Page 30 Fall Home & Garden | September 2024 Lincoln Daily News Some of the first things people think about in retirement are taking their watch off, disposing of their work attire, deleting their weekly alarm, and planning out all their upcoming travel plans. Most retirees dream about how and where they will spend their golden years, whether packing up and moving across the country to a warmer, year-round location or keeping their current home and living somewhere else for a few months. Some will opt to drive an RV, pull a camper, drive a car, or fly to their destination. For the latter, the term “Snowbirds” is an immensely popular ‘best of both worlds’ option. If snowbirding is a goal you are hoping to achieve during your retirement, there are several things to keep in mind. One of the first suggestions most say is to start out SLOW! Many start out big and buy a large RV/ Camper/Trailer and a matching vehicle to pull it. Then they need to furnish it with all kinds of matching gadgets and camping equipment. Then they realize that this dream is too expensive, too long, a hassle or too far away from kids, grandkids, ailing parents, or friends. Before taking your retirement funds and dumping into something that will depreciate greatly, start out and test the waters. Try renting a camper or RV for an extended period of time. Or contact a local real estate agent in your desired location for a short-term rental home. Another aspect you should consider is driving. Who will be comfortable enough to So, You Think You Want to be a Snowbird? drive a 13-45 ft vehicle through mountains, in a parking lot, backing up, through a construction zone or in tight space? This aspect needs to be defined prior to and can cause unwanted stress between spouses. If the driver does not have the experience, knowledge or has not practiced enough to gain that comfortability in maneuvering a recreational vehicle, then that could add additional travel time, cause vehicle damage and/or accidents. Most retirees already have certain destinations in mind and more than likely have already visited that area. If you think you want to be in Arizona or New Mexico, it would be wise to visit these places first-hand. Just because they are in the southwest, the locations can be vastly different. For example, Yuma, AZ, gets 3.5 inches of rain per year. Approximately 4 ½ hours north in Flagstaff the average is 20.7 inches of rain and 81 inches of snow per year. Therefore Yuma is dry and brown, and Flagstaff is very green and luscious. If you have a camper trailer, it would be easy to pack up and move to a different camping site that suits your needs or scenery, however, if you rent a place, it could be an exceptionally long and boring 3-6 months. If you have done your homework on your desired location(s), then what’s next? A good starting point is to talk to others who have “been there done that.” They can be your best resources on things that they did, didn’t
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