Retirement is unique in that it is something we can’t really imagine until it happens, yet we still are urged to prepare for it, even while we are young.

To help us all visualize what retirement is like, Save with SPP took a look around to see how people are enjoying their retirement, and why.

Over at the Love Being Retired blog, the operative concept is freedom. The blog’s author talks about “knocking out my to-do list,” compiled over many years, as well as setting one’s own pace and trying new things. “A little excitement and a little variety are in the cards for me,” the blogger notes. Other things retirement will allow are spending more time with friends and family and having time to write.

At the Boomers Next Step blog, retirement is seen as an opportunity. “The traditional concept of retirement seems to have faded and is slowly being replaced by a smorgasbord of dynamic opportunities, all offering different variations of purpose, fulfillment and freedom,” the blog states.

The smorgasbord of retirement, the blog continues, can include searching for a new, post-career job, “creating a laptop lifestyle,” (work that you can do anywhere), and then “travel adventures… (and) pursuing your passions.” A key for the blog is having the income to fund “our travel, our sailing, and our other lifestyle choices.”

A study, called Leisure in Retirement: Beyond the Bucket List, featured in the Huffington Post, found retirement to be “the most liberating and enjoyable time” of life. And, the study notes, it doesn’t always have to be about money.

Time, the study found, is in abundance for the retiree. “Collectively, retirees will enjoy 126 billion — yes, BILLION — hours of leisure time this year alone. And as tens of millions of boomers move from being `time constrained’ to `time affluent’ over the next 20 years, they will collectively amass 2.5 trillion hours of leisure time,” the study notes.

“Suddenly what you want to do trumps what you have to do. It’s exhilarating to have this kind of freedom,” one focus group researcher told the study’s authors.

The last word belongs to Maclean’s, who write that retirees need to factor in new and fun things to do even as they unwind their retirement savings. “Manage spending carefully on the basics like shelter, transportation and groceries to ensure you have ample money left to spend on the non-essential activities like travel, hobbies, entertainment and helping others. It’s these extras that make for an active and rewarding retirement,” the magazine recommends.

Time and freedom will be abundant commodities when you detach yourself from your career. Savings from work will come in handy as you try new things. Think about joining the Saskatchewan Pension Plan so that those savings can be put to good use as retirement income, down the road.

Written by Martin Biefer

Martin Biefer is Senior Pension Writer at Avery & Kerr Communications in Nepean, Ontario. After a 35-year career as a reporter, editor and pension communicator, Martin is enjoying life as a freelance writer. He’s a mediocre golfer, hopeful darts player and beginner line dancer who enjoys classic rock and sports, especially football. He and his wife Laura live with their Sheltie, Duncan, and their cat, Toobins. You can follow him on Twitter – his handle is @AveryKerr22