Tell us all the things you are going to do once you are ER

[druth]

In the "relatives who just don't get it" some people started listing a bunch of the things they want to do with their ER free time in response to those who say "But what will you do all day!?"  It seemed like it warranted its own topic, so what are you looking forward to having time for?

For me it's an infinitely long list, but here's a start:

Doing more outdoor climbing
long backpacking trips
Spending more time coaching
Start a speech team at one of the city schools
Play more music
Teach music lessons
Nap whenever I want
Train my dog better
Foster all the dogs, and maybe some cats too
Fix up my house
Spend more time in my garden
Volunteer at the library to fix books
More sewing
Never wear 'business casual' ever again
Write more and participate in more story/poetry slams

[Miss Piggy]

- Motorcycle trips
- Volunteering with sea turtle conservation organizations
- Doing something to help clean up the oceans
- Downsize our house

Not necessarily in that order. We'll probably start with the downsizing.

[bacchi]

More outdoor activities (climbing, backpacking, mountaineering) that take longer than an afternoon
Nap a lot
Read more -- I go to the library and always find many books I'd like to read
Finish some computer games
Sleep in because I'm up until 2am reading or playing a game
Cook more
Study economics
Work on some open source projects

Soon, very soon. I can taste it.

[big_slacker]

I do a lot of outdoor stuff, but not as many Epics as I used to. Looking forward to more multi-day trips, big rides and just taking my time. Would love to do Canada to Mexico by bike for instance, or ride the entire Tahoe Rim Trail. Love to do some of this stuff with the family along too, not tied so much to work schedules.

Lots more reading. I do a decent amount but always in the last hour before bed or when I take my kids to the library. Hard to really get into a book these days with kids/work.

More time with my wife. It's tough for us to do things together with both our schedules being what they are.

More chill time for me in general. Video games, bumming around on my bike, visiting with my family and friends.

More cooking. I love to cook but right now am limited to some bread and butter dishes that are basically just fuel instead of enjoyment.

[humbleMouse]

Read books, bike-camp everywhere, play billiards non-stop, tennis every day, cook, record music.  Lots of sex hopefully.  That's about it. 

[TheInsuranceMan]

Golf
Load up golf cart
Golf some more
And fish
And ice fish
Then, when I get sick of ice fishing, I'll drive south...and golf.

[Warlord1986]

Cook more.
Travel more.
Craft more.
Write more.
Hike more.
Sleep in more.

FIRE will be a permanent weekend for me.

[golden1]

I figure I will need a month or so just to decompress. 

1) Take a cross country driving trip to scout a low cost of living but nice area to live in
2) Do LOTS of reading
3) I will probably start running longer distances since I would have more time and energy for that.  Right now I run 5K and 10K distance. 
4) Volunteer with a woman's education charity
5) Join a local chorus

[andy85]

Golf
Load up golf cart
Golf some more
And fish
And ice fish
Then, when I get sick of ice fishing, I'll drive south...and golf.

nailed it for me. but keep me in the south, screw the ice...although an ice-fishing trip may be ok. and throw in some woodworking and gardening and hiking.

[BuzzardsBay]

I love this!

Work out every weekday.  At the gym if the weather is bad or outside if it's nice.  Sitting in this chair at this desk all day is killing me!
Volunteer for some really great organizations.
Nap a couple of afternoons each week.
Take classes on cooking, speaking French, and whatever else is offered that appeals to me.  (not all at once though)
Go away for long weekends when ever I want to.
Eventually, winter some place warm.  Definitely a different place each year.

[TheInsuranceMan]

Golf
Load up golf cart
Golf some more
And fish
And ice fish
Then, when I get sick of ice fishing, I'll drive south...and golf.

nailed it for me. but keep me in the south, screw the ice...although an ice-fishing trip may be ok. and throw in some woodworking and gardening and hiking.

I can get behind some gardening, and my hiking would consist of hiking to fishing locations, or hunting spots. 

[Bobberth]

I live near the Missouri River and my goal is to make a trailer to haul my kayak upstream with my bike and then throw the bike on the yak and paddle back. 29 mile bike ride to the launch. 29 mile paddle back to the boat ramp and a 4 mile ride back home. I could easily do that 3-5 times a week and not get bored. And then if I did get bored, I would just ride further upstream and paddle back from there. Camping if necessary.

[dougules]

Sit on the couch for several months then travel as much as I can. 

[MasterStache]

I am sure the list is endless but I'll give it a shot:

Travel more, especially out west
Play more golf
More hiking and camping (Try to hit every trail in the Red River Gorge)
Take on more carpentry projects
Take lots of deep breaths and relax
Work out more
Volunteer at animal shelters (will do while traveling as well)
.....and many many other adventures

[andy85]

I am sure the list is endless but I'll give it a shot:

Travel more, especially out west
Play more golf
More hiking and camping (Try to hit every trail in the Red River Gorge)
Take on more carpentry projects
Take lots of deep breaths and relax
Work out more
Volunteer at animal shelters (will do while traveling as well)
.....and many many other adventures

solid list. where you from?

[frances]

Enjoy some lengthier international trips than I have time to do now (courtesy of cc churning, of course)
Spend more time vegetable gardening and landscaping around my house with native plants
Fix up my house
More hiking, river floats, camping, bike tours- RAGBRAI, Sierra to Sea, Red River Gorge, etc.
Spend a season teaching ski lessons and being a ski bum
Buy furniture and other things on Craigslist and flip them
Become a master gardener
Become fluent in Spanish through cultural immersion
Get a hive and keep some bees
Master various fermentation methods- beer, sourdough bread, etc.
Make a baby?

[Cap_Scarlet]

Drink vodka before noon

[AZDude]

Travel more.
Sleep more.
Read more.
Write more.

[Lanthiriel]

I want to apply to PhD programs for English Literature, and I will attend if I manage to get tuition and a stipend. It's too impractical to do in the years I'm actually trying to make money, but I'm one of those crazy people who loves to write academic papers. The idea is to spend 4-ish years working on my PhD, then travel around the US until I get bored. Then I plan to settle down near some mountains and hopefully teaching a class a quarter/semester at a local community college. With the rest of my time I will read, knit, train dogs, and nap.

That's the idea for now at least. Who knows how I will actually feel in 2030.

[rantk81]

Attack some of the projects around my home that I never feel like doing when I am too tired or stressed from work

Amtrak coast to coast. I hate driving and I love how relaxing Amtrak travel is

Have afternoon weekday picnics in the parks with my SO when everyone else is at work

Explore more of the free entertainment and educational activities available to me in Chicago

Try out homebrew

Some Netflix binging

Try new recipes (I don't have the ambition to try anything too wild right now because my precious time is limited)

[RosieTR]

It might be too ambitious for my liver to bike to every craft brewery in the US, but perhaps I could try at least every craft brewery on the way to where a good friend or family member lives.

Knock off a number of the 50 state high points by doing the AT. Obviously we'd have to train for that by walking from Mexico to Canada along the Divide. But perhaps we'll start by taking a stroll across our beautiful state.

DH would love to sail the ocean blue, and since I am probably part pirate, why not.

There's a couple novels I'd like to write just for myself, some languages to learn, and so many other things.

[dougules]

It might be too ambitious for my liver to bike to every craft brewery in the US, but perhaps I could try at least every craft brewery on the way to where a good friend or family member lives.

Knock off a number of the 50 state high points by doing the AT. Obviously we'd have to train for that by walking from Mexico to Canada along the Divide. But perhaps we'll start by taking a stroll across our beautiful state.

DH would love to sail the ocean blue, and since I am probably part pirate, why not.

There's a couple novels I'd like to write just for myself, some languages to learn, and so many other things.

Be careful.  I know a guy who got a DUI on a bicycle. 

[dude]

1.Climbing (rock and ice), lots of it.
2. Roadtrips (mostly to go climbing, but for the camping as well)
3. Backcountry snowboarding, lots of it (see 2., above; 6., below)
4. Working out (do a ton of this already, but will be so nice to go to the gym during non-prime time hours!  with the MILFs!  haha!)
5. Lots of chill mornings hanging out at my favorite coffee shops, reading the news, etc.
6. International travel (no more week-long B.S. vacations -- multi-week/month forays to far flung places I haven't seen yet, and to the favorite ones I've been to repeatedly)
7. Surfing (see 2. & 6., above)
8. Scuba diving (see 2. & 6., above)
9. Becoming Spanish-fluent (see 6., above)
10. Camping (see 1., 2., 3., 6., 7. 8., above)
11. Volunteering
12. Gardening


Basically, lots more time in the mountains and ocean, and sitting by a campfire.

[Northwestie]

1.Climbing (rock and ice), lots of it.
2. Roadtrips (mostly to go climbing, but for the camping as well)
3. Backcountry snowboarding, lots of it (see 2., above; 6., below)
4. Working out (do a ton of this already, but will be so nice to go to the gym during non-prime time hours!  with the MILFs!  haha!)
5. Lots of chill mornings hanging out at my favorite coffee shops, reading the news, etc.
6. International travel (no more week-long B.S. vacations -- multi-week/month forays to far flung places I haven't seen yet, and to the favorite ones I've been to repeatedly)
7. Surfing (see 2. & 6., above)
8. Scuba diving (see 2. & 6., above)
9. Becoming Spanish-fluent (see 6., above)
10. Camping (see 1., 2., 3., 6., 7. 8., above)
11. Volunteering
12. Gardening


Basically, lots more time in the mountains and ocean, and sitting by a campfire.

I'm with you on the climbing stuff - but that underwater gig?  I'll stick to the snorkel

[dude]

1.Climbing (rock and ice), lots of it.
2. Roadtrips (mostly to go climbing, but for the camping as well)
3. Backcountry snowboarding, lots of it (see 2., above; 6., below)
4. Working out (do a ton of this already, but will be so nice to go to the gym during non-prime time hours!  with the MILFs!  haha!)
5. Lots of chill mornings hanging out at my favorite coffee shops, reading the news, etc.
6. International travel (no more week-long B.S. vacations -- multi-week/month forays to far flung places I haven't seen yet, and to the favorite ones I've been to repeatedly)
7. Surfing (see 2. & 6., above)
8. Scuba diving (see 2. & 6., above)
9. Becoming Spanish-fluent (see 6., above)
10. Camping (see 1., 2., 3., 6., 7. 8., above)
11. Volunteering
12. Gardening


Basically, lots more time in the mountains and ocean, and sitting by a campfire.

I'm with you on the climbing stuff - but that underwater gig?  I'll stick to the snorkel

Ha!  Man, there's just SO MUCH more to see down deep!  Got any climbing trips planned?  I'm heading to the Sierra for 10 days in June.  Can't wait!  Haven't been back that way since 2008!

[BFGirl]

Dedicate a lot more time to my side gig
Nap
Play video games
Read
Keep a clean house
Walk and exercise
Improve my cooking skills
Enjoy my patio
Whatever the hell I want

[BFGirl]

Drink vodka before noon

Love this!!

[asauer]

Great post!  I have a coaching business that focuses on the emotions/ life change part of retirement and I can't tell you how many clients I get b/c they're considering going back to work even though they really don't want to.  All b/c they just can't think of anything that gives them purpose!

Long-ish distance treks (I'd love to take a couple weeks and hike down the NC coast)
Learn Japanese
get more involved with the Tiger Rescue where I volunteer (I'd love to run their capital campaign in 2019)
teach as an adjunct
keep coaching business steady but at about 15-ish hrs/ week
read, read, read
expand my veggie/ fruit garden
compete in a 100 mile race walk (I only have time to train for halfs and maybe one marathon)

[golfreak12]

Golf
Load up golf cart
Golf some more
And fish
And ice fish
Then, when I get sick of ice fishing, I'll drive south...and golf.

This is me right here except the fishing part.

[SwordGuy]

Bicycle and exercise more.

Go to estate sales first thing on weekday mornings to get major kitchen appliances cheap for our rental houses.

Take afternoon naps. :)

Make lots of art.

Rehab one or two houses a year.

Volunteer again for our local city or county governmental advisory committees or board of directors.   

Make frequent, short, inexpensive trips and a longer one at least once a year.

Start board and role-playing gaming again.

[FrogStash]

More exercise
More yard work
Walk or bike with kids to and from school every day
More time floating in the pool
Cook with my wife again like we did before we had kids
Hone my skills at smoking meat
Grow more of my own food
Join a soccer team
Learn Spanish
Spend weeks at a time in other cities in the US and beyond
Wash and wax my car on a weekday morning
Restore a vintage CB 350 motorcycle and explore as side gig
Referee soccer as side gig
Even more home improvement than I do now.
Take the time required to get my tools organized and keep them that way.
Donate most of my business casual wardrobe
Attempt to go one whole week in the summer without putting on a shirt, like I did in Jr. High.
Solve my hard apple cider home brew supply chain issues
Sleep when I'm tired and wake when I'm not.

[flyingaway]

For me, no more paid or unpaid (voluntary) work.

Traveling, fishing, gardening, playing cards, and sleeping.

[zephyr911]

DIY most of life, even the stuff I don't now, but do it better and take my time.
Play more, hike bike paddle etc.
More time with DW, dogs and cats. Maybe even have kids (make/adopt/foster/???)
Lots of volunteer work.
Manage investments, maybe do entrepreneurial stuff on a low-key basis. (Already thinking about founding a second rental investment co., just because I like it so much).
Travel more, well-planned, longer-term stuff to scale costs. Especially DW's family overseas - when we go, we'll go for a month or more, not a week or two.
I'll figure out the rest - whim of the day, etc.

[elaine amj]

- Sleep in. I LOVE sleeping in
- Get outdoors more.
- spend more time with my Mom. When I was a SAHM, we talked on the phone for 1-2 hours regularly almost every day (while I did laundry, etc). I sure miss that. When I started working, I spent my free time decompressing and really don't want lengthy phone conversations all the time. My stepfather passed away last year and I know she would LOVE the company and together time again.
- hang out more with DH. We like hanging out together and we don't get to do that much with both of us working full time.

[Moostache]

Relax, Recharge, Take a REALLY long cruise.

[dougules]

- Sleep in. I LOVE sleeping in

Yes yes yes.  My alarm clock is half the reason I'm saving for FIRE.  The early bird gets the worm, but worms taste nasty. 

[fishnfool]

A typical day retired will be a morning workout, head to the beach or river for some SUPing, kayaking, fishing, beach sunning, BBQs, shoreline walks and bike rides. Get up the next day and do it all over again!

[mancityfan]

Travel, a lot of travel
more yard word/gardening
learn to cook
take classes - languages, art, computers
daily exercise
referee soccer
take yoga classes
work on my Spanish, then onto Italian and French.
Visit my kids, family.
National parks ++

[aneel]

Run
Play outside
Garden
Volunteer at elementary schools
Day dream
Build a homestead

[TheContinentalOp]

Bike across the USA (and back!)
Hike the Appalachian Trail
Bike across Australia
Climb the highest point in Norway
Write more

[mm1970]

Not sure I will ER.  But if I do...

Depends on when.
1.  Walk my kids to and from school
2.  Plant a garden that doesn't die
3.  Learn to make cider
4.  quilt quilt quilt!!  so many projects
5.  crochet
6.  knit
7.  bake some more (bread).  And hopefully if I'm walking my kids to school I won't pack on the pounds.
8.  Hike
9.  Kon-mari the damn house
10.  camp
11.  Just maybe start playing volleyball again. Step 1: buy a volleyball
12.  Volunteer more at the school
13.  Learn to program. In some kind of language somewhere.
14.  Chill out with the kids.  You know, maybe actually have the summer off.  Take a 2 month road trip.  Stay with family.  Have a summer like I did when I was a kid - unscheduled!

[Nangirl17]

Basically the same as I do now (minus the job), just at a more relaxed pace.

I want to do MORE of: taking meals to friends with new babies/illnesses, playing games and music with friends, exercising, and cleaning my house. I want to do LESS of: attending stupid webinars, keeping my certifications up, and non-clinical work (unfortunately I'll have to give up my clinical work to do this!)

Once I've retired and my ds is into his teens, I've considered taking in a/some foster child/ren, but right now because I'm working part time, I want all my spare attention to be with my son until he's older.

[Trudie]

(1)  Set up an "office" I enjoy, with a great reading chair, my favorite books, computer with large screen for audio and video streaming, and a decent work table for my projects (e.g. landscape plans, etcetera)
(2)  slow travel
(3)  bike more; continue running
(4)  raised bed gardening; plant a proper kitchen garden
(5)  study horticulture, either self-teaching or taking a certificate at a community college
(6)  Join service clubs or groups that get me out of the house most days of the week (3 would be about right)
(7)  Hang out at the public library
(8)  Write a book or blog... I'm not sure about what
(9)  Cooking - with new, fresh ingredients; trying new recipes

[alice76]

1) Read world classics. I've always been intrigued by the idea of doing a lifetime reading plan like Clifton Fadiman's. I've started one a few times and did some summer reading projects, like 5 Dickens novels, but I'd like to have the time to really commit to a reading plan.

2) Hike. Day hikes and backpacking.

3) Learn to cross-country ski.

4) Spend more time at art museums. Sketch, go to galleries, go to art lectures, volunteer as a docent.

5) Practice yoga and meditation daily (more than current 15 min before bed).

6) Redesign home and wardrobe to fit evolving needs and aesthetics with a ton of creativity.

7) I spend a lot of QT with my husband and kids, but I'm excited to have more couple time with my husband as our kids get older and my work schedule reduces.

[RedmondStash]

Good thread.

- Foster more dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens, because they are glorious and really funny.
- Learn more about 3D modeling and animation.
- Learn more about Foley art (sound effects in movies, TV, and video games).
- Get rid of 20+ years' worth of clutter.
- Garden.
- Paint the house's interior.
- Spend more time with our dog.
- Exercise more.
- Yoga.
- Write more fiction.
- Possibly do some traveling.
- Read a lot of comic books.
- Learn more about cooking different kinds of foods.
- Make video games.

[SpeedReader]

Garden more, or volunteer at a CSA farm.  Read more.  Nap on rainy days.  Go back to doing community theatre.  Shop at farmer's markets and learn to cook new foods.  Check out free days at museums and other city amenities if we move to Portland.  Hang out with family. Take classes in whatever looks interesting.  See movies at mid-week matinees. Waste time reading posts on online forums.  :-)

[MrsStubble]

Travel so much more
Winterize our friends beach house in exchange for living there off-season
write a book - both me and hubs have this goal
spend alot more time with our extended family
volunteer

[Mr. Green]

Sell a house
Build a house myself
Tour the USA
Learn Spanish
Attempt to learn the saxophone
Find my next real estate deal
Help people on a regular basis

[OutlierinMA]

Thank you, I LOVE this post! It helped me stop worrying about what I would do with myself, and gave me some great ideas. Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I've copied shamelessly:

Get rid of business casual clothes! That will be joyful.
Get a dog. Even more joyful!
Train her to be a therapy dog?
Start drawing again - my favorite childhood hobby
Design bird and pollinator native-plant garden
Start composting, and build compost bin (oh the joy of not being in a condo!)
Learn to make delicious fancy pastries, like croissants and brioche
Try to make hard cider
Start veggie garden
Take a train trip across Canada
More hiking and camping
More reading. I like the idea of classics/reading program.
More/better cooking. From scratch.

This is addictive - I've started a list on my phone to keep adding new ideas....

[mamagoose]

Teach kids dance class at my daughter's elementary school, and continue to teach adult dance class.

Work a summer at Girl Scout camp while my daughter attends same camp.