Of course, a decade ago, the plans seemed far into the future. So, over time Jay and I needed to begin creating lists with future possibilities. They included many of the locations in which we have already lived for a short time.
Two years ago this month, I had to start on a new list that highlights how we actually spent our retirement winters. As years went on, we continued to work our way through our dream destinations. I thought today would be suitable to do an update that included the last winter of 2024-25.
In a few days, we are returning to Sri Lanka but do plan on adding a few more must-see spots that we haven't yet. I'll keep them under planned locations.
This is what our list looks like before we head off on the 12th winter since early retirement:
Our Retirement Winters (2014 to 2025)
| Location | Duration |
|---|---|
| Bali, Indonesia | 2 months |
| Buenos Aires, Argentina | 3 months |
| Cape Town, South Africa | 1 month |
| Colombo, Sri Lanka | 9 months, 3 visits |
| Durban, South Africa | 1 month |
| Dubai, UAE | 2 months, 3 visits |
| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 5 months, 2 visits |
| Luxor, Egypt | 5 months |
| Flic en Flac, Mauritius | 1 month |
| Mazatlán, Mexico | 2 months |
| Penang, Malaysia | 3 months |
| Playa del Carmen, Mexico | 3 months |
| Puerto Vallarta, Mexico | 5 months |
| Siem Reap, Cambodia | 2 months |
| S. American Cruise Port Cities | 1 month |
| Location |
|---|
| Antananarivo, Madagascar |
| Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei |
| Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
| Ipoh, Malaysia |
| Island-Wide Trips, Sri Lanka |
| Istanbul, Turkey |
| Krabi, Thailand |
| Kuching, Malaysia |
| Langkawi, Malaysia |
| Malacca, Malaysia |
| Pattaya, Thailand |
| Phuket, Thailand |
| Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Sabah, Malaysia |
| Saint-Denis, Reunion Island |
| Sarawak, Malaysia |
| Stone Town, Zanzibar |
| Taipei, Taiwan |
| Tunis, Tunisia |
| Location |
|---|
| Boracay, Philippines |
| Goa, India |
| Guayaquil, Ecuador |
| Kampala, Uganda |
| Puerto Princesa, Philippines |
This was an attempted selfie atop Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa this January. Oops, I forgot to add our trip up Sani Pass and single-night stay in Mokhotlong, Lesotho to our list of very short-term winter visits.