The Choices of Retirement

How you and your spouse agree or disagree on how you will retire or where you will retire is critically important.
Where you choose to live, what you plan to do, how close you want or need to be to your family and friends, all these things are important.  You must consider all aspects of your lifestyle.  You must consider if you want to move in your retirement or stay put.
Then spend time talking and looking at the possible locations way before the time of retirement.
It is a good idea to spend time on a holiday in your choice of location in different seasons.  What is your tolerance for rain, cloudy days, humidity, heat, earthquakes, etc.  What about crime and the political climate in your choice destination?
Most important make sure that you will be content living in your chosen place.  Make sure that what ever happens- whether your family visits or not, whether your kids want to socialize regularly or not, that you will be happy in your choice.
Or plan not to have a plan right away.  But to enjoy where you are currently living and take time to re-discover why you picked where you live in the first place. 
It is not unusual to have difference with your spouse over how or where you will live in your retirement.  Even if your lifestyle dreams seem worlds apart, give your thoughts, wants and needs time to develop to please both of you.
When my husband and I started to plan our retirement, we seemed a life apart.  He was enchanted with travel, possibly living on a boat, selling everything and moving to another country.  His gypsy blood was ruling his thinking.  I was content to stay put, do some travelling and enjoy ourselves and our family.
We talked about just staying put for awhile, while we decide where we realy want to live, because, while you are still working, your blood pressure is higher, you hate the commute to work, you face traffic, deadlines, meetings, and a  boss.  You are usually so wrapped up in work that you haven't had the chance or time to unwind and enjoy what you already have at home.
My feelings are that we are blessed to live in such a beautiful area and I have had the time to enjoy it.  But that my husband needed to retire first and find time to enjoy the surroundings that he does have.  To just sit back and relax for awhile.  To take time in this major life decision.

Some things that will be deciding factors of where you will choose to live are:
-Climate...  not to hot, not to rainy...
-Price
-Health
-Isolation or closeness
-The amount of home and yard maintenance needed

Retirement can be:
-the loss of all that is familiar
-the blessing of freedom
-a terrible bore or a new opportunity

-and then sometimes it's a matter of loving what is.
-not longing for or dreaming of finding your own personal paradise with
perfect weather, perfect neighbors, a perfect house
But of loving life as it is and appreciating the value of family and friends.