I’m officially back home but I’ve already booked a trip to Europe and will be hoping around the world. I booked my return ticket for February 2026 but I’m not sure if I’ll be traveling that much yet or not. I wanted the flexibility since I’ll be back in Europe next year so I’ll use that as my return ticket.
I had been concerned about boredom during my semi-retirement state but I’m sure I’ll be fine. While I’ve been away, I have continued to apply for jobs and take calls for opportunities since job searches are required as part of the unemployment rules but nothing has come up my way. Evidently the job market is hot but the pay is not so I’m not in any rush.
I still have my deferred compensation coming back at me in November and my severance package was decent so I’ll just keep traveling until something good comes up.
Traveling For Free
The best thing so far however is that most of my travel has been free. I flew business class with air miles, I stayed at hotels for free using my hotel points and got upgraded to the top tier suites each time. The main expenses were excursions and meals and some of those were free too using credit cards! I wrote about how I do this here and there are many different methods to use if you have the tenacity and patience to do it right.
I have now earned top tier status “for life” on one hotel chain which means I’ll automatically be upgraded if rooms are available and will start getting top tier status on another hotel chain to have broader hotel portfolio options at my disposal.
Airlines Continue To Suck
I am burning through as many airlines miles as possible on my “preferred” carrier so I can stop using that airline. Virtually all U.S. airlines are garbage in my opinion and I desperately want to switch to some alternatives I’ve flown that offer far better service. I hope to achieve this goal by the end of 2026. I plan on cancelling my current airline branded credit card as soon as the membership period is over which is also in 2026.
Relocation Assessment
My trip was part holiday, part exploratory trip for retirement countries and I am glad we did this trip because I learned a great deal. It’s one thing to watch YouTube videos but it’s an entirely different thing to visit a country, talk to the people, experience the culture, eat at restaurants, shop at grocery stores and meet up with people at various venues. At one particular wine tasting, we had an amazing conversation with our host about politics, life, money, and new horizons. In another instance, we met a couple that is doing the exact same thing we are, checking out countries for retirement options.
I have been warning my wife that we need to make a decision soon before the 60+ million baby boomers decide that they too want to leave and ruin it for everyone else. The clock is ticking and 2030 is when the youngest baby boomers will be 65.
Share The Wealth
Is your summer being productive? Let me know in the comments below.