Do you allow yourself to envision your retirement? I had always pictured a life of freedom to relax, travel, and spend freely—specifically, I had the goal of vacationing in the Dolomites, Italy with our three grown kids. I learned of it on a nature documentary and had never seen a destination more idyllic. 🏔🇮🇹
I did not, however, consider how my husband and I would afford it once we were no longer working. Things became clearer when we joined AARP. I’ve known that acronym my whole life, but never stopped to examine the tangible benefits of an AARP membership.
When we gave it a try, we found it was the means to realizing our long dreamed-of trip as a family.
Retirement means budgeting
My husband and I met when we were young and wild, and budgeting finances wasn’t on our radar. When our oldest son was born, we developed a system that worked for us, and we lived abundantly within our means for the remaining 30 years that we were in the workforce—but budgeting looks different when the steady income slows.
How would we save for this bucket list vacation we had always hoped for?
I felt the urge to pinch pennies, and adding the regular expense of a membership didn’t seem reasonable. I shared these concerns with our next-door neighbors, and they smiled.
Nancy poured me a glass of wine and rattled off the opportunities they’ve enjoyed as AARP members, and how they’ve far outweighed the $16/month fee. She saved the most compelling for last: access to prime banking opportunities, financial planning assistance, and money tools that helped them budget for their big trip.
My AARP membership affords me benefits galore
Fast forward to today, and I’ve assumed Nancy’s role of sharing AARP membership benefits with friends who are nearing retirement. It turns out the financial planning guidance we received just scratched the surface. Our AARP membership allowed us to truly live while we were saving for Italy.
Through our AARP membership’s extensive discounts, we became regulars at our favorite restaurant, and our movie nights at home are often picks from the Movies for Grownups free online movie screenings.
Being the social butterflies that we are, we even occasionally attend Local Chapter gatherings to meet and connect with our contemporaries–though our kids roll their eyes at this.
In the background, we have been benefiting from incredible discounts on healthcare, car insurance, and our phone service.
The big trip was everything I’d hoped for
When the time came to actually book our trip, the discounts kept coming—through our membership, we saved enough on our flights, hotels, and car rentals to give us wiggle room with spending money.
Eating most meals out was part of what we’d been saving for, but now we had a cushion to cover spontaneous ice creams, a splurge meal, or souvenirs for our party of five.
I still absolutely glow when I think or talk about our Dolomites trip. It far surpassed my expectations. I soaked up the rich history and architecture, the breathtaking landscapes, and the opportunities to interact with wildlife—which wasn’t part of my vision, but was unforgettable.
The best part was the experience of having my full family present on this vacation. The fact that my husband and I were able to make this trip a reality in our retirement makes me well up.
We’re still going strong with our membership
All those years, I didn’t think past our family vacation to Italy. I suppose I thought if we could achieve that dream trip, I would live the rest of my life feeling satisfied.
