Mid-Year Check-In: Reviewing Our 2024 Early Retirement Goals
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- Опубликовано: 5 авг 2024
- Can you believe we are 6 MONTHS into 2024??? As we reach the halfway point of the year, it's time for a mid-year check-in to review our early retirement goals. Join us as we reflect on our progress, celebrate our achievements, and adjust our plans for the next six months.
We find setting annual goals helps us stay on track in our early retirement and keeps that sense of purpose that can sometimes be lacking in the non-working world.
In this video, we'll review the progress we have made on our aspirations that we set out in January in the following areas:
Our "Career" -including travel, RUclips channel and freelance writing.
Our Health and Wellbeing
Our Relationships
Our Personal Development
We are Richard and Jackie and we live in the UK. We retired from teaching at the age of 51 in the summer of 2022. Our plans for early requirement include relocating to the Yorkshire Dales, developing our forever home and travelling the UK, Europe and eventually the world in our VW campervan Nelson.
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Check out our blog earlyretirementwanderlust.com
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Many thanks,
Richard & Jackie
I only really watch 3 RUclips channels (though I dip into a few others). They are all about van travel and outdoor adventure but this mindfulness is what sets you guys apart and adds so much for me. Do keep on with it please
Thank you - when we set up the channel we wanted it to be about all aspects of our early retirement including how we look after ourselves and keep ourselves motivated with purpose in our lives. Glad it is something that resonates with you x
We are really loving you channel as we wind down and plan for early ish retirement.
You will love Asia and it’s so easy and cheap to get around, with by budget airline or coach/train or boat.
Our favourite is Singapore. It’s got a reputation as being expensive but there are plenty of budget accommodation options, we always eat at the street food vendors, they are wonderful and also cheap. It’s really walkable with great mass transit. Bangkok is brilliant too, we were expecting it to be seedy but it’s not. It’s vibrant and modern in places with so much history to see. Mass transit is great there too and you can fly anywhere in the region cheaply.
Cambodia is a must, especially Siem Riep but Phnom Phen is underrated. We wanted to get the boat from there to Siem Riep but it was the dry season. Shout out for Langkawi island too in Malaysia and Borneo is out of this world for wildlife.
We can’t wait to see what you get up to and pinch some cost saving ideas off you for when we do a long trip.
Thanks for all this valuable info Dan- it's exactly what we need because we haven't got a clue!
We have had so many recommendations to visit Thailand we just couldn't resist but we are really quite aprehensive from accommodation, to travel to the food options- but we are also really looking forward to getting out there and giving it a go.
Goodness knows what our vlogs will be like because we feel like we will be such fish out of water😂
We have definitely decided to limit our first trip to an immersive Thailand trip as we don't know what we don't know and it will be our first time in country. We have had lots of recommendations for Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines...but those will have to wait until we see how we get on! Everyone says that Thailand is an easier experience to navigate for newbies like us🤞
We are however soooo excited to start making plans.
Thanks again. Have a great week. 👍
I love the term "duvet days" Jackie. I used to love goal setting, and still do, but right now I'm in the season of day by day and adjust as necessary.
Thanks Tina- you cannot beat a good duvet day😉 J
You guys are crushing it and doing it in a healthy, balanced, and thoughtful way! And, you're really enjoying the journey. It's great to see how you're both navigating this new lifestyle. The garden will always be there when the time is right.
Thank you - we are really enjoying our retirement journey. I am not sure how we ever found time to work!! The garden is definitely not going anywhere but we have seen some lovely ideas on our travels 🪴
Loving your updates Richard and Jackie. You are both loving life and if you don’t get to do something, then so be it. Also delighted to see the channel growing. That tells you all you need to know. 👏🏼👏🏼
Cheers 😊 - we are loving what we do! It amazes us when we do our reviews just how much we have achieved 🚐
Look forward to your future travels, and enjoyed all your vlogs, especially the recent ones, appreciate all the time you must put in to get them out twice a week. You inspire us to do even more trips in our camper 👍
It has been a fantastic roadtrip 🚐 we have had some spells of dodgy weather but have always managed to get out and do something 😊 the van is just such a fantastic gateway for adventure!
It’s good to set goals!Our current goals are to wake up every morning determined to enjoy life as best we can.
After bouts of illness we really appreciate life and getting out in our caravan.
So we totally understand where you are coming from.
Enjoyable vid by the way…😂!
Thank you ☺️ our big ultimate goal is to live a happy and fulfilled life and make the most of every moment. Hope all continues to go well for you - enjoy your travels in the caravan 😊
I think you are doing a fab job. I really enjoy your videos.
Thank you - we are loving our retirement and the goals just give us that little bit of focus 😊
I agree your videos are amazing quality - thank you for putting so much effort and time into them, especially during your travels. We’re halfway through a month of travelling and I know I couldn’t put together anything like that on the road 😂 For us it’s an achievement to return home with our phones, some photos, no injuries and the van in one piece 😂😂
Thanks for this. Rest assured, it still doesn't feel like a job. We are loving what we do and we enjoy documenting our adventures. It is as much for us as it is for RUclips- we want to be able to have a record of what we have done in the years to come.
Hope that you are having a great time on your trip? Aren't longer adventures so amazing? We love the feeling of time...but no mater how long we go for, we always feel like we could do with a bit more time😂😂😂
As always- thanks for the comment and your support👍
I completely agree with the sentiment of recording your wonderful journeys for later! I make photo books from our travels and they give me a lot of pleasure when I look through them.
Our travels are going well, thank you. We’ve just left Chamonix (broken and exhausted from all the amazing activities on offer! 😂) had only one mishap - being washed away in the river after whitewater rafting! Had to swim for my life 😂 Now you know what I meant when I said it was an achievement for us just to get home in one piece 😂😂
Oooh- we are glad that someone else likes annual photo books. We find that we take that many photos that remain in digital format only, by printing a book each year we have a physical document to look back over. It is a bit of a labour of love at the end of the year as the photobox wizard is a bit clunky, but the final book always turns out well.
It wouldn't be Chamonix if you weren't shattered from all the activities and didn't have a near miss experience at something rather extreme. Bet the water was cold🥶
Really glad you got home in one piece- stay safe👍
Enjoyed the video guys. You’ve had a fab six months and completed most of what you set out to do which is fab. Loving the sound of the Thailand trip. Keep safe. Irvine & Karen.
Thanks you two. Always nice to take some time out and reflect on what’s gone. Have to say we have a lot to do for Thailand 😬 Hope you are both keeping well.
You've definitely packed a lot in so far this year, and have so much to look forward to over the next 6 months - especially your visit to Thailand. I've really enjoyed being able to be part of your adventure, and it's given me ideas and motivation for my own goals. You'll enjoy the 3 peaks challenge, I've done it 12 times so far - if you need a guide for the day just let me know and I'll be happy to show you the route.
Thanks as always Andrew - it is amazing how much you do achieve when you take the time out to reflect on what you have done. Looking forward to the 3 peaks - we did it a few years ago when we first got the van - all I remember is how far that last 4 miles from Ingleborough felt on a rough track with sore feet! Also learnt it was not the best idea to stop for a pint at the old hill inn - it took some getting going again! 🤣🥾🏔️🏔️🏔️
@@earlyretirementwanderlust I agree about the trek back to Horton - I'm sure the mileage on the signposts isn't accurate!
Loving your update videos! Your achievements this year to date have given me motivation to be more intentional with my own goals with the intent to review them periodically and measure against them. I did well at this early in my retirement (9 months in), but nowhere near where I should be. Won't beat myself up, but strive to do better. Enjoy your time away.
Thanks Norm- it good to hear that our videos are providing some use to people out there. We know that our system of goal setting isn't for everyone, but it works for us and we know it works for others.
The not beating ourselves up is such an important development that we too have come to realise over time. I think by having a review really helps to focus on how much we have done rather than dwell on the few things that we might not have done. I believe it is called resisting the "negativity bias" we are all naturally prone to.
Thanks for the comment and good luck with your intentions👍
Lovely setting for your review. I think I am so like you Jackie - I love pottering around and having a lie in! Drifting is probably how I’d describe this current phase of my life so I’m taking my notebook away with me next week and making goals for the next half of the year.
We found a lovely quiet area in one of the Alsace vineyards- although the midges were starting to come out 🤣 I would definitely drift around which is not a bad thing but at least if we have some goals it gives us some purpose to the drifting 😊 lots of family plans in the next quarter x
I've really enjoyed watching your videos. I follow another RUclipsr, Hippy Highland Living and she regularly has a free trial for Skillshare linked to her bio. Apparently it is a wonderful resource when building up various RUclips skills. Thank you for inspiring me!!
Thank you ☺️ we are still really enjoying the process and learning around the whole RUclips channel which gives us both focus and challenge 😊 we will take a look at the Hippy highland living - thanks for the recommendation x
Good watch. Don’t worry Lesley will be down to do the garden😊. Bring the van with us.
Great update Richard and Jackie. We're on a similar journey having stopped work about the same time as you. Initially we were 'homeless' having sold our house but have recently bought a flat. Being home owners again has raised the challenge of insurance. Most of the companies we've looked at set a maximum time away from the property at 30 days (I'm referring to contents insurance here). We'd like to do a much longer trip to S.E. Asia but don't want to go uninsured. Have you managed to find an insurance company to cover your contents whilst away for more than 30 days? Thanks
Hi we are insured with direct line which gives us 60 days away from home. Hope you enjoying your retirement journey as much as us - it’s pretty amazing isn’t it! 😊
Wow guys sounds like you really got your goals down. Love watching your videos and enjoying how your spending time😊
Thanks - we are really enjoying having the freedom of time to do whatever we want 😊
Love watching your channel and the travel and retirement information/ideas Can’t wait to see your blogs on Thailand, we went to visit our son who lives and works in Bangkok in April and had a fantastic 3 weeks with trips to Krabi and Kanchanaburi. We can’t wait to return to visit other areas. Have you seen Paddy Doyle’s you tube channel he has lived in Thailand for many years and has lots of videos from many different regions
We are really excited now we have made our decision and booked the flights 😊 we have made a note of your recommendations and will take a look when we get home. We have booked a few nights in Bangkok so far but are slowly getting lots of ideas of places to go 🇹🇭
I do admire your outlooks on life.
Thank you ☺️
Been watching you guys from 'almost' the beginning of your you tube journey and love watching you and your adventures. You're very relatable for my Wife and I to watch together and you're giving us such great insight and ideas for when we become financially independent in the future. By the way, I totally agree that the videos are looking so slick now and you guys seem so much more comfortable in front of the camera, we can just tell that you're really enjoying yourselves, keep up the fab work!!
Thanks Gareth- we are really pleased that you are enjoying the videos together as a couple. One of our main aims when setting out on this RUclips thing was to be of use to people and share our experiences as we go. We don't have all the answers but we are happy to share what we do.
We are loving early retirement so far and we are looking forward to the adventures ahead.
Many thanks for the comment and the lovely feedback- it is very much appreciated. 👍
I’ve really enjoyed your travel videos and got some great tips from them so thank you. Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the garden as we too need to make a start on our huge garden mission😃 xx
Thanks Gaynor- we are not natural gardeners and we think that is one of the biggest issues. At least we have put it out there to all our views that we really need to get on with it...hopefully that will motivate us into action a bit more😂
Glad that you are enjoying the videos. Many thanks for the comment👍
Is there a reason you do goal setting? What do you think might happen if you didn’t impose this corporate structure on yourselves? There’s another way to be, please take a look at Gestalt Psychology.
Thailand.. wau!! Tiw is Thai and we are actively pursuing buying a campervan in Thailand.
Looking much forward for your reporting. And maybe I can provide some tips. Have traveled a lot in Thailand
Oh wow that would be amazing if you have recommendations - we have absolutely no idea beyond what we have seen of the main tourist areas. We have booked 7 weeks so we can take our time and explore - especially some of the quieter islands. If you have any must visit places please send us an email on
Earlyretirementwanderlust@gmail.com
A very exciting time for you if you do get a campervan! 🚐
Hi guys, I love your videos, the travelling to new places and adventures.
Not sure if it's a question asked by anybody else but as somebody who has, like you, switched from full time employment to part time (I garden two days a week after stepping back from a full time marketing career).
Do you see yourselves as being fully retired and once your teachers pension kicks in being 'pensioners' or have you like me just switched to part time work with your new work being content creators (RUclipsrs) and travel writers?
Hi- we do see ourselves as retired as we do what we want when we want.
We knew we would need a bit of passive income to help out and the writing gives us that and we enjoy it. The YT monetisation crept up on us TBH and we are very grateful for how it helps us out. We don't see either as a job as we love doing both, so are planning on continuing after we get our pensions.
Hope that this helps? Have a great week👍
Thailand… wonder whether you’ll make it to Japan which might be affordable given Yen exchange rate. Still the most fascinating country …!
For our first venture into Asia we want to just take our time to explore Thailand 🇹🇭 if we love it we will no doubt expand our explorations on another trip. Japan does look fantastic as does Vietnam and the Philippines- it’s a big world out there waiting for us 😊
Get ready for crippling heat and humidity in Thailand. 😆
Thanks- we are looking forward to all the challenges of a new continent 👍
@@earlyretirementwanderlust I’m glad you have the chance and you have prepared wisely to do this adventure in your life.
Are you willing to say what you taught when you were working as I married to an ex maths teacher?
Yes Richard was PE and later in his career maths. I trained as a PE teacher and taught in primary education - key stage 2 😊
@@earlyretirementwanderlust I hated PE I was the kid that nobody wanted on their team
Oh no 😢 I was a gymnast and not great at team sports which is why I taught primary in the end 🤣