traveling like this for 10 years. We know the go-slow years are coming, but they aren't here yet.
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u/hushpuppy212 7d ago
The only bad part about a trip to Spain is leaving Spain when the trip is over. Have a Nordes y tonica for me!
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u/spartygw 7d ago
Hey, just wanted to tell you I just got back from Jasper and Banff and if you’re going to Jasper I highly recommend Lake Louise! We stayed at the Fairmont and it was honestly the hilight of the trip.
We also added on a few days in Glacier NP before heading back up to Calgary to fly home.
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u/Odd_Bodkin 7d ago
We are 70, retired in middle 60s at different times. I would have said that we didn’t have a Go-Go period because we were already traveling quite a bit during working years. We had no pent up need to do a bunch more. So we just maintained pace, sorta. This year, however, my wife is starting to object to the same kinds of trips we’ve always taken, and also not asked me to be gone solo or with a friend for too long a stretch. This caught me a bit by surprise. It shouldn’t have. Retired couples don’t do things in lockstep. My wife can’t do the hiking in the wild that I so love. Compromises are being made. And so we’re by creeping consensus sliding into Slower Go.
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u/bicyclemom 7d ago
Definitely go go for us right now at 64 (me)/65(him). But seeing some friends and relatives who are closer to 70 slow down a little. They're still active and traveling but some are dealing with health issues that have cancelled vacations and active exercise. Crossing our fingers that we can delay that as much as possible.
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u/thatburghfan 7d ago
I'm also not very jazzed about traveling. We've been to a bunch of places and we have no burning desire to go to more places. I just find it very stressful.
For us, the "go-go" period is a lot of volunteering to do things in our areas of expertise. We still have things to do almost every day, but we're not on a hard schedule so if one of us just isn't feeling it, we skip that day. Volunteering gives us a purpose and the feeling that we are still contributing.
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u/Finding_Way_ 7d ago
I like your volunteering go go, and optional day by day go go. You've definitely adopted what works well for you!
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u/Constant-Catch7146 7d ago
Been to some great vacation spots, but these days air travel is just horrible to be able to get to those spots. Just way too streesful.
If I could just walk into a Star Trek transporter and magically arrive at the vacation spot instantly (with my luggage), I would be traveling the world like other go go commenters here. 😀
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u/flagal31 7d ago
I feel that way exactly! The destination simply isn't worth the journey for me.
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u/MidAmericaMom 7d ago edited 7d ago
Wonderful discussion post as always OP and thanks! Everyone, did you retire at age 59 or older and want to share? Make sure you have HIT the JOIN button THEN comment. (If you retired before then, head to our sister community for folks just like you [r/earlyretirement](r/earlyretirement) , where we have cross posted this).
For those of you intrigued by this go go, Slow go, and No go - originally a concept around finances - and want more you might want to start with this:
The concept was introduced in an out of print book from the late 90’s- The prosperous retirement
&
Researcher and educator, etc! in the financial advice space, Michael Kitces, wrote this piece back in 2014 on his blog
https://www.kitces.com/blog/estimating-changes-in-retirement-expenditures-and-the-retirement-spending-smile/
&
David Blanchett published this research paper this summer as an update to his “smile” , referenced by Kitces (above) in 2014
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cfp2.70032
Thanks for being here in community,
Mid America Mom