You have spent most of your life working. Finally, you can sit back and enjoy what life has to offer. With a steady income guaranteed for this next chapter of your life through your Verizon retirement plan, how should you spend all your free time? Here are some suggestions:
Travel
After being released from the shackles of their 9-to-5 jobs, many retirees choose to spend all their free time traveling and experiencing what the world has to offer. Traveling, in this case, does not mean going on one or two vacations per year. Some have a real passion for traveling that they save up and plan several trips.
Traveling can be expensive, but it does not have to be. If you have limited funds, you can go for alternative options such as renting a camper to see all the contiguous states or exchange work for lodging.
Volunteer
If you want to have a positive impact on your community, volunteering is the obvious path for you. There are countless of volunteering opportunities for retirees. You can offer your services to national parks, assist in public libraries and hospitals, mentor children, or even enter the Peace Corps.
Think of what you want to do and what you can do and which cause is dearer to your heart. Then contact a nonprofit organization to ask for volunteering opportunities. There are also groups that have programs specifically for volunteers age 55 and older like Global Vision International, Love Volunteers, IVHQ, Senior Corps, and AARP Foundation Experience Corps.
Learn a New Skill
You can use your new-found freedom to learn a new skill or hobby. You can usually find classes within your city. However, online, there are also tons of classes about anything under the sun. Check out sites like Udemy, Lynda, edX, Coursera, and Skillshare for available classes. If you want to learn without paying a fee, there are also professionals sharing their expertise on YouTube.
Work Part-Time
It might seem counterintuitive to leave the workforce and then come back again. However, if you truly enjoyed your line of work, during retirement, you can absolutely come back but, this time, you would have more control how much time you will commit. You can go back to work either as a contractor or you may want to use your extensive experience as a consultant. Some retirees also try to venture into a new career unrelated to their previous work.
Try a Sport
A lot of people did not have an opportunity to take up a sport because they were too busy working. If you are one of them, it is not too late to learn and participate in whatever sporting activities that interest you. Whether it is fishing or tennis, there are sports leagues locally available that you can join to keep you active and healthy during your latter years.
Create a Bucket List
Now, you have the time and money to spend on doing things that you have always wanted to do. List everything down and cross off one thing at least once a year. It does not all have to be death-defying activities such as bungee jumping or skydiving; add easy goals such as seeing your favorite artist perform live or fostering a pet.
You have spent so much of your life working. Now that you are free from the workforce, you can begin working on you.