How do you plan a retirementmoon?
22 February 2025
Move over, honeymoons and babymoons – there’s a new celebratory travel trend, and it’s quickly capturing the hearts of professionals 55+ who are looking to trade their office keys for passport stamps.
It’s called a retirementmoon, and it’s an extended trip taken to mark the transition from career to retirement.
A retirementmoon is not just a long vacation either. For many people, it represents their first chance to travel without:
- Checking work emails or text messages
- Limiting themselves to a two-week window
- Sticking to a strict itinerary
It’s an opportunity to decompress from decades of working life and mindfully step into retirement.
Why retirementmoons are trending
Several factors are driving this trend. First, approximately 73 million baby boomers are approaching or nearing retirement, and about 85% of them are still working full-time, part-time, or doing temporary work. About a third of them (35%) aren’t sure they’ll ever fully retire, as many of them are healthy and still want to contribute.
A much higher percentage of baby boomers have college degrees compared with generations before them and they have worked less physically taxing and/or dangerous jobs.
Today’s retirees are generally healthier, more active, and more travel-savvy than previous generations. Thanks to careful retirement planning, they’re also more likely to have the financial means to travel.
Planning your perfect retirementmoon – timing, budget and safety
Unlike a traditional vacation constrained by limited PTO and work schedules, a retirementmoon offers flexibility in timing and length. Some retirees who are grandfathered into more traditional systems with vacation and sick time may also have built-up time to burn before they fully retire.
They may also need to ease out of their roles and spend time training and mentoring those who are stepping in – sometimes called a ‘phased retirement.’
Travel experts and successful retirementmooners recommend giving yourself a break between work and embarking on your journey. This allows you to adjust to the new routine and complete your trip preparations without rushing. It also gives you time to address important health and safety considerations, such as scheduling health check-ups, updating vaccines, and securing appropriate travel insurance coverage.
When it comes to budgeting, consider that this trip might be longer than a typical vacation. If you are selling your home, give yourself time to store the things you intend to keep until you return from your retirementmoon.
If you are not downsizing by selling your home, consider leasing your home to have some income while you travel.
Alternatively, you can participate in a home exchange to find longer-term lodging abroad, too, including:
- Negotiating a discount on a long-term vacation rental
- Staying free in a person’s house while minding their pets
- Minding another person’s house and/or pets – mindmyhouse.com
While many of these services are ‘free’ in terms of actual sitting exchange, there is an annual membership. The membership helps ensure security for both sitters and homeowners, and the fee is relatively low.
Making your retirementmoon meaningful – this is not just another vacation!
Unlike a typical one- or two-week vacation, a retirementmoon is a unique opportunity to explore a new lifestyle and discover and/or test out what you truly want in retirement. This isn’t about rushing through tourist spots or jamming activities into a tight schedule – it’s about savoring experiences that reflect your personal journey and trying things you never had the time for until now.
- Consider incorporating elements that make this trip a once-in-a-lifetime shift:
- Connect with your roots by visiting places that shaped your life story, whether it’s your ancestral homeland or the place where you met your significant other.
- Learn something that you’ve always wanted to explore – perhaps a wine-making class in Tuscany, photography in Iceland, or language immersion in Spain.
- Give back to communities through volunteer, teaching or research opportunities, combining travel with life’s purpose.
- Create a digital or physical journal to document your reflections, marking this transition from career to your next chapter.
Successful retirementmooners recommend building in flexibility for spontaneous decisions. With the luxury of time, you can extend your stay in places that resonate with you, accept unexpected invitations, or completely change your itinerary based on local recommendations.
For those planning to return to work, even part-time, use this journey to explore the next steps or discover new passions for the next chapter of your life.
By planning thoughtfully, prioritizing safety, and focusing on meaningful experiences, you’ll create a retirementmoon that sets the tone for all the adventures yet to come in your journey.