What constitutes a comfortable retirement?

Much of my time is now consumed with thinking about, planning and preparing for retirement. I'm 49 and we don't have a mandatory retirement age in Australia but you can access your superannuation savings once you turn 60 if you are born after 1964. At age 67 you can access the government paid pension if you don't have sufficient funds to support yourself, one suspects this will probably be raised to age 70 in the next decade so people in my age bracket had better be prepared.

The cost of living is outrageous in Australia and it is my belief that I want to retire as soon as I can so I can enjoy a healthy outdoor lifestyle while my body holds out. I suspect a further 10 years of living will limit my mobility as I spent a large proportion of my working life as a blue collar worker. The fifteen or so years of physical work takes a toll on the body, although by my early 30s I had accepted my fate and taken a desk job to lessen the toll on my body.

So, like many others I have to consider health issues and the required support services. My plan is to live the summer months in Australia and the winter months overseas. This will take some planning as I will have to finance an Australian household all year round as I don't wan to give up my primary residence but with just base electricity and water charges the cost might be achievable. There is council rates, they hurt and telephone and internet would expected to be minimal as I wouldn't be seeking large data plans.

Perth is a great place to live in summer but there is so much of the world I want to visit. The northern hemisphere just happens to be in summer whilst Perth is suffering through another dreary winter so an endless summer is possible. Fortunately Australia has reciprocal health agreements with eleven countries including the UK, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Belgium and Italy - my future is pretty much planned.