I'm a fifty-two-year-old secondary school teacher in Manila, so retirement isn't that far away for me, and I've already chosen where I'd like to go. It's my late father's home town, a small fishing town on the coast of Bohol, an island in the central Philippines.
I know it well because we went there every summer when I was a child, and I still visit my cousins there every couple of years. It's a quiet place with one main road, a church, a market, and a long beach where the fishing boats come in each morning. There's a small hospital in the next town, which matters more and more at my age.
When I retire, I'd like to fix up my father's old wooden house, which is empty at the moment, and plant a vegetable garden. I'd go for a swim early every morning before it gets too hot, and help out at the local primary school, maybe teaching reading to children who are struggling. In the evenings I'd sit outside with my neighbours, which is what everyone does there.
I think it would suit me for several reasons. After thirty years of traffic and pollution in Manila, I'm longing for clean air and a slower pace. The cost of living is far lower, so my pension would go much further. But the biggest reason is the community. In a big city, older people can become very lonely. In my father's town, everyone looks out for each other, and I'd never be short of company. My only worry is being far from my daughter, but she says she'll come for every holiday.