The problem is, however, that in retirement, they also want the opportunity to travel and have a good time. Diving headlong into a new encore career may deprive them of an opportunity to do that.
The ideal solution may be to find an encore career that offers an opportunity to travel. Actually, there are some good ways to do this.
Be a seasonal worker
Summer jobs aren’t just for teens. They are also for people in retirement looking for cool new opportunities. If you wonder who would want to hire an old retiree, the answer is, just about everyone.
There are hundreds of national parks and resorts all over the country that appreciate what retirees can bring: a strong work ethic and a completely open and flexible schedule that makes it possible for them to work anytime. All you need to do is to go to a jobs website like CoolWorks and apply.
Pretty soon, you could find yourself manning the reception desk at a beautiful national park, or speaking on the phone to guests at a resort, all for $10 an hour. When you’re free, you have endless hours to enjoy the beauty all around you.
Start your own custom small group travel business
If what you really want is to be involved in travel, and you have the skill to organize tours, you can get into the small group travel business for seniors, where you accompany retirees to great places around the world and make sure that they see everything that they want. It can take time and great business skills and people skills, but it can be done.
Be a destination wedding photographer
If you have a passion for photography and can dedicate yourself to learning the craft well enough to go pro, you could start out in business for yourself as a destination wedding photographer. You could travel to exotic locations to take pictures at weddings. If you don’t actually depend on the income, you could actually undercut your competition.
Teach English as a second language
Native English speakers are in demand around the world to teach the language. You’ll need a bachelor’s degree in some field and you need to apply for an ESL license. Once you’re done, you can apply to travel to exotic countries anywhere from Latin America to Asia and Africa, teach for good pay, and enjoy your new environment.
Once you decide that you want to do something different with your life in retirement, the options are endless. All you need to do is to look to find opportunities that most others don’t. To start, however, you need to make sure your finances are in good shape to help you make a smooth transition. You should work to improve your credit score, save for a while, and make sure that you pay off all your debt before you start.
With a little preparation and lots of patience, you’ll have your dream encore career before long.