The Difference Between Retirement and an All-Inclusive Vacation

No, I haven't fallen off the edge of the blogosphere, I've just been enjoying an abundance of travel.  I recently jumped at a discount travel company's offer to go luxuriate for a week in Mexico at at an all-inclusive resort.

What's the difference between retirement and a week at an all-inclusive resort?  You don't have to cook your own breakfast at the all-inclusive resort.

I have not been on an all-inclusive trip since Club Med nearly three decades ago.  I booked it because it was cheap.  I thought I might hate it.

I didn't hate it at all.

Many people are worried that when they retire they might hate retirement.  They are worried that they might be bored.  Like those people, I thought I might be bored spending an entire week reading books, drinking Margaritas, and taking sunset strolls on the beach.

I think that might be the difference between Americans and Canadians.

More than half of the readers of this blog are Canadian.  The rest are from the U.S. and other countries.  I get lots of emails from happy retirees, most of whom are from Canada and countries other than the U.S.  I also get emails from those that are afraid of boredom in retirement.  The majority of these are from folks in the U.S.

Which brings me to the all-inclusive resort where I thought I might be bored but I wasn't.  Everyone that I met there was from Canada.  Everyone.  I did not meet a single person at this resort that was from the United States.

Is there something about Canadians that makes them unafraid of retirement and all-inclusive resorts?  Is there something about American culture that causes an irrational fear of boredom when engaging in activities that are supposed to be fun?

I don't know, but if you get a chance to enjoy an all-inclusive week in the sun, or a chance to retire, I recommend both.  Just remember, in retirement, you have to cook your own breakfast.

Comments

[Bucksome Boomer]

I'm glad you had a good time at the resort. Your observation of how Americans approach an AI versus Candadians was interesting.

We like to vacation on cruise ships and so many friends say they're afraid of being bored on a cruise.

I don't understand it as there are lots of activities plus you can entertain yourself with movies, books and at the pool.

[Canadian Dream]

You know it could be the long cold winters that help us, Canadians, get ready for retirement. When going outside for anything is a pain in the ass for a month or longer at a time you get very good at keep yourself busy at home. So doing that for a longer period (aka: retirement) when you can go outside I suspect just gets easy.

My off the wall, I don't have a clue idea for the day. Enjoy.

Tim

[Sara]

OK...So ...the first cruise.. I was so afraid of being bored on a cruise ship that I found one that didn't have a single day at sea... That was our first cruise.

Next week we are going on a cruise across the Atlantic..... 7 days "at Sea!". That just says..we love it... (and I hate relaxing...There's so much to do on the ship.)

Now if we can just get back from Heathrow to Miami with all this smoke/fog/volcanic ash.

I Figure that if they must re-route the ship...I DON'T CARE.... I'll go anywhere...I am retired.... YEAH!!!

[Retired Syd]

Well Tim, you might also have figured out why there were so many Canadians congregating in warm, sunny Mexico--the end of a long cold winter!

[OurTakeOnFreedom]

Canadians really do know how to vacation. When were working at the resort there was a clear Canadian majority much of the time, and they were the ones who totally disconnected from work when they were on holiday.

To be fair, some of the Europeans did so as well. The big distinction, however, was between the Americans and everyone else. Americans generally came for much shorter short stints and were worried about work and home during their stays.

[LC]

I'm from Mississippi, USA, and have never been to an all-inclusive resort. Husband and I have taken cruises before we retired. We never shared colleagues worries about being bored on a cruise. There have always been so many choices for activity, exploring, relaxing, people watching, EATING. Only problems we had were 1) no stamina for midnight and after events; 2) eating too much and thoroughly enjoying it;and 3) the return to reality after a week of being totally spoiled. I guess I do fit the non-Canadian stereotype in that I liked the one-week time frame of total relaxation. More than that and the work that awaited me when I returned would suck out all the benefits of the carefree week. Several such weeks scattered throughout the year worked better than a month all at once.

[Chad]

I'm not afraid of being bored in retirement, but all inclusive resorts, and especially cruises, are not for me. Too restricted for my tastes.

[Chris]

In the US we seem to think we should be accomplishing something. I have to admit to a lot of ambiguity about this. My husband and I tend towards "active" vacations - hiking, kayaking, bicycling, stuff like that. though I usually send him off to entertain himself at least one day and sit by a river reading a book several chapters at a time - something I rarely allow myself at home.

Since my job is generally sedentary, I really enjoy doing something that doesn't involve sitting. Though how I'll feel when I'm fully retired, I'm unsure.

[Dennis]

A rather good quote from an Argentinian writer, Jacobo Timerman, that I read in the Dream Catcher book, the Salinger memoir:

""It is a very hard thing to find happiness. Hundreds and thousands of examples exist of how to be miserable, and they are everywhere you look for you to copy. It is easy to be miserable, millions can show you the way. It requires no thought or creativity of your own, just following. To be happy is hard, because no one can show you, it is something you have to work out, create for yourself. No one can give you a model to copy, though many will volunteer, because happiness is not off the rack, one size fits all, it is something each of us has to tailor-make for himself or herself."

[all inclusive vacation]

Well, it's just depend on you how you will spend your retirement. You can spend it on a vacation like what you did.

-carl

[deegee]

For me, since I retired in late 2008, every day seems like a Saturday. I have my local volunteer work and evening fun activities. Other than that, I do what I want when I want to. Or I don't.

I think I'll read a book and take a nap soon. And it is only 12 noon. :)

[holy land tours]

I think you had a great destination for all-inclusive Vacation, Mexico is wonderful to travel. I've been in such vacation in Turkey and had a great time.

[holyland tours]

I'd take retirement, leisure, and sitting around any time over going to work everyday. I had my fair share of conversations with people that are afraid of that, but i just don't understand it.

[costamesa chiropractic]

I recently jumped at a discount travel company's offer to go luxuriate for a week in Mexico at at an all-inclusive resort.

[Kathy Sterndahl]

A couple of comments from a retired American living in Mexico surrounded by lots and lots of Canadians. First, many Canadians cannot work for 4-6 months of the year because of the weather and, therefore, are used to lots of time off with nothing to do. (So lucky!) Second, Canadians seem to like to travel in herds. Where one goes, they all go. In contrast, my ex-husband and I used to look for places to visit where no one we knew had ever been.

[Jake Ostler]

Great article, I'm hoping to retire at an all inclusive resort if I can save enough, that would be the dream. I would love to find an amazing all inclusive resort in Punta Cana or Jamaica. Both of those places are beautiful. (http://travelwith-us.com/)