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Those of you who are retired...

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by Johnzimbo, Feb 20, 2016.

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  1. atcmurph

    atcmurph Watcher Of The Skies

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    This thread caught my eye, because I am retiring in 31 days. At age 50, most people would consider this a very early retirement. My job as an Air Traffic Controller allows this, with 20+ years of service. As much as I love my job, it has worn me down. 24+ years of weird hours, weird sleep patterns, insomnia, and I'm done. Every time I got a vacation I went to Vegas, which was great. So, in retirement, I'm hoping to not only make my Vegas trips, but also see all those places I've always wanted to see. It may not seem wise, but for now I'm just going to play it by ear. I'm lucky I can do that. And I think I will still look forward to my Vegas trips, maybe just not with the fever I once had.
     
  2. tex55

    tex55 High-Roller

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    I am in the minority here; I don't look forward to Vegas trips as much as I did when I was working. I really enjoyed the 4 days of relief from reality, was staying in nicer hotels, and had a bigger bankroll than I have now!
     
  3. captainron62

    captainron62 VIP Whale

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    This is pretty much what I did although I had not been to LV until I was already in the process of retiring. I took about 3 vacations in 18 years of employment and I'm sure I have more than made up for that in 6 years of retirement. I believe in the just play it by ear and careful not to over plan. As a government employee I am friends with a lot of guys who retired early, some of them made drastic changes and a lot of times it didn't work out. I believe in the slow and steady pace of trying things out and seeing where life takes you!

    Enjoy my friend, its a beautiful thing!
     
  4. Count de Monet

    Count de Monet High-Roller

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    I retired last year and now can travel as much as I want. Really enjoy Vegas and other trips more now that the chaos prior to leaving is significantly reduced by having more time to prepare and accommodate pets, property, etc. Staying longer and slowing the pace in Vegas has been really refreshing rather than always going for maximum fun time in Wally World.

    My wife and I are also in the simplify and unclutter our lives mode to enjoy moments rather possessions. Amazing how much of our lives goes unnoticed while working and running full speed ahead. Stopping to smell the roses is a wonderful thing.
     
  5. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    No there yet but have thought about it.
    Wonder a lot on my thought process.
    Now, I have a gambling fund and if I lose it all I go to work and slowly replenish it for the next trip.
    When retired, I wonder if a loss like that would be more significant and affect me more mentally as I won't have the income to replenish it as quickly.
    I am hoping to hit the lottery before I retire.
     
  6. shokhead

    shokhead No big spender unless eating drinking having fun!

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    More so. Don't have to worry about work when coming home. Also you can plan for whenever, not around work.
     
  7. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    For me it's kind of a wash. I loved looking forward to my Vegas trips when works just to escape. Due to my flexibility (and lower money availability), I really shop around more, but I love it for other reasons.
     
  8. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

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    The trips are longer now that I'm retired. Used to be 4-5 days. Now 10-14 days. I'm in no rush to get back when I love Las Vegas so much...and I do love Las Vegas just as much as when I was working and do look forward to my trips there just as much. :) My bankroll is about 1/2 of what it was prior to retiring. :(
    There is nothing I miss about work. I am glad to be done with it. Retirement is pure jubilance for me every day and I always wake up with a smile on my face.
     
  9. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    That takes discipline to do a long stay trip with 1/2 the bankroll. I had planned to do a 10-day trip last October but after getting my ass kicked on my May trip, I realized I don't have the discipline to reign it in during a long trip if the luck is craptastic. I might be able to do it if my husband were to join me and we planned some non-gaming outings. I'm lucky in that my bankroll hasn't really changed since retiring.
     
  10. salemorevegaslover

    salemorevegaslover Low-Roller

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    Breeze & Captain Ron...........very well said.
    I, too, retired almost 6 yrs ago and sometimes wished I continued working. Financially.....I'm very OK but socially I'm quite bored and tend to spend to much time alone. I haven't quite felt comfortable traveling to Vegas alone since my divorce. I will be in Vegas in March for MM ( with same guys for 30 plus yrs.) but since they still work and have obligations, their flexibility to jettison off on a whim is limited at best. Traveling alone is not for a certain type and I fall into that category. At times, I'll feel like I just don't belong.... in any situation.........like sitting at a bar, eating alone or the casual walking or shopping. I think that's my insecurity kicking in.
    Give me some suggestion on how to overcome those thoughts. Or how to defeat that mindset.
     
  11. atcmurph

    atcmurph Watcher Of The Skies

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    Thanks! I agree with you. I'm not in a big hurry to make major changes (although I do want to move at some point). I'm just going to see what happens
     
  12. atcmurph

    atcmurph Watcher Of The Skies

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    I sure wish I could help, but I come from a different place. I've always been single and probably 60% of my 60+ Vegas trips have been solo. I love it. I consider myself "socially awkward" and also quite insecure but in Vegas it's easier for me to strike up conversations with strangers. Maybe the booze helps with that. I just love sleeping as late as I want and planning (or not planning) my day. I do what I want when I want. I'm even starting to get a little more comfortable eating alone in a restaurant. Well, it's a work in progress. Smart phones help with that.
     
  13. captainron62

    captainron62 VIP Whale

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    I know what you mean. I too am divorced and you def get used to travelling with someone, etc, etc. Somethings just take time and the willingness to place yourself temporarily uncomfortably to get comfortable. I would bet if you scheduled some meet ups with board members or looked to find a friend to go along with that you could make your trip a great success. Your trips are going to be different for sure, but that doesn't mean terrible. My boredom got to me and I ended up working part time, so I get it. The first six months or so were amazing, but then you realize that your friends are still working and obligated as you have said. I also have kids still in school so I can't just uproot and live in some tropical climate, so I had to find a happy medium for now.

    If you look around on the internet you can find a ton of people situated as we are, you just have to look for it. I also hit some Jamaica boards like this one and I have found a whole slew of retired folk who travel to Jamaica alone and not one has said they regret doing so. Its just a matter of putting yourself out there and realizing you have to shift gears a bit!

    Good luck!
     
  14. NandJfrmNJ

    NandJfrmNJ VIP Whale

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    I've been retired for 19 years (DH for about 15-we both retired early). We now travel somewhere most months of the year and have been going to Vegas 5-6 times a year. The anticipation isn't as great as when we only had time to go once a year but it's still there. I still tutor to supplement my gambling bankroll and I love it. Because we travel more frequently we have to be more frugal but we're always comped for food and hotels and my husband is pretty lucky so our only expenses are airfare and car rentals (and gambling money, of course).

    My motto is: "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain". We don't know how much longer we'll be able to do this, but life is too short to not take advantage of our ability to go for the gusto.
     
  15. IM ALL IN

    IM ALL IN High-Roller

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    Quite heartfelt, your post. Do you do slot, or blackjack, or poker tourneys? I travel to Vegas appx 8-10 times a year with 90% of them solo. I guess that's one of the reasons Husband and I recently split after 36 years,HAHAHAA! The slot tournaments for the last 10? years I've been attending have given me a slot family...The same players at most every tourney. A real camaraderie. I've traveled to several different places with 3 different closer friends I've met, and I've been lucky enough to go on the Hosted Hotel cruise for the last 3 years with the slot family...You get 62 slot players with their "others" on a ship...As a solo female, I don't have a problem sitting at a bar, as long as there is VP and an ashtray. Dining alone? No problem, but I have my haunts where I feel comfortable. Some higher end place I won't bother cause it probably best be shared with a partner. Don't as a rule shop. Don't casually walk the strip. I'm always enroute to a destination. But I can understand your struggle as I have a girlfriend who CANNOT meet me at a restaurant bar for a drink, we have to meet outside and walk in together. Or my boss, who after 16 years being in the same location CANNOT eat lunch solo at our local pub (he did once...he had to tell me about it just so he could say he did it) Maybe try breaking out just one of your insecurities, never have to overcome all at once...playing video poker at a bar solo. See if you can get invited to a feeder slotty! Some you have to have an established amount that you play to get invited. The MLife casino websites have their tournaments posted on line. Good luck with March Madness! 30 of you...that's awesome!
     
  16. Breeze147

    Breeze147 Button Man

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    I was never married, so it's not as big a deal for me. I never have trouble conversing at bars or on the tables while in Vegas, whereas at home, I quit going out to bars years ago because I would just sit there silently and leave after a few drinks. Vegas somehow is different. It's the atmosphere, the people are there to have fun. 90% of my meals are alone, anyway, so that's no big deal. I would much rather eat alone than eat with someone whose sole conversational skill is to bitch and complain about everything.

    Do I feel different? Of course, I am different. Would I rather be in Vegas surrounded by fun people or be home doing the same thing I do every day? Vegas, baby!
     
  17. Jerseyguy

    Jerseyguy MIA

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    Being retired or working never entered into my thought process as far as going to Vegas. I liked the Vegas of the early 80's better than todays Vegas.Maybe because back then it was all new to us and so different than here and you could have a good time on a lot less money Seemed like less hassle and more of a western vibe back then.
     
  18. Kingbarkus

    Kingbarkus Low-Roller

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    To overcome this mindset is to know people are so consumed with their own lives they don't notice your being alone. I am the same as you. Single, never married, solo trips to Vegas. I'm an introvert with social anxiety. I don't like to sit at the bars to eat because I don't want to talk to anyone. I'm there to eat. I catch up with the office and my sports teams on my phone. Insecurity is brought on only by yourself, not anyone else. Celebrate your freedom in Vegas, not your loneliness. I've made friends at the sportsbook, the craps tables, the video poker machines, but on my terms.
     
  19. Rush

    Rush MIA

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    I will be retired within the next 12 months. For me, I will actually have more spending money once I retire, so I would guess Las Vegas might come to seeing me more often.
     
  20. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

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    Many insecurities are in thinking that other people are staring at you and judging you. In actuality, nobody gives a sh*t about you...at least nothing more than a passing glance. As soon as you realize that nobody in the restaurant gives a sh*t about whether you're eating alone or not and learn to enjoy your own company, you will find solo life a lot more satisfying.
     
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