Many of us have great plans and dreams for retirement while we’re still working but the reality can sometimes be different. For some it can be much better with the freedom and flexibility providing fulfillment and enjoyment. For others, all that time on your hands can be daunting and it can be hard to work out what to do in the next stage of life.

We’d love to hear from you so your ideas and solutions can be shared with other TelstraSuper members. You may have just hit on a gem of an idea which might help a fellow member. Look out for our survey at the end of this article where you can share your ideas. 

Many retirees seem to focus on one or all three of – travel, learning and volunteering – but there are different ways to approach all of these goals.

Travel

You may be loving travelling now you have more time but what sort of travel has really worked for you? A local cruise, hiking on the Camino track, guided tour of the UK, a campervan in the US, driving a caravan around Australia, visiting relatives interstate, a city apartment stay, camping on the coast? There are numerous options and all can be wonderful or have their own stresses. Tell us what’s worked best for you and what you’d do differently next time.   

Learning

We keep hearing of research which says that ‘lifelong learning’ will keep us healthy and that we’re never too old to learn. There are numerous avenues into learning but sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. For example, there about 2,500 organisations in the ‘adult and community’ sector alone covering groups such as community learning centres, Universities of the Third Age U3A and adult education institutions.* And then there’s the more formal education available through universities, TAFEs and private colleges. A good place to start might be Adult Learning Australia’s website which give you the opportunity to search low-cost courses in your local area. Let us know how your learning adventures have progressed. Maybe you’ve even moved from being a student to a teacher, as often happens in the U3A world.    

Volunteering

Using your skills to help out others can be one of the most rewarding ways to spend some of your retirement time. Volunteering can range from helping children learn to read and working with animals to providing expertise on a not-for-profit board and assisting at a cultural event – and hundreds of options in between. If you’re thinking of volunteering but not sure how to start the Volunteering Australia website or Go Volunteer might be able to help as you can search local opportunities. Remember, the first experience you try may not be right for you but it’s worth persisting as you might come across a way of helping people which feels just right for your skills and interests.

Tell us what you’re doing   

 We’d love to hear how you spend your time in retirement. Please answer these 5 quick questions and we’ll share the results in our next issue.