11 Things Retirees Wish They Knew Before They Moved

I have no plans to retire. I can relate to a lot of what is here just on basic moves I've made. I live in the desert & it's far too hot for way too long. I can't stand it anymore! It's been 100+ since 6/1/25!!! It won't start cooling down until late Sept. or Oct. The airport issue is huge for me as that's exactly my problem right now! I can't get out of the local airport because it's too expensive to fly, so I have to go 2 hrs. away. I hate it! Things are too far, limited selection of foods & meats, terrible restaurants, medical care is horrific & it's boring with nothing to do for me 12 months out of the yr. If you're an outdoor enthusiast then there's plenty to do when it's not 100+. For 6 mos. it's too hot to even go to the pool. I'm a huge pool person, so cutting that outlet off leaves me super stressed w/cabin fever.

I did 1 trip to Ormond Beach FL in May 2025, and found an all age new home community that I bought in. It's not the biggest or smallest house but just right for me. I didn't want to live in a retirement community. I have not much in common w/them because I still work by choice. I'd be bored if I didn't. I'm not into golf & it's an expensive sport. I'm not a big traveler either. With the bad reps the hotels have w/negative reviews I'm not interested in traveling for anything more than a day trip.

I'd rather sleep in my own home that I know is clean. I'm moving to FL in Oct. & can't wait. I miss the ocean. While the desert & mountains are beautiful, I love the water more. I will own not rent which was my goal. I'm sick of renting, it's no day at the beach. Landlords are greedy & not very nice, but they love to take your $$. Well I'm tired of giving it to them, it's a waste & no investment for me. I'm moving close to friends, I doubt I'll see them often because I work & they're retired. I wish but can't afford to be. Even if I retired I'd have to do something for work.

Besides I would die of boredom. I think retirement is over rated. I will have 1 spare bedroom & a den for office space. Anyone wanting to visit me that I know is welcome. I wouldn't let them stay in any of those tacky hotels that I found in FL. The hotel industry is just below classless. Read the neg not positive reviews before you stay in one. I also can't afford to keep going back & forth to visit. It's too expensive & flying out of an airport that's 2 hrs. away is hardly appealing.

This move is costing me a lot of $$, I have zero plans to move again! This is #8 & it will be my forever home state. The stress I've gone through just trying to figure out this move from a small rural town has been too much. I'm glad I'm buying, I couldn't stomach moving 2000+ miles to rent again nor staying where I am to suffer through horrendous heat & having to rent on top of it. I welcome the humidity again, the dry climate has destroyed my health. Big thanks to my DR Horton sales person. She really cared about me & worked to find a way to get me in there.

I'm excited to be starting a new chapter of my senior life since I just turned 65 a few months ago. I think the older you get moving becomes much more intense & stressful. I can't wait to get moved, get my things delivered & start enjoying my new life! I wish you all the best in finding what works for you! Everyone should find their perfect happy spot. I have no guarantees of that but am taking a huge risk to find a better life than I've had in the last 5 yrs. in the desert. I have a bike I can't ride on the hilly trails here. It's a beach cruiser so I need to be near the beach to ride. I can't wait to cruise on it! Happy hunting all!!

What worked for me when deciding to relocate after leaving my primary career was to move into a new/developing community - made it very easy to meet new people. If there is a club component to it, that is even better - someone else is doing the organizing for you! And, I started a portable career for my "second act" - writing retirement books - so my home is also my office. Been here for 18 happy years.

This article and Yolanda's comments really hit home for me! I'm from New England, retired and considering a move to Arizona. I have been renting for the past two months in north central Arizona in the Verde Valley region. I've considered all 11 of your points and 5 are potentially major issues for me. Never the less I'm still considering the move. The issues which have become clear to me since I've been here in AZ are as follows;
- This is hard core desert and very hot. The highs have been in the 100's or very high 90's the entire time I've been here. I thought I would not mind it since there is no humidity but I've found that 100's and even 90's are unacceptable to me, despite no humidity. I also learned that it's hot like this for June thru September and sometimes even in May. I would have to go elsewhere for these months as I cannot stand the continuous high heat. It's almost always full sun every day, very few clouds and no rain - every day same thing. This lack of weather variety gets old fast as far as I'm concerned. There are only two seasons here - hot 4-5 month summer and reasonably warm and comfortable the rest of the year. My solution - leave for at least June thru August.
- Arizona is a very long way from New England and my two sons have already told me it will be very difficult to visit due to the young ages of the grandchildren. Traveling by car is completely out of the question for them and flying is almost too expensive and still quite a major hassle. If they each come out once I feel that will be it for the visits. My solution is to travel to them and spend the summers in New England.
- This area of Arizona is all very small towns and there is virtually no shopping (and no culture either). Even the nearest food stores are at least 1/2 hour away. Major shopping; furniture, appliances, even clothes, is at least an hour away or you can get everything in Phoenix which is nearly two hours away. My solution is be prepared and make the best of each shopping trip and just deal with the travel time.
- Medical care is sketchy and the luck of the draw from what the locals tell me. Anything serious requires two hours travel to Phoenix or maybe Flagstaff which is about an hour away. My solution is to just see what happens and bite the bullet and travel if needed.
- Nearest airport is Phoenix and a two hour trip. I have no choice and there is nothing I can do other than drive instead of flying.
- Lastly, I'm glad I am renting because while I was aware of these issues, actually living thru them really gives you a firm understanding of how significant they are. The heat issue was a big surprise to me but can be avoided to some extent. The lack of shopping is a pain but can be overcome with planning and some annoying driving. Long distance travel is a pain where ever you live. I'll do the best I can with the medical issue but that could turn out to be a major problem. I am willing to travel and spend several months a year with my sons and grand children so that's not such an issue. The other six points were not an issue for me.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. As I said I am still contemplating a move to AZ despite my issues above.

Comment from Admin: Thanks so much for describing your complicated situation. I wish you the best in resolving it. Meanwhile, thanks for stimulating the very interesting conversation that has ensued! So great that fellow members are jumping in with the advice and opinions. One more thought, what about trying a different part of the State?

It was hard to find a single positive reason for living in remote Arizona in Steve’s description of his situation there. Sometime around the 70s, schools stopped teaching geography. Steve, there are dozens of other states in the Sunbelt where temperatures rarely go above 100, where quality healthcare is available within a half hour, and where you can get to an airport within an hour or less and be in Boston or Vermont or other parts of New England in a couple of hours. I have to believe your children have asked you why you are moving so far away to a place with no compensating virtues. Anyone who has read your note is probably wondering the same thing.

I can’t figure out why you don’t want to just snowbird in Arizona and continue living in New England near your kids, doctors, shopping, airports, etc. (especially since you mentioned leaving during the summers.) It’s only gonna get hotter and drier, and driving everywhere more of a drag as you get older.

Steve, I just read your description of living in AZ and I see a lot of negatives in what you wrote. Too hot, too far to shop, airport too far away, Yolande says medical care is terrible and worst of all, you will be so far away from your loved ones who find it too difficult to travel to visit. Your solution to the heat is to visit with your loved ones several months a year.
You really need to think this one out. I have no idea how old you are, but as you age it gets more and more difficult to drive or to even travel. If you develop medical conditions that will make things worse or impossible to travel. You won't even be able to escape the heat like you planned.
If, down the road you should get sick, your family may be of comfort and be able to help you.
What do you see as positive reasons for moving to AZ full time?
I also live in New England and the weather is always an issue here. Never a dull moment. Hot, cold, muggy, rain or drought, lots of winds at times, Smoke from Canadian wildfires waft over our state at times, ice, snow. It is never ending and not all that desirable either.
I am an only child and my parents moved far away from both sides of the families. I barely knew my grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins. Some of my cousins have passed away and all the aunts and uncles too. I never got to know them and I feel I missed out on so much. I still have living cousins but don't know them at all. This could happen to your grandchildren.
I would reverse my plan and this is what I would do. I would plan to live near family most of the year and spend several (2-3) months in AZ. I know a couple that bought a mobile home and lived there for a handful of years. They are back in New England now with one of their children. They absolutely loved the heat and didn't want to move back but their age played a big part and they are able to be close by to one of their children.
One other thing about shopping. I am an avid online shopper and you would be surprised what you can order online to be delivered to your home. There are meat subscriptions, I found a place where I can order fruits and vegetables and it is delivered every Tuesday. Amazon has everything you can imagine. There is a company called Azure Standard that delivers all kinds of food products and what they do is come to your area with a truck every so often and you drive to the delivery truck and pick up your order. There will be others also picking up their orders too. The one bad thing about ordering is all the cardboard you end up with. But, if you are retired you have time to deal with it.
Good luck, let us know what you decide to do!

Believe Larry and Daryl heading in the right direction here.

Steve T., given all the negatives (and no positives) you've listed about that area of Arizona, why would you consider permanently relocating there?

I have lived 20 miles south of Tucson for 8 years and absolutely love it. I don't mind the heat and you really do acclimate to it. My arthritis is so much better without the humidity The Tucson area has everything I would want and is very close so I make a trip there most weeks for lunch and shopping. I'm just 38 miles from Mexico and go there often as well. The Tucson Airport is convenient and easy to navigate.

Steve, reading your post was a huge argument against your plan. Why are you so adamant? Unlike your views of AZ, I lived in a rather remote place that I loved for 30 years. Love it or not, the tedium of every trip for food, medical, errands, etc gets old. I always had a great place to return home to. Do you think you would be able to say that? Seems quite a few noticed your post was all negatives. Retirement is the option for you to seek happiness in a place you love or at least want strongly to be there. You may want to re-read your post -- over and over.

Another option if staying in AZ is to seek somewhere at a higher elevation where it is cooler. I liked Flagstaff when I was there. It has the stores and medical services that you need and a university for some cultural events. It has a lovely small airport with connections to larger ones for travel back east. Plus, it has trees, lot of them.

SteveT, what attracted you to this area of Arizona? Something you don’t list are the water shortage issues affecting Arizona, that was one reason I scratched that state off my relocation list. You mention medical care, what insurance do you have? If you are under Medicare make sure you understand how your coverage will be effected by a move.

Thanks for all your comments; they are helpful and I really do appreciate it. I knew I would get responses questioning why move to AZ in the first place. My post was only addressing the 11 points raised in the original article. All 11 are valid points but only the 5 which I covered were my issues. I'm thinking of an AZ move because I really enjoy being outdoors as much of the year as possible and I enjoy out door activities such as hiking, bicycling, exploring wild natural areas and especially visiting the National Parks. I also like new environments which are completely different than the northeast, where I've lived my entire life. The southeast has all of this and most of the really spectacular National Parks. I also wanted to get away from the long, cold New England winters and AZ seemed to be the answer. For me Phoenix is a firm "No Way" due to ridiculous heat for probably the entire year but Flagstaff winters are too long, cold and very snowy. I thought the Verde Valley may be mild enough but it appears that 4 or even 5 months would be rough and severely limit outdoor activity. Combine this with the inconvenience of traveling for even basic shopping, medical care, restaurants, auto mechanics, cultural amenities like live music, art museums and theater - I realize there are huge compromises in living in AZ. My plan was to live in AZ for several years then relocate (again) to New England to be near family in my later years. The biggest trade off is that I would only see the kids for a few months a year and it would also be a real hassle getting back there each year. I know it appears that I've answered my own question regarding AZ; maybe the answer, like Yolanda, is a move to Florida or along the southeast coast which is an easy drive back to New England which I can do several times a year. Thank you all!

I hope all works out for you Steve. It is important to do what interests you and makes you happy. Do it while you can. So many people get sick or die too early. My Dad retired and two year later had a stroke and died at age 66. An acquaintance, my husband worked with, was so excited to retire. He was 10 years older than his wife and she didn't want to retire when he did so he waited. In the meantime, they prepared the house for sale, and his dream was to buy a brand-new motor home. His plan was to drive to one of his children's homes out of state and stay for part of the year and then drive across the country to his other child's home and spend part of the year. Plus, take trips elsewhere. Well, unfortunately, that didn't happen. I am not sure if he took one trip or not but once his wife retired, he developed dementia. Their house was sold, they had to sell the motor home and not sure where they ended up but this January he passed away. He was a great guy, a talented tradesman and was well respected. My Hub, retired at age 63 and one year later they found he had prostate cancer. He had surgery, then radiation. He is cancer free now but has developed other ailments. This is a guy who never had more than a sniffle all the years before he retired. We don't take trips anywhere anymore but lucky for us we travelled a lot during our working years and for work reasons too. So, I don't feel I am missing out on travel since we travelled so often years ago. My cousin and her Hub went to FL to visit their daughter. They were considering buying a home nearby. They spent many months looking at different homes. The next thing you know, the Hub has to go to the hospital and have some stents put in. On top of that, my cousin fell face first on pavement and had to be hospitalized. She had a back problem and since she was in the hospital they operated on her. She then spent around 38 days in rehab getting physical therapy. Her daughter has to be pulling her hair out! Her parents are staying with her. No idea what they will do now. They are both recovering. On top of all that, they have a home in another state that they have not lived in for close to a year. No idea what they are going to do. They are getting too old and are sickly to deal with moving all that stuff if they should eventually buy a home in FL.
So, I guess what I am saying is that life is unpredictable and we all have to do as much with the time we have and also spending time with those we love. The older we get, the more chance of illness. Not trying to be depressing but this is what life throws at us.

Louise, once again, you hit the heart of the matter. I don't know the statistics now, but years ago it stuck with me that most people die within 10 years of retiring -- seems rational. People who love their work may have good reason to not retire. But there is no guarantee. My brother-in-law died with his good career at 57 while still planning retirement. My wife and I have been fortunate to now have 22 good retirement years -- rejoice! Had we not chosen to retire early instead of taking the high stress job I was offered at that time, I truly don't think I would have made it. As you say, life has many, many surprises as we age. Good luck to those considering their alternatives; may your choices work well for you.

After rereading all the comments above, including my own as Rich suggested, I've decided Arizona is not the right choice for me. It's a great place to visit and experience all the positives, vacations are always great fun at least for a little while, but you can't be on the go constantly and the drawbacks would become too much to handle on a day to day, ongoing basis. Also, being close to family is major and more important than anything. Thanks for all your input!

Well reasoned Steve. Family and quality local medical support is more important than sunshine in winter.

Some key words for me, "you can't be on the go constantly". And think of all the potential vacation spots you now have. ? Best.