Laidback Retirement this ain't!

My plans of a laidback retirement have totally not materialized. Ok, it is my own fault, but when I set up a BnB prior to retirement, I expected just the odd booking as we were only Airbnb'ing at the time.

Little did I know I was in for a long and winding road, mostly smooth but now and then a tad bumpy!

My rose-coloured spectacles imagined this little venture would bring just the odd traveler and that's how it was in the beginning. However, the rose turned brighter with the pace of bookings picking up, as guests love the tranquility of the spacious quaint cottage and its unique design with the 'hidden' balcony overlooking the pool and garden.
I still get a thrill when new guests arrive and see the surprised look on their faces when I open the door to the balcony.

However, more guests of course mean more work, and there are two days when we have no staff, so it can get hectic, especially when I later had to register the bnb, with much red tape along the way!
Life after retiring certainly has not been boring,

I wrote a blog about Guesthouse/ BnB Hosting in a nutshell almost five years ago, soon after joining Hive which went by a different name back then. Yep, I'll be celebrating my 5th Hiversary soon! I've shared the last of the series, as that gives links to Parts 1 - 3 for anyone interested in diving into this kind of adventure venture!

You need to have a love of people and always remember to never judge a book by its cover! We've been pleasantly surprised by some, and unpleasantly by a handful from the most unexpected quarters. I must say 99% have given us much joy and insight into the way different cultures celebrate life!

You will also need to develop patience, much as in the Crypto world, as some guests can be really demanding.

I find the ones with fat wallets often try to negotiate a better deal like a recent one with a title that could take up a full page (just kidding, not that long), but hey, if you're on Linkedin, it's very easy to find out exactly what kind of business you're in!
Hubby and I have a good chuckle about that; talk about saving pennies! They often are our best marketers though, so I don't mind losing a few cents as I know it's a gain in the long run!

Happy guests mean more referrals!

Some of my friends, not you @artywink;)...do not believe just how busy this keeps me most of the time as it entails neverending quotes, telephonic enquiries all hours of the day or night, preparing meals, and often lunch packs. I refuse to make a hot breakfast and only give them supplies for a self-serve continental breakfast; a trick I learned during Covid;)

The one luxury I do enjoy as a Silver Blogger, is having coffee and a rusk in bed while the rest of Durban is struggling through peak traffic. I've gotten hooked on playing my daily Wordle, catching up with what is happening on Hive & shaking my head at some of the stuff I read on Discord.
The Silverbloggers channel however is the one place that I simply love as we have some really amazing silvery folk over there so I often pop into the Silver Bloggers Coffee Corner!

This week was a hectic one, what with drafting and honing down a petition outlining our concerns regarding the inaction by authorities to address the damage in our road. Our friends sent it off today so we'll see what happens.

Just a little insight into the damages.

So...perhaps retirement meant sitting on the 'stoep' as we call a verandah, back in the day, but nowadays it's a totally different story.
I believe keeping active is the secret to good health, as long as one does not overdo it...a bad habit of mine! Talk about not following my own advice!

The days seem to be getting shorter as the years fly by!

My goal now is to keep on running the race, but at least take more time out, so I can squeeze out as much of this life in my silver years!

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Original Content by @lizelle
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