Next Stop Retirement

07/09/2026

35 years ago today, we got married.

And exactly 10 years ago today, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary somewhere we'd dreamed about visiting for years... Machu Picchu.

We'd deliberately planned our Peru trip so we'd be there on September 7. After wanting to see this place for so long, there was always the possibility that the reality wouldn't quite live up to what we'd imagined.

It did.

Ten years have somehow passed since these photos were taken, and today we're celebrating 35 years together.

There have been a lot of places, a lot of trips and a hell of a lot of memories along the way.

Happy anniversary, Pauline. ❤️

📍 Machu Picchu, Peru 🇵🇪

04/09/2026

When we started planning a three-week New Zealand road trip with my 80-year-old mum, one question kept following us...

Would she physically manage it, and could Pauline and I plan around her needs without giving up our own holiday?

The hardest part wasn’t the driving or luggage. It was knowing when Mum needed a little encouragement and when she genuinely needed a rest.

Our new video shares what the trip taught us about flexibility, separate time and planning an adventure everyone can enjoy.

Watch here:

02/09/2026

This may be a controversial opinion... but I reckon this could be the best dessert in the world. 😂

A hot, crispy Thai roti, cooked fresh on the street, covered in condensed milk and sugar.

Nothing fancy. Definitely not healthy. Absolutely delicious.

So, what beats it?

What's your nomination for the best dessert in the world? 🌏

02/09/2026

When Pauline and I first talked about our travel bucket list in our twenties, it included London, Paris, New York and Disneyland.

There was nothing wrong with those dreams. They were simply based on the world we knew then, before we had enough experience to understand what kind of travellers we would become.

Since then, some famous places have exceeded our expectations, others needed a second visit, and destinations we never considered have become incredibly important to us.

Your bucket list was never meant to be carved in stone. It should change as travel changes you.

In our latest post, we look at how to reconsider the dreams still on your list, reshape those that have evolved and make room for possibilities you couldn’t once imagine.

Read it here:
https://nextstopretirement.com/rethink-travel-bucket-list-after-50/

Has anything on your bucket list moved up, moved down or changed completely over the years?

Your travel dreams change as you do. Learn how to rethink your bucket list after 50 and make room for experiences that genuinely excite you.

30/08/2026

Sometimes the prettiest places are the ones you've never heard of.

Atlixco wasn't one of the places that made us want to visit Mexico. In fact, before planning our road trip, we'd never heard of it.

But wandering its colourful streets, surrounded by flowers with the mountains in the distance, it turned out to be one of those unexpected places that sticks in your memory.

📍 Atlixco, Mexico 🇲🇽

What little-known place has surprised you on your travels?

27/08/2026

Two places only 20 minutes apart. Surely changing hotels was more trouble than it was worth?

We had one week on Vietnam’s central coast and what looked like a simple choice: stay in the busy beach city of Quy Nhon, or base ourselves in tiny Bai Xep.

Quy Nhon offered food, coffee shops and plenty to explore. Bai Xep looked beautiful, but so small that I wondered whether we would quickly run out of things to do.

The obvious answer was to choose one and visit the other for the day.

We didn’t.

Our new video shows what happened when we divided the week between them, what surprised us about both places, and whether moving was actually worth the effort.

Watch it here:

Quy Nhon and Bai Xep are only 20 minutes apart, but staying in both...

26/08/2026

There are moments when exploring Ho Chi Minh City when the café on your side of the road suddenly starts looking like a perfectly good option. 😂

Vietnam traffic takes a little getting used to, but it's all part of the experience.

📍 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

26/08/2026

Two places. Just 10 kilometres apart. Two completely different experiences.

We expected Quy Nhon to be a relaxed beach town, but found a busy Vietnamese coastal city with plenty of local food and easy access to the surrounding region.

Then we moved 20 minutes down the coast to Bai Xep, where narrow village lanes opened onto a quiet bay with clear water, fishing boats and almost no reason to make plans.

So, should you stay in Quy Nhon, Bai Xep or both?

Our new post compares the beaches, atmosphere, food choices and practical trade-offs, including how we would divide a week if we returned.

Choosing Quy Nhon or Bai Xep? Compare the beaches, food and atmosphere, plus how we would divide a one-week stay between both.

21/08/2026

Ten years ago, we nearly talked ourselves out of trying a group tour.

We were heading to Peru for our 25th anniversary and had all the typical concerns. Would the itinerary be too rigid? Would we have enough freedom? And would we be surrounded by people who travelled completely differently to us?

Turns out, our preconceptions of group travel were pretty badly wrong.

That trip changed the way we looked at organised tours, but it also taught us something important: choosing the right type of group tour matters more than deciding to take one.

Our new video looks back at that Peru trip, what surprised us, and what we'd look for in a group tour now that we're travelling after 50.

🎥 We Were Wrong About Group Tours After 50

We assumed group travel after 50 meant large groups, rigid schedule...

19/08/2026

What could your next trip help you discover?

Travel is not only about where you go. It can also teach you something about the pace, experiences and travel style that work best for you.

We’ve created a free guide called What Will Your Next Trip Teach You?

It includes simple questions to help you:

• think about what you really want from your next trip
• notice what works and what doesn’t
• use those lessons to plan future travel
• discover how travel might fit into your retirement

You can download your free copy here:
https://nextstopretirement.kit.com/next-trip-ebook

You’ll also join our Next Stop Retirement email community, where we share one useful travel idea, observation or lesson each week.

We hope it helps you keep exploring and discover what works for you.

Dean and Pauline