He looked very excited as he bragged about his plan to explore things beyond his Bloomberg terminals. He talked about traversing Africa’s Serengeti alongside herds of exotic wildlife, while meeting indigenous tribes scattered across the Amazon jungle. He would then clamber up on horseback to the Andes and take a guided boat excursion through the Galápagos Islands.
Hearing his globetrotting itinerary, his friends — bankers still going through the daily grind — just sat there in awe and envy. They looked at each other wondering who might be next to bite the bullet and whether it might ever be them.
But I couldn’t help but be bemused with my friend’s grandiose plans. Why would anyone want to quit work when young to romp around in a jungle after having lived in Hong Kong? The city is a jungle of its own – albeit one made of concrete.
What these chaps also forget is that when they reach my age, retirement life is actually one long, exciting holiday, when all you’ll have is time (and, if you’re lucky, some fine whisky) in your hands. That’s also when you can live in style during your holidays instead of sharing rooms with a bunch of backpackers.
Now that’s what I call a true vacation.