Now that we are moving around full time, you might think every day is a vacation for us. To some extent you’re right. The combination of retirement and getting rid of all of the “stuff” that kept us in one place means we are free to do what we want when we want.

The way we’ve structured this new lifestyle, though, is more about “living” in different places rather than “visiting” them.

Which brings us to vacations.

There are places in the world we might like to see but not be comfortable living for extended periods, or where we might prefer to be part of a guided experience. There are also places we’d like to see but in which we can”t afford to live for extended periods! And there are times we might want to travel with extended family but not live with them (sorry, guys, but it’s true).

If we can make the finances work, we hope to supplement our nomadic lifestyle with at least one “vacation” each year.

I had told our kids for years that when I retired my gift to myself would be a “family” vacation for all of us. Not only did I want to spend the time with our kids, but I also wanted to give them an experience that they might not be able to afford on their own at this stage in their lives (we sure couldn’t when we were young).

The original plan was EVERYONE in a big house in Florida and time spent at Disney World, where my daughters-in-law and grandkids had never been. Over the years our kids’ interests and lifestyles diverged, so by the time my retirement actually happened, that no longer made sense.

In the end, we took son #2 and his family to Florida last April, and had an amazing time. After our first winter of living outside Ontario, that added time with them was a great “vacation”.

Son #1 and their partner will join us on a river cruise from Paris to Normandy later this month. We’ll post some photos on Facebook, and maybe add a short blog about river cruising here too.

In the meantime, if you have the chance to go on vacation, I hope you will take it! The world is huge and our time in it is finite. Why not experience as much as you can?