Planning for 2025#

So back in January my wife and I began talking about our plans for 2025. We knew that 2024 was going be a year of getting a handle on finances, tending to some changes we wanted to make to our home, and really just getting a good feel for what our life in retirement was going to be like.

With 2025 on the horizon and a much better sense of how things were going to be, we began making plans for the coming year. We knew that we wanted to take a few trips around the US. For example, we have grandkids in Arizona so a trip out there seemed reasonable. I’d love to explore the Southwest more, so that was definitely on the list. My wife visited Vermont a number of years ago and has wanted to return for many years. We thought this might be the year. And I’d like to do a number of additional short trips just to explore our state and those surrounding us a bit more.

A European Vacation#

In addition to these trips, we also were planning a trip to Europe. We’ve always wanted to go there and I’d been watching a lot of travel videos that highlighted various parts of Europe (as well as the Caribbean, Latin American, etc). We were getting quite excited about the prospects of exploring France, Spain, and several other countries. We submitted paperwork for our passports in mid-January and were actually quite surprised to get them back in just three weeks! Then, a week later the bottom fell out of the stock market. Thanks, Mr. President.

Now, in truth, I had already pulled the money we expected to need for our travels, so we could still make the European trip. So why have we set those plans aside for now? Well, while I have pulled that money, I don’t want to put us in a situation where we may need to pull additional funds at a time when the value of our investments is significantly down. I would be much more comfortable about going out of the country once I know that my financial situation won’t be strained. With a 10 - 15% loss in value over the last two months, I just have a hard time justifying that cost.

In addition, things are so unsettled right now politically that I’m hesitant to leave the country. I mean, I’ve seen multiple reports of US citizens being detained without explanation on returning from overseas. Are those reports true? I really have no way of knowing, but nothing would surprise me in the current climate.

So, while we want to make that trip, we’re going to wait a bit to see if the dust settles a bit and the stock market recovers.

Meanwhile, we are exploring our options for travelling within the US. Our biggest challenge is out two pups. They are great travellers, but not great tenants. Taking them to an Airbnb is pretty much out – they’re way too yappy when they hear or see strangers for them be good neighbors in a condo. So we’re considering renting or buying an RV.

RV – Should We?#

I’ve gone back and forth about RVs for quite a while now. I know they’re bad investments. I suspect we’ll not use one frequently enough to justify the costs. On the other hand, we can take our fur babies with us and leave them in the RV knowing that they won’t likely disturb others (at least not as much!) and can feel confident in leaving them alone in the RV while we go to a restaurant or do some sight-seeing while on the road.

And then there’s the whole Class C versus travel trailer discussion. There are valid arguments for both. One factor to consider is that we drive a Subaru Ascent. While it’s towing capacity is about 5,000 pounds (as I recall), finding a trailer that falls under that limit when loaded is challenging, particularly if it’s meets my wife’s expectations for space and comfort. Realistically, I wouldn’t want to tow more than about 4,000 pounds which even further limits our options.

So, Where to go From Here?#

Right now, we’re still on the fence. We have a few days planned at Edisto beach with family in a couple of months, but beyond that, we’re still not sure. One way or the other, though, we will be doing some travelling this year. But probably not to France :(