If you ask a representative sample of baby boomers that are approaching their retirement years what they are looking forward to the most about retirement, the most common answer that comes back is, “travel”.  There is something about the romance and fun of travel that appeals to us as we think about stepping out of the work world and doing things we have been hoping to do for all our lives.  And travel has that sense of adventure that calls to us when we look forward to a time when our responsibilities are few but we have the resources to realize our dreams.

If travel is a major objective of your retirement planning, the earlier in life you get started planning your travel adventures, the more fun your trips will be.  They say that anticipation is half the fun of a trip.  So why not start now planning for your various destinations and the adventures you want to have when you get there?

If the baby boomer got a chance to travel during those child rearing years, you no doubt already have some solid travel disciplines in place to use for routine trips.  Most of us have learned to travel smart from business travel or traveling to see family over the years.  But it’s a good idea to review your preparation check lists when you start thinking of longer trips, perhaps to more exotic and unknown locations such as Europe, The Middle East or South America.

Remember that when you are retired and planning longer trips, that is going to present some unique challenges in terms of packing.  Its one thing to pack for three days in Orlando but its something else entirely to pack for two weeks in Germany or Greece.  It takes an experienced and prepared traveler to only take the essentials and to keep your packing light and efficient.  Some core principles that will help you include…

. Take things that don’t need pressing or a lot of maintenance.  If you can use the same garment over several days, that cuts down on your bulk considerably.  You can even rinse out wash and wear garments in your hotel room and hang them up in the bathroom while you sleep and they will good as new in the morning.

. Don’t pack it.  Buy it.  It might pay to pick up some of your disposable items when you get to your destination.  You can buy your toiletries and even a garment or two if something gets left behind once you arrive.  And by not taking a lot of disposable items, you cut down on the chances you will have trouble with security.

. Check your bags.  You see people who try to drag everything on board with them to avoid baggage claim.  These are your rookie travelers.  Better to trust the airline with the bag and be prepared if your bag gets lost than to have all that struggle trying to get everything into bags you can take on board.

. Be prepared to lose your bags.  Just pack a small carry on with what you must have that first night in the hotel.  Include small items for changing clothes, sleepwear and hard to replace toiletries so if you do find your bags didn’t make the trip, you can stay comfortable until they catch up to you.

Be smart and think ahead about where you are going and what you will need there.  Read as much as you can about your destination and book your accommodations well in advance so you know you are expected even in a part of the world that is new to you.  These kinds of preparations will make your retirement travel fun and exciting and keep you on the road regularly for many years to come.

When a senior citizen finds a new romantic companion late in life, it’s a wonderful moment for both.  Romances late in life can provide a much needed source of companionship and love that may be missing if the senior has lost a spouse or is going through their golden years alone.  But it’s common for children of seniors to go through some anxiety when they see dad or mom enjoying the company of another romance in their lives.  And getting the kids to accept your new girlfriend or boyfriend, especially if that romance is going to result in a wedding.

Part of your children’s resistance to you dating comes from anxiety about losing their parent which may be just as deep and lasting a grief as you had in losing your wife or husband.  It may seem strange but often it is the children of the marriage who go through the longest grief when a parent passes on.  You may have already moved along in your processing of that loss much more than they.  To children, the parents are a permanent institution and the idea that one of them would go away seems inconceivable.  And this feeling often survives well into adulthood.

So that is the first big adjustment your family ahs to make when they see you beginning to enjoy the company of the opposite sex.  They must be assured you are not going to replace mom or dad in their hearts and that this romance will never remove the love you cherish for that departed spouse.  To the children, that love must endure forever because it is the foundation of their concept of family which is a big part of their own identity as well, even though one parent may have passed away.

This is a next step in life that calls for you, the senior citizen and the wise old Grandma or Grandpa in the family mix to use some of that sensitivity and wisdom of your years to help your children and even grandchildren accept your new romance and evolve with you to a new phase of life.  If you have the chance as you begin a new relationship, the time to begin the acceptance process is before that friendship becomes a romance.

By sitting down with your children and discussing that this will happen, even before it happens, you begin the acceptance process.  In their minds and emotional systems, they begin to understand your need for companionship and for love and for romance.  You need that as much as they do.  So you explain it to them.

Then as you begin to see a romantic interest, be open with the family about what you are doing.  Adult children can even get to the point that they will be your advisor and your cheerleaders as you enjoy a new era of dating and romance.  Once that area of life is open, then when you do “bring home the date to meet the family” it wont be such a difficult thing. 

But by keeping the adult children always in the loop, they can talk with one another, agree that this is the best possible thing for you and even work to help the grandkids accept your new romance.  Before long, he or she will be able to come for dinner, join in the holidays and really become part of the family.  Just as you opened your heart when your kids were dating and finding new loves, you will teach your kids to open their hearts to someone who is becoming important to you.  It’s a cycle of life but if we handling it lovingly and honestly, it’s a good cycle.