<p>Oh yeah, over 1K per night, ha! You might check out Costcotravel.com, they have packages to Bora Bora. One I saw for 5 nights was 3K per person, but that included airfare from LAX, and was an overwater Bungalow. In a way that looks a little more appealing to me, but the cruises are so discounted that I expect to pay $700-$1,000 for a ten day cruise, with a balcony cabin. The fact that it includes food, lodging and transportation, it is hard to resist. Maybe we can stay in one of those overwater bungalows the night prior or afterwards, but not for 1K/night!</p>
<p>The price for the room with a plunging pool was 4 times the one without the plunging pool, this is where I have to say were are not Rockefellers.</p>
<p>Iām not even sure what a plunging pool is. Sounds dangerous.</p>
<p>After my spate of medical issues, we made the decision to start traveling now while we are able to do so and enjoy the experience. The biggest problem is dragging DH away from work ;), but I have also started making trips on my own to see fellow CCers, spending more time with my dad and family, reconnecting with friends from previous jobs, etc. Me going back to work would cost me energy and lifespan at this stage for fairly little money, and while DH may think that croaking at his desk is the best way to go, thatās not what I want to do.</p>
<p>Neither my parents nor DHās got to travel in retirement, as both our moms had major medical issues that precluded that. Now that both of our moms have passed, our dads have been able to do a bit of traveling. DHās dad is now 80 and no longer drives, and my dad (77) no longer drives at night, so there are options that are closing to them. </p>
<p>This has been a sea change in outlook for me, as DH and I have always been desperately worried about having enough money. Weāll be ok, perhaps not as well-set as weād like, but we are not promised tomorrow, and I have too much experience with that reality not to give it its fair due.</p>
<p>Thatās awesome that you are doing things on your own, countingdown. You canāt wait until the other person is ready, they may never be.</p>
<p>Iām counting on 85 as the age of fragility.</p>
<p>Or maybe so many years in the future, weāll manage to extend it to 95.</p>
<p>Just got back from a national medical conference. OMG the physicians were overwhelmingly tired looking- frankly just not taking care of themselves. They were our age. Granted I have no idea how I looked to them after 30 years. I think I got so used to being around the outdoors type that I had no idea this was happening. My former classmates looked somewhat stressed over their practices and were trying to figure out how to retire, sell their practice to a hospital, and downsize and travel. They are just really caring individuals that did not practice what they preached. </p>
<p>Agree that a good work life balance canāt be overstated. We started traveling when we were dating and continued from the time out kids were 6 months old.</p>
<p>Now that H is fully retired, we travel more and for longer trips. He is aware that several of his classmates have died far younger than him, as well as some relatives. </p>
<p>We dine out frequently because we enjoy it. We spend time with our kids when our schedules mesh and have stopped agonizing over purchases. If we want something and itās not going to have a major impact on our budget, we get it. We are still helping pay rent and expenses for D until she finds her job and career, but have decided we have āenough,ā and wonāt stress about it. </p>
<p>Hās former employer continues to subsidize his great insurance and MediCare A and B for H give us peace of mind. (I plan to enroll when I turn 65 too.)</p>
<p>My folks have reduced their traveling a lot since mom fractured her sternum a few years ago (tho it has fully healed). The did travel the world rather extensively until mid-80s and are pretty satisfied. </p>
<p>We are at a comfortable spot at the momentāno grandkids but kids out of college and parents still fairly independent. We are doing more and more for my folks, but other sibs do help out too and everyone gets along. My folks are wait listed did a retirement community where many of their friends live. Hereās hoping this pleasant time lasts awhile. We are enjoying it. ;)</p>
<p>Really enjoying the comments - glad others are learning from those experiences around them to fine-tune their life experiences.</p>
<p>Talked to friends last night - after a traumatic move (job relocation) where the teenage children and wife didnāt adjust well, they decided to purchase a motor home (since they had fond camping experiences as a family) - and have bought new and not kept more than 2 years, so they have paid a fortune (of course financed too) - and still had a lot of trouble (either a motor issue or another issue - and then it gets sent two different placesā¦). W said they could have their home paid off (which they should have done firstā¦) However couple did stay together and they are doing better, married 40 years. H is still working to pay off their debtā¦Saving the marriage was obviously important - they just should have gone popper trailer for camping instead of pricey high end.</p>
<p>Hās dad would be in better health but his doc totally missed checking his carotid (didnāt listen to with stethoscope!) even after having a little stroke already - he had almost 100% blockage on one (surgeon couldnāt believe any blood could actually get through, it was so big) so now he has damage which affects balance and left foot. MIL has been taking better care of herself. Both their families have longevity. They need family travel help but still get with family in other states.</p>
<p>If I still have the cancer beat, things will continue up for us. Doc renewed Hās very mild BP medicine (H is a minimalist, and we have to keep on him about this little pill being OK). H likes salt, but has his weight in great check, and does a fair amount of exercise for an engineer. 
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<p>Planning a trip to visit relatives/friends in Switzerland as soon as estate money comes and can plan something in Spring - maybe travel with retired brother or my younger sis. 16 years since I have been.</p>
<p>I hope your scan goes well SOS! All the best to you - </p>
<p>Best of luck @SOSConcernā. </p>
<p>My father worked full-time until 79 and a half ā at age 75 he was forced to give up his second job. [No physical labor ā he was a brilliant theoretical physicist]. He had a stroke and then six months later was diagnosed with lung cancer even though he never smoked and died six months after that. My mother was hospitalized with Guillane-Barre syndrome while he was in the hospital (she was 2 years younger) and started going to the gym after months in a rehab hospital. She goes 5 days a week and is now 90. Just had a fall due to fluctuating blood pressure, but is still completely cogent. Her regret is that she didnāt start going to Florida for the winters and is now too old to go alone with no community and now lives in the Northeast. On the bad decision front, she has not sold the huge house in which we grew up. She is using up lots of assets because of property tax and maintenance.</p>
<p>Like my father, I hope never to retire as I also love what I do. Same with ShawWife. But, I suspect that my activities will have to be curtailed at some point because it may become hard to travel like I sometimes do. A few years ago, we did a financial projection with a financial advisor that assumed I would slow down at age 65 and stop at 80 and that I would live until 95. Iād actually hope to keep going after 80 and donāt see a slowdown coming at 65, but who knows what cards life will deal me. (My executive assistant and some of my team are worried that I am working too hard). It contained a fair bit of detail: kidsā weddings, grad schools (which we are now paying for through 529s), etc. I think it underestimated my income and underestimated some expenses (heath care, travel in later years). Like @DrGoogleā, there were Monte Carlo simulations. But, if I work as planned, having enough for retirement was sort of an afterthought. </p>
<p>We have been financially fortunate. We travel a lot ā vacations this year in Vietnam/Thailand/Cambodia and Croatia/Czech Republic. The former was FF miles for ShawWife, hotel points and I was already working in Singapore so I only paid for in-Asia airfare. The latter was FF miles for the whole family and AirBnB for lodging. If I ever slow down, I may run out of FF miles at some point and the budget probably doesnāt include enough travel. We have taken one exciting trip each year with the kids ā we decided early on that rather than have a country house, we would travel. My aim would be to continue that as the kids become adults and have families. It also seems likely that one kid will live on the West Coast and possibly the other on the East Coast. If that happens, we would try to have a foothold (condo?) in both places.</p>
<p>I co-founded the my company and so all we will have to live on is what I save. ShawWife is a successful artist, which means that she is almost always cash flow positive (unlike most of her peers), but does not provide a meaningful supplement to what I make. What thatās meant is that Iāve been saving heavily but a lot of it is in tax-deferred entities. We also travel in rarified company and so our expense levels, while lower than many of our friends and colleagues, are probably high compared to many. I am going to go back through the retirement plan to see whether we are where we ought to be to support the life I want to have. If not, we cut back something, but I suspect we are ahead of schedule.</p>
<p>Katie and I did all day shopping after her dental appt, so we got home after 5 p.m. Called docās office this morning to follow up as I have not been called about a bone scan appt. I told them if the problem is pre-cert or scheduling, I can ādog itā. so will see what I hear. Then doc office called and has bone scan scheduled for Wed but says they still will f/u with ins. </p>
<p>After movies last night, Katie is sleeping in. Have a few more shopping stops today, and my other college daughter Elise comes home tonight.</p>
<p>A really nice ER nurse that I know (her H is a trauma surgeon; know them through local continuing ed programs primarily) found lung cancer - adenocarcinoma in a happenstance way - but also because she has a sharp MD in her corner - she took a bad skiing fall in Utah and got a CT scan to make sure she had not punctured her lung. The other MDs did not see it, but her H saw a suspicious spot on her lung. She had a thoracotomy and a portion of her left lung was removed in Feb; she is now cancer free.</p>
<p>It helps to have sharp and pro-active MDs in your corner!</p>
<p>Lung cancer is often diagnosed very late. Hope you are able to get testing soon and that it can set your mind at ease! Glad you are dogging insurer and doc. </p>
<p>even if lung cancer is diagnosed early, not very good chances still for small cell lung cancer (which my dad and uncle both died from). Didnāt mention, but of course the ER nurse had testing etc which confirmed the cancer before the surgery. </p>
<p>Breast cancer ācuredā at primary site, may next go to the bone. Medical oncologist told me in my July appt that mainly they are listening for changes - my blood tests were fine; several friends have developed bone cancer in low back (due to the vascular nature of that area). That is why my hip pain had me concerned - I have been trying to figure out if it is of muscular or not - but no way to know w/o bone scan (or PET scan, but MD decided on bone scan).</p>
<p>SOSConcern, if it makes you feel better, I have a bad hip. I can quickly think of 4 other people who have bad hips. No cancer. Just bad hips. Bad hips happen. </p>
<p>Good luck. </p>
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<p>What is it with physicists that so many work way beyond what the rest of us consider normal retirement age? I know of several who have worked into their 70s and 80s easily and happily.</p>
<p>One hypothesis may be that they are not subjected to the stressful politics of corporate life? All that matters is their research, which they can do independently at their own pace?</p>
<p>Other hypotheses welcome, just curious, do not mean to derail thread on this point. (WAY too late for me, a former lit major, to become a physicist, LOL!)</p>
<p>@SOSConcern , please update us on your scan when you can. I too am a survivor of a very aggressive BC, lucky to still be here, and grateful for every day since treatment ended. I realize we can never consider ourselves fully free, the best we can say is āNo Evidence of Disease.ā Hoping your dance with āNEDā continues joyfully on, and that the hip concern turns out to be a normal aging issue.</p>
<p>"What is it with physicists that so many work way beyond what the rest of us consider normal retirement age? I know of several who have worked into their 70s and 80s easily and happily.</p>
<p>One hypothesis may be that they are not subjected to the stressful politics of corporate life? All that matters is their research, which they can do independently at their own pace?"</p>
<p>Iām a physicist and Iām not working past 65 at the latest. If youāre in a corporation, there is plenty of stress as it is expected that money going to research better produce. There are other things in life besides work.</p>
<p>@dstark if you are a stage III cancer survivor, then you would be concerned when your oncologist says that they largely respond based on how the survivor feels after a certain point. Otherwise I would not think rule out cancer either. They donāt know enough of what may lay ādormantā somewhere in the body. Believe me, once you are living the disease, you learn from other survivors, medical people, research, etc.</p>