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well I think people are very lucky if they can afford to retire either early or at the "what used to be" 65. Now our generation have had years added on by the government unfairly and have generally been let down by the system too late. Having saved all our lives my husband and I saved for our first house deposit, didn't go travelling or take a year or two out, worked until ill health which still persists. We can't see an end to it. Early retirement is out and unaffordable for our generation now, unless you've been left a fortune by parents or grandparents. By the time retirement comes we'll be too old to go travelling and enjoy it. It would be my dream just to have a cruise in the Med or see Scandinavia.

The most memorable period of my retirement so far has been the year I spent abroad taking a Master’s degree at the University of Malta. The course was free, (thank you EU! Some of us love you!) and my very civilised student accommodation cost less than the price of tuition fees for an MA in the UK. I met some wonderful people, made some great friends and learned so much - not least about negotiating information technology! The lifestyle was a completely new experience and the Mediterranean weather was bliss! My subsequent year back at home, however, slaving over my dissertation, was much less fun - I’ve never known such a hard and lonely slog. But the satisfaction of graduating was worth all of it. Life continues to develop as a result - I’m now learning the violin in order to play Baroque music, something I discovered I loved through one of the modules studied in Malta.
The family was encouraging and supportive throughout. After I’d finished, my husband, in the company of one of our sons, took his dream trip abroad to trace some lost family links (and found them!)
So, in a sense, it’s never too late, but go for it while you can. Two years on, in our seventies, neither of us is fit enough to be able to attempt what we did then. But we have such great memories to cherish!

Always believed I'd retire at 60 but since all the political parties conspired to slap an extra 6 years work on me I've not dared to plan in case they move the goal posts again.

I hope to move back to the land of my birth. Beautiful, colourful country.

Just keep on trucking, even if you've never been near an HGV vehicle!

We're all being boxed up and presented the same at every age. We never were all the same.

At age 54 I can see the way we view retirement is changing.
It used to be very defined, age 60 (for women). My ‘retirement’ date according to gov.co.uk is now 67.
I don’t think actual retirement will be a financial option for a lot of people going forward, but if I could ever afford to retire I would buy a camper van and travel across the whole of Europe seeing all the sights, walking the trails, eating local foods and practising my photography skills. Then I’d post all my photos on Instagram. Maybe I could become an influencer and that would pay my way......?

Colourful retirement to me is travelling the world and visiting all the places I haven't yet seen and want to before I get too old!

we plan to buy a camper van and travel in it once our responsibilities are finished

Sufficient funds to live a little, no shuffling off, the children have flow the nest so time to explore and have fun, I don't want to turn into their dependent.

WE plan on going on lots of far reach trips when we retire. We want to visit as much as the world as we can

We would love to go to Australia and Africa and Antarctica too!

We better get saving

I'm thoroughly enjoying having taken early retirement, and am now spending a lot of time gardening, but also going on several holidays each year.

The words colourful retirement make me think of Jenny Joseph`s poem about wearing purple and a red hat when she is old. I suppose if we have always dressed in loud colours we will go on doing so when we retire. Or if we wish to dress or live in shades of beige (or grey!!!) we will carry on doing so. Or will we start swearing, or find a toyboy, or abseil down the shard.
I spent the last 20 years of my working life freelance, working from home. It was a very good preparation for retirement. You learn to work to deadlines, but you have far more freedom than you do working in an office. When the time came to retire I gradually took on less and less work until I stopped altogether. I found working from home infinitely better than working for an employer and retirement has been every bit as good so far. I have already done most of the things I wanted to do when I was younger, including extensive travel, but some I no longer want to do for one reason or another. Life is short. Make the most of it,

I’m not sure we’re after full on, zany, non-stop excitement in our retirement. For now (and touch wood) we count ourselves very fortunate. We can pay our bills, have our lovely family living nearby, our health, lots of time to do whatever we want, and the chance to treat ourselves and those we love occasionally. Not so much colourful as content, and very grateful for it.

I fully agree that the older generations are depicted as doddering folks who just sit around and knit. Which is not true. People are staying healthy longer. My plan is to travel a lot. My dream is to get a motor home, pack up my dogs and explore Europe.

If I have the money I would love to travel with my husband and visit China and Japan as well as have some sun holidays. However I'm more worried that the way everything is going, that by the time I retire, my savings will either be worth nothing or all had to be spent on necessities instead of the exciting retirement that a lot of us dream of.

I am sure my retirement will be colourful; just not sure whether it red for things to avoid, yellow lots of sunshine or green ready to go!
Am planning my health stays good and top of my to do list is to visit my best friend who emigrated to Australia nearly ten years ago. If we are lucky we hope to get a camper van and do lots of touring round the UK and take our beloved dogs with us.
I hope that my grown up children will provide us with lots of reasons to celebrate and enjoy all those colours in between too!

I hope to retire to the land of my birth. The outlook will have changed but the memories have not.

The excitement of retirement for me is the freedom. No alarm clock for work. Available to go on holidays when price/weather is good.

We plan to spend longer holidays abroad-a month or two at a time and we can't wait!

When I retired after 45 years in the same job ! It was very daunting - we all yearn for this, but when it finally came I felt like I was standing on a precipice.

I booked a 3 week European cruise (in September - the prices were cheaper and weather cooler). We got the travel bug after seeing several cities, places and buildings I have had on my bucket list.

After 3 years I feel younger, less stressed, and blessed with better health when I was at work - and after a weekend at Glastonbury this year - I have a new lease for life, I plan ahead with my pension, I do competitions to win cruises (no luck yet.

Finally I got rid of my bedside alarm clock - not needed - I felt like ceremonially bashing it to pieces, but have needed it for an early airport run - the joys !

A colourful retirement to me, will be pottering in my garden & travelling at any opportunity I can

I would love to travel in retirement. Not sure if this is feasible and imagine that I will have to work to do this

learning new skills, enjoying new adventures and travel

Paid off mortgage and downsized early, allowing us to retire 9 years earlier than we would have done. That has given us enough time to do lots of things we wanted to do whilst we are still young enough and fit enough to do them.

Also, the wonderful feeling that every day is our own to do what we want, without the daily drudgery of work - would recommend it to anyone.