Retirement: My Vision

I saw this post over at Get Rich Slowly and it got me thinking about my own definition of retirement. To some it is a quiet small house in the woods or mountains. Some want to live on a beach in Florida or California. Others are happy just being near family and friends and taking up hobbies and volunteer work. My vision of retirement (which is the day I reach financial freedom) is sort of a mix of the above.

When I "retire" I actually mean that I no longer rely on a steady paycheck to cover my expenses. Ideally I would travel extensively and spend most of my time outside the USA. I see my self traveling in Asia, picking up volunteer work and/or teaching English from time to time. I am also considering owning my own bar in a nice beach town in Asia with friends (if they are willing/interested) as sort of a home base. My income would come from savings and investments.

I would have minimal material possessions. I would live out of a backpack and day bag most of the time. I wouldn't need a lot of money invested just enough to generate income for me to travel cheaply. I will take local transport and move slowly. I will stay for the duration of my visas to really get to know the place. There are enough places to travel too in the world that I could do this for the rest of my life.

I would also pick up contract and side work along the way to offset costs when I can. Teaching English is a very good option. I work in IT and some types of work can be done anywhere in the world. I have lots of options and will explore them fully. I am also not above hotel/hostel/bar work if it helps me break even on living somewhere for a couple months.

Getting out of the rat race and doing what I enjoy is my primary goal in life. Every day I work and every dollar I save ultimately gets me closer to this. I keep travel photos around my room so I can be reminded of what I am working for when I get down or stressed. I constantly remind myself of why and what I am working for. Without a sense of direction I will fail.