Launching dreams are what retirement is all about. Where you live will influence how you spend the next chapter in your life. Extended visits to those locations can be your first step in the decision process. While you’ve fantasized about a beach home for decades, living in the community for a few months may introduce you to extreme humidity or an overabundance of tourists that you may want to avoid.
Turn your daydreams into short-term realities. Take a ski instructor course for four or more weeks and get comfortable with resort living in the snow. Visualize yourself overseas, and then visit some of the best places to live as a retiree across the ocean. Or simply hop from Airbnb to Airbnb until you find the area you want to plant roots.
For the more cerebral types, living near college campuses offer learning opportunities and intellectual growth. There are now colleges that let you live on campus if you commit to taking courses. Maybe it’s time for a flat in the city where you enjoy the theater, opera, and new restaurants.