I was chatting with my 96-year-old neighbour yesterday, and I mentioned we were planning to go on vacation to Italy this summer.
She casually looked at me and asked if I would be going for a month or more. I corrected her, assuring her that we would only be 10 days or so.
But given many of the people on this forum are I suspect retired; what does everybody do? Do you go away for a month or more?
Should I be planning longer vacations now I am nearing retirement?
I would say it depends on what you can comfortably afford.
And how long you want to be away
Iâm in Spain for 80 days. But I wouldnât call it a holiday as I spend half of my time in Spain and half in Switzerland. Nice bicycle rides and soon some mediterranean swimmingâŚ
But to spend 80 days there? You must have purchased a property?
My retired elderly neighbours would do the same, theyâd disappear off to Italy for over a month each year.
I have a number of neighbors who go off to Italy for months
I prefer not to leave the comforts of home for more than a few days
Millennial here. Up to 2024 I took the 5 weeks straight. But, I found it stressful because not a single pause from early August until Christmas.
Since last year, only 4. Left 1 week to make 3-day weekends along the year. Getting old is the block for disappearing for 5 weeks.
Atm weâve been doing a month, but mainly because of getting things sorted out for the permanent move back to the UK. Canât do as much as we used to so little and often over a longer period works just as well. Just got back yesterday from our latest trip.
Walking our dogs this mprning I saw a neighbour who was 90 last year up on a ladder cleaning her windows.
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We used to go away for three weeks every summer, weâve never gone on holiday for longer than that.
Now itâs usually 10 days to two weeks maximum as we donât like to leave the cats for longer than that although they are very well looked after by the neighbour.
We tend to do short breaks but more frequently these days.
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Ah BoomersâŚthey are the lucky ones!
They were not boomers, they were silent gen.
I generally do a 3 week stint, go home for a week & then go away again for 3 weeks, it works well in the ski season as you get some time to recover. In the summer 3 weeks on 3weeks off works well althrough I live in Malta & itâs already sunny, picture from yesterday.
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I find that on vacation I typically spend less than living in Switzerland 
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I travel back to the US for 5 days at a time, every 4-6 weeks.
I try to stay only as long as needed to avoid the worst ticket prices, and only as long as I can safely deal with a crazy sibling.
My travel is eldercare - not a holiday. But thatâs where the âholidayâ budget goes.
When the day comes that I can travel for myself, then Iâll take a proper holiday. But even then, I find short breaks - 3 days to a week - much more enjoyable.
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Almost 2 months on the sea, as long as the school holidays lasts.
The good thing about living in CH is going on vacation almost everywhere in the world is actually cheaper than staying here
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Yes and yes. Bought a condo at the beach 34 years ago. Even before I did buy a home in Switzerland.
Donât know if that was a financially good idea, because when younger we did travel a lot and it just was used by my family (with me being the paying part alwaysâŚ). Of course prices for renting such places are crazy at the moment, but then laws in Spain are very restrictive for renting out. Of course I bought it in a dip when there were forests of âfor saleâ signs and I paid cash half of the demanded price.
Basically agree, but I still party like it was the 90s and that got expensive in Spain. I do the trick and spend more money in Spain than in Switzerland. (OK, I did rise the salary of my driver and now he wants to drive me every dayâŚ)
I eat at least twice a day in Restaurants, which are dirt cheap compared to Switzerland. Except for some Michelin things where you eat for 800 bucks with 13 different wines. Worth it if your wife likes thatâŚ
ohâŚgeee! I see I donât belong to this clubâŚ
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