My DH is starting to use the R word, and speaking of it happening by year's end. I'm interested in hearing from those who are retired or planning to do so in the near future. Did you budget an 'x' amount for yearly travel? Do you plan far out or are you finding that you're able to get and enjoy last minute deals? What about Disney - are you traveling there more or less often than when you (and the kids) were younger?
We've been retired for 13 and 8 years respectively, and have thoroughly enjoyed our travels. Most of it by car, but I like to drive, so that's not an issue.
First, and foremost, know that time is limited. You only have so many healthy years allocated, and once it's gone, that's it. About the best you can do is estimate from you own general health, and that of your parents and siblings, to gauge just how long that is.
Exercise helps a lot, and if you go to WDW very much, you already know this. Once mobility is impaired, that changes everything.
Finances: That is something that you have to figure out for yourself. Do a budget - income, fixed expenses, etc. What's left over, you can allocated to travel. Excel spreadsheets are my favorite tool. Hotel costs are all available online, as are tours, etc. Build a trip spreadsheet that will forecast your expenses. And it's just that, a forecast - don't make it an accounting game and try to come out to the penny at trip's end.
The GasBuddy app will find the best gasoline prices.
And it depends on what you place more value on. A big house and two new cars? My old f@rt coffee buddies think I'm crazy spending thousands on travel, yet they see no issue with buying a new pickup for tens of thousands, only to use it to drive 5 miles each way to coffee every morning. Me, I drive an 02 Dodge pickup with 400K miles on it.
We haven't done many "last minute deals" because we like to plan well in advance and decide our route and itinerary in detail. I'm told that if you're the type that keeps a bag packed all the time and have few permanent obligations (kids, dogs, clubs, etc) that it's a great money-saving tactic. You will have to orient your life so that when you walk out the door and turn out the lights, you won't leave things undone while you're gone. Perhaps ask a neighbor to check on things while you're gone and collect your mail with a promise of reciprocity when they travel. Also, think about toting a laptop or an Ipad to keep track of your banking/credit cards when on the road. We do this.
On our road trips, I like to drive about 200 miles or so a day between our overnight stops. That way, if we see something that we didn't know about (waterfall, trail, overlook, etc) we have time to stop and explore. Some of our most interesting finds have been places and things I had no idea existed.
Where to go? My ideas have come from a lifetime of reading old
Nat Geo magazines from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. And looking at all the pictures have given me a reasonably good knowledge of how to take decent photos. Take lots of them, and have a plan with AT&T or Verizon or whoever to store duplicates of your pics on the cloud. One day your phone will crater and if you don't have your pics saved, you will be devastated.
Some things cannot be adequately captured by photography, only seen and recalled. Two years ago in Zion NP, mrs wabbott observed, "I don't know which way to point my camera! It's all so spectacular."
Happy travels!!