Last week, I had separate conversations with two clients that threw up an interesting coincidence, and the inspiration for this article!
One has just recently retired, and the other is very much on the cusp of stopping work completely.
I steered both conversations towards their post-retirement plans, both out of professional and personal curiosity. Both of them excitedly and independently confirmed that learning to surf was on their bucket list.
As you’re no doubt aware, a bucket list is a list of the experiences or achievements that you hope to have or accomplish during your lifetime.
Although you can tick off items as and when the chance arises during your working life, such lists are more commonly associated with the period after you retire.
At that time, you’re most likely to enjoy the happy confluence of having both funds and time available with the pressure of work and family commitments no longer so arduous.
Most common bucket list items relate to travel
Whether it’s simply enjoying a long, luxurious holiday, or seeing one of the many wonders of the world, there are many different destinations, attractions, and experiences that may well be on your list.
Many will entail the kind of large financial outlay involving long holidays to far-flung destinations you’ve always wanted to visit but have never previously had the time – even if the cost wasn’t necessarily an issue.
Then, there are somewhat more esoteric travel-related bucket items where time is more of a factor than expense, such as:
- Journeying to Machu Picchu
- A trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway
- Hiring a car or utility vehicle to drive across the US.
Your travel list could also include once-in-a-lifetime experiences, such as swimming with dolphins, scuba diving on the Barrier Reef, or going on an African safari experience.
Other common (and potentially expensive) bucket list items that also involve travel could include personal physical challenges, including climbing to one of the Everest base camps, or hiking the length of the Appalachian Mountains.
Your list will be personal to you
You may also have additional or alternative closer-to-home items included on your bucket list.
Some of these could have a hefty price tag, such as buying a classic car, or even a second property by the sea. But, a high cost is not necessarily a prerequisite for bucket list items.
For example, you may intend to read the complete works of a particular author, or experience live performances of all the works of a certain composer.
Alternatively, you might want to learn to play a musical instrument, or take up a new sport like golf or padel.
Going back to the two clients you read about at the start of this article, their new bucket list hobby only requires an initial outlay on a surfboard and wet suit.
Enhancing your big-ticket bucket list items
One alternative bucket list idea I’ve thought about relates to taking the necessary steps to enhance one or more of your big-ticket items.
By doing this, you can ensure you’ll get maximum value, and make an already unforgettable experience even more memorable.
This idea was prompted by the memory of a trip a friend and I made around South America after we left university.
We made the erroneous assumption that, as we’d previously managed to get by in Spain with little conversational Spanish beyond “good morning”, “thank you” and “two beers please”, we would be able to manage in the same way in South America.
This proved not to be the case, and it created a layer of unnecessary stress that a decent understanding of Spanish would have spared us.
So, if a trip around South America – or even just Spain – is on your bucket list, learning to speak Spanish will really stand you in good stead, and enhance your enjoyment.
Drilling down on a particular item
This then set me thinking of other ways you could enhance a big-ticket bucket list item.
A good starting point is reading. Taking the time to find out about a country or region you are going to travel around can give you a greater appreciation of where you are and what you should be looking for.
Sticking with Spain, for example, as well as learning the language, you could add real value to your travels by immersing yourself in the culture and history.
So, perhaps put some books about Spain – both fiction and non-fiction – on your reading list. The scope of authors to choose from ranges from Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Ernest Hemingway to Miguel de Cervantes and George Orwell.
Similarly, if you enjoy drinking good wine, consider how much your appreciation of a journey around Spain, or any other wine-producing country, will be enhanced by taking time to become highly knowledgeable on the vineyards to visit and wines to taste.
Take a fresh look at your own bucket list
If you don’t have a bucket list, hopefully reading this article will at least prompt you to start thinking about your aspirations and intentions once you’ve retired.
Furthermore, if you already do have an extensive list of things you want to do, see, and experience, hopefully some of my suggestions will have given you pause for thought.
By enhancing some of the plans you already have you can really make the most of your retirement years.
Get in touch
If you have any queries regarding your retirement planning and having the funds available to fulfil items on your bucket list, please get in touch.
You can contact us by email or, if you prefer to speak to us, you can reach us in the UK on +44 (0) 208 0044900 or in Hong Kong on +852 39039004.
Production
