How Americans Are Reinventing Retirement

Looking into their love lives, nearly 15% of retirees want to find love during retirement and are planning to spend more time dating to find “the one.” SHVETS PRODUCTION VIA PEXELS.

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Retirees are living lives their younger selves would be jealous of, according to a recent study.

The poll of 2,000 Americans who have retired, or will retire, between 2020–2029 found that the Benjamin Button effect is in full play.

Retirees said they’re aging backward and feeling more vivacious than ever — as more than a quarter (26%) said their younger self would love to live their current life.

And most respondents (60%) plan to, or already have, done a “retirement reinvention” — stepping into a completely new version of themselves during retirement.

Commissioned by IHG Hotels & Resorts and conducted by Talker Research, the survey explored what this “new version” looks like, and the role that travel plays in respondents making the most of their retirement years.

Many retirees (40%) have taken, or plan to take, the trip of a lifetime to celebrate retirement.

The majority (59%) are planning on traveling more during retirement than they traveled during their working years.

This may be due in part to 36% of retirees regretting how much they worked during their careers, compared to how much time they spent doing other things.

Looking back at their priorities while working, respondents said their biggest roadblocks to traveling during their careers were lack of budget (49%) and job flexibility (43%).

But to make up for this, half want to spend less in other areas of their budgets, so they’re able to put more money toward travel — and the survey looked to see what places are top on the list of where retirees want to visit.