There is no question I enjoy the heck out of early retirement. Each and every single day. But when it comes to vacations you could say I am Early Retired Playing Like a Wiser Kid. We (my wife and I) love to just take off on a vacation from the freedom life at home and say goodbye to all obligations.

I heard that. Some of you mocking me because I take vacations from my permanent vacation. It’s hard to explain but I look forward to vacations as much if not more than before I retired. Maybe my retirement vacations are so much better because there was always the vacation penalty waiting for me when I returned to work after a vacation. You know. 5000 emails and requests for project status or request to look into broken crap. No more!

We took a road trip from Colorado to the Beaches of Southern California over 10 days. We did make an overnight stop in St George Utah on the way to and from where we were able to visit family for dinner. We even extended the trip one day longer to stay a full day there on the way home. Certainly one of the beauties of having no job demanding our return.

There is something about hitting the road with no hard deadlines or itinerary holding a gun to our heads. Only our room reservations needed to be honored unless there was cancellation notice. We even did two days in Disneyland and California Adventure amusement parks. Just because we wanted to. Just like a couple of 57 year old kids. No grand-kids as a reason to go. It was just us and we had a blast.

Early Retired Playing Like a Wiser Kid- Observations

Being Early Retired Playing like a Wiser Kid means that some things are done differently than we did them when we were younger.

• We are so much smarter about how things work and how we work.
• We have a budget and have a habit of always trying to beat it by seeking value.
• Most notably we now can appreciate slowing down and smelling the coffee. There is a lot more to life than always pushing forward full speed ahead and ignoring the little things that occur all around us in life.

Here are some of my observations that make good considerations for anyone following in our early retirement vacationing ways.

On The Road

While traveling down the interstate pay attention to the scenery. There was a time when I just flew down the road trying to just get there. Now we take the time to try to enjoy everything we pass that looks interesting.

Have your camera available and take pictures of any great scenes while tooling down the road and for when you finally pull over for gas, the restroom, stretch your legs, or eat a meal. You never know when something cool will show up and it’s a way to document your trip and what you saw. Enjoy the changing scenery.

We always pack some Sandwiches and drinks for our road trips to save money and time. It also ensures that we will eat healthier and without fear of picking up some food poisoning on the road. Sometimes we eat while cruising and other times we grab a picnic table at a local park or rest stop.

Here is a tip when looking to gas-up in a smallish town.

Don’t stop at the first gas stations right off of the interstate. Drive into town a few blocks because you might just see something interesting that you had no idea was there or find a nice picnic site. Their gas prices may be cheaper too and it doesn’t add much time to the trip so it is all good.

Bring a good twelve-volt tire pump. If you are changing elevations or traveling through different temperature zones then keeping your tires inflated to the correct pressure will save you money at the pump. I bought a $29 twelve-volt pump at Lowe’s that has a gauge attached which allows me to fill my tires when needed.

Before you leave pull a new Mapquest.com direction to your destination. Even if you have made the drive many times before it will show you if something has changed. I pulled one for out route and noticed in Riverside CA that everyone had to now exit the Interstate due to construction and go through what is a long traffic filled and time-killing detour through town. We were able to avoid that and take a different route than we have taken during the 38 years I have made this drive.

Pre-load your destination address into your GPS even if you know where you are going. I bought a used Garmin on eBay a few years ago for $24 and that was the best $24 I have ever spent. Pre-loading the address will help if you get detoured or mistakenly take a wrong turn somewhere. Having to pull over to look up and add your destination just adds more frustration to the situation.

Disneyland Tips

We find buying the park-hopper passes makes more sense.

We like to bounce between the two parks during the day. If it’s too crazy-busy in one park we can then go to the other and most times it’s not as bad. We bought a two-day pass this year and it was just the right amount of time for us to do everything we wanted to do without ever feeling hurried. It was a relaxing and enjoyable 2 days.

Bring a Bottle of Water

Take a bottled water in with you. Then refill it at the multitude of water fountains. All drinks run $3.50 each so there can be big savings here on a hot and humid day at the park.

Use Flex Pass

Take advantage of the Fast Pass when rides are too crowded. This year the new thing we saw was “Singles” lines. Basically if you are ok riding with someone other than your sweetie or buddy(s) then say you are a single. Disneyland allows singles to quick enter just like the Fast Pass to fill in for all the odd-numbered groups/families riding together. We saw couples go in as singles and end up on ride at the same time even though they weren’t sitting next to each other.

The Right Shoes

Wear comfortable and supporting shoes. There is a lot of walking. I had to laugh at some of the younger attendees. They were in flip-flops. I had done that too in my younger years. Probably why my feet need the shoe inserts today.

Upcoming Changes

Star Wars is everywhere and the rumor according to people who work there is the new Star Wars Disney Park will be built where all of Bear Country is today. If you are familiar with Disneyland then you may miss some of the beautiful trees and all the shade of that area.

Scout Out Ride Leg Room Before getting in Line

Scout out rides you aren’t familiar with for leg room. I am 6’3” and some rides don’t allow for enough room to sit without really being pretzeled in there. Worse than flying coach.

Loosen up to avoid back strain

Stay loose on all rides because some may involve a sudden stop. Nothing jacks my back like getting popped like that if I am not loose and ready for it. Just expect it and you should escape most short-jerked associated back pain. I always take a small package of Advil, Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

In General

Take advantage of free entertainment and other events occurring in the area for locals.

We caught an awesome car show on the Redondo Beach Pier and another casual Hot Rod stop over at a local Diner.

Ask your hotel’s front desk if they know of anything going on. There was the area’s Lobster-Fest going on one night while we were there.

Eat and Drink Local.

For me I enjoyed selecting beers from local breweries. We also chose local eateries over national franchises. We had some great specials that were very reasonably priced.

Walk instead of driving everywhere. There is no better way to get into the local vibe like participating in it.

Pack WD40 in your beach pack.

We were fortunate this time but I have had past experiences stepping in a beach oil/tar ball before in California and Florida beaches. It’s a bear to remove and will ruin your flip-flops or sandals if you wear them. WD40 will dissolve and clean the black oily tar bar from your foot or footwear. They sell it in small aerosol cans. It is also decent in removing stepped on gum.

Pack a mat or beach blanket and hit the beach an hour before sunset.

It may cost a few quarters in a parking meter but it’s otherwise free and most people have left the beach for the day. There is nothing like sitting on the beach and watching the sunset before calling it a day.

In Closing.

Being Early Retired Playing Like a Wiser Kid is all about relaxing and enjoying life by concentrating on value and still having a lot of fun. We set a budget based on a similar trip a few years ago and actually came in a couple of hundred dollars under it. That was primarily due to lower fuel costs but some of our food decisions also played into it.

Do you see yourself playing at Disneyland in your retirement?