As I get closer to retirement (January 2029) I increasingly start focusing on how to spend the remaining time working and immediate plans post-work to give you the freedom while I have a health to enjoy myself.
(more…)Nathan's Insights
World Traveller: 7 Continents, 90 Countries, 871 Days Overseas
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Official Name: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
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Established: 11 April 1921 (Emirate) / 25 May 1946 (Independence from United Kingdom)
Population: 11,484,805 (2035 estimate)
Country Size: 89,342 square kms
Religion: 95% Islam (official religion), 3% Christian
Language: Arabic
Currency: Jordanian dinar
Capital: Amman
Order of Visit: Ninety Second
First Visit: 24 November 2024 (planned)
Last Visit: 04 December 2024 (planned)
Duration: 11 Days
Expected Highlights: Exploring historical Petra site, visiting Dead Sea, Sleeping under the stars
Cities: Amman, Wādī Mūsá, Petra, Wadi Rum
Jordan Journal Entry
First Published 01 June 2026 | Updated -
Official Name: Qatar
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Established: 18 December 1878 (Qatar National Day) / 3 September 1971 (Independence from United Kingdom)
Population: 3,214,609 (2025 estimate)
Country Size: 11,581 square kms
Religion: 65.5% Islam (official religion), 15.1% Hinduism, 14.2% Christian
Language: Arabic
Currency: Qatari riyal
Capital: Doha
Order of Visit: Ninety First
First Visit: 21 November 2024 (planned)
Last Visit: 24 November 2024 (planned)
Duration: 4 Days
Expected Highlights: Exploring Doha, Boat Cruise, Desert Safari, Stargazing
Cities: Doha
Qatar Journal Entry
First Published 18 May 2026 | Updated <Not Yet> -
With me recently passing a significant weight goal on my path to greater and sustainable health as I near retirement, I decided it was time to reward myself. I did so by booking a 13-day South Pacific Cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line for November 2027 (a 16-day trip overall to the South Pacific).
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One of the major goals of my transition to retirement was to improve my health. Last week I completed stage 1 of the weight challenge moving my body mass index from 45.1 (obese) to 29.9 (overweight).
This represented a 32 kilo loss over 150 days which is way ahead of schedule. The next goal is to get to a BMI of 24.9 (healthy) which is another 15.2 kilo lose. I expect this to be much more difficult. I know BMI is only an indicator and isn’t perfect but I’m a numbers person so this helps focus me.
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With the start of 2026 I’m started thinking about retirement and in particular transiting to retirement over the next 3 years. I’ll be eligible to take early retirement in January 2029, but my tentative aim is May 2029.
To have a meaningful retirement I feel I need to work out what I want across the following categories:
- Your finances
- Your health
- Your goals
I don’t feel you can just figure out these areas when you retire, instead you need to have plans and goals. You then adjust as circumstance change.
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So my 2026 world trip with my nephew Harry is now locked in with all flights and tours booked.
We will be visiting six countries over 41 days; Qatar, Jordan, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Morocco. All but Spain will be first time visits, which I can’t wait to explore.
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Doha Night Safari is in my future The last few weeks of 2025 have been major weeks for my world trip in 2026 with my nephew as I’ve managed to book the first four flights of this trip.
So far I’ve booked:
- Melbourne to Doha (Business Class 14 hour 15 minute flight)
- Doha to Amman (Regional First Class 3 Hour 10 minute flight)
- Amman to Athens (Regional Business Class 3 Hour 25 minute flight)
- Athens to Madrid (Economy 3 Hour 55 minute flight)
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I am now one year out from the commencement of my world trip with my nephew, Harry, which starts with a flight from Melbourne to Doha on Saturday 21 November 2026. For the world component we will be visiting Qatar, Jordan, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Morocco over 45 days.
I’ll be starting my trip on Wednesday 11 November 2026, with Harry’s sister, Darby, for a nine-day Australian adventure. We’ll travel from Sydney to Perth on the Indian Pacific, a 4-day train trip across the great continent of Australia.
This will be followed by 5 days of exploring Perth and the surrounding area.
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One of the joys of traveling is learning about other cultures. Most of my travel was inspired by others, hearing their stories and their experience. Becoming a little jealous in this case was a good thing as it inspired me to act.
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