Q for Retirees... re: Extended trips

pullin2 wrote:
For years, retirement was a distant concept to us, but now it's getting close and we're starting to wrap our heads around the idea. We're mostly empty-nesters now, and it appears the kids are that most-wonderful type of offspring (that actually move out). :)

Now that we can start thinking about long, relaxed trips in the fiver, we are wondering how folks handle leaving their house empty for extended periods? We've always been limited to a week or two because of work schedules, so we haven't really needed to plan for long absences. Both kids will (probably) be living in other states, so there aren't any relatives to periodically check on the house.

So how do experienced retirees (not full-timers) handle leaving your house empty for a month or more while traveling?

1. Mail? Do you have a forwarding service? Neighbors collect it? We use free temporary change of address and have mail forwarded to friends or family who contact us frequently for instructions for anything that needs attention (which is rare).
2. Yard? Obviously we'll need a lawn service, but are leery of strangers knowing the house is empty. It seems asking my neighbors to watch and pick up flyers for months would be a little much. Neighbors watch for flyers etc. and my kids mow the lawn when it's needed. We fight over them allowing us to pay them when we return (only down side)
3. Security? Do you have friends who periodically enter the house?
4. Maintenance? Planning to shut off the water, but a small problems could grow over the course of a month or so (ie. failed freezer, roof leak, etc.) Several relatives and friends have access to our home and come in occasionally to inspect things.
5. Bills? We're moving almost everything to online, but would appreciate any additional advice on this. [COLOR=]On line bill paying is OK I guess but way too much trouble for me. We have all of our monthly bills set up on direct bank draft so they pay themselves automatically without intervention from us. I go only several times a week to check what has been paid and make appropriate corrections to amounts that have previously been posted in our checking account.

Finally to those who are retired, but haven't become full-timers, how long is your average trip now? Is it much different from when you were working? It seems we will be able to spend 3-4 or even 5 weeks leisurely working our way around the country, but sometimes the reality is different.

Any advice appreciated, we've been concentrating on the financial side of retirement planning, and haven't given a lot of thought to exactly "how" we'll really do it.

Retiring with ease while continuing to take care of financial responsibilities is an important issue and it takes a little practice. DW insisted on keeping a paper trail of each transaction for about the first two years before she relaxed and just let the computer program I wrote handle it, keeping checking account in balance and making sure we have complete records of what happens when.