For many people, the idea of winding up the work life and settling into a community where everything is in easy each is just plain their idea of hell on earth. The new retirees are coming out of the baby boomer generation and they have more, and often stranger, expectations of what the golden years can hold. Some of the most bizarre retirement lifestyles actually made a kind of solid fiscal and emotional sense. Seventy really is the new 40 and more retirees are finding themselves stymied by the usual set up in communities. Many are choosing to re-craft their lives by hitting the road in a number of unusual ways.
The Full Time RV-er
Moving into an RV has always been a popular retirement lifestyle, but the RV lifestyle has changed greatly. The traditional “snowbird” is all but extinct. Snowbird was a term given to retirees who lived full time in an RV, but in two communities; one that was warm in the winter and one that was cool in the summer. The extent of their travel was between these two places, with the exception of trips out to park on their children’s lawns for a visit. Now, RVs have become increasing high tech, comfortable and easy to drive. Many boomers retire and become full time RVers who are constantly traveling. There is a rising trend towards the “WorkKamper,” where retirees swap working the front desk of an RV resort for a month or two of free hookups and a small wage. There are also more and more people using the mobility of this lifestyle to indulge in what most would consider a bizarre retirement lifestyle – they are birders in pursuit of their lifetime list. They will pack up and go at the mere hint of a great chested warbler four states away.
Long Haul Trucking
A reality for many retirees is that their retirement financial plans are not proving to be enough and they have to find a way to continue working. One of the industries that are looking to hire the “mature” person is the long haul trucking industry. People who wouldn’t find a full size RV an attractive investment are putting their money down on over the road rigs and classes to get their trucking license. In the end, they are getting paid to drive and delivery, all over the country, in their own rigs. This has proven ideal for some couples who are looking to downsize, travel, stay active and earn an income. The trucking businesses love them for their work ethic and appreciation of schedules and accountability.
Global Organic Farming
A new trend in slightly bizarre retirement lifestyles is going organic, but in a global way. There are more and more networks of organic farms that are willing to swap room and board for a few weeks work. It is not as cut and dry as just showing up and working in a foreign country. The purpose of these networks is to share information and technique. Each worker acts as a kind of organic ambassador and carries the techniques of one farm to another to let the organic community constantly educate themselves on the best ways to successfully grow food.
As the full time manager for an internet website marketing business, D. Holdeman operates as a guest-poster in order to undergird corporations in the United States, such as Nathan Carlisle Homes. He lives in Los Angeles County, and is relishing these times in addition to his lovely bride and three squirts. Dan-the-man harkens folks to check out his Google planet today.