This winter has been brutal and ruthless to all of us and we are seeking the warmth and relaxing times of spring break, or just a plain vacation.

Many of us who are in the colder climates are talking about retiring in a warmer area but many just don’t take action until the clock hits 5 minutes until noon.  How about getting an earlier start on choosing places where you think you may like to retire and vacationing there to so you can see what they are like ahead of time.

A retirement area may look great in their advertising but as soon as you take a weekend or longer to spend time in the area you might find out that it is really not as good as you had hoped. It happened to me. I picked an area that sounded like it might be a great spot to retire. They had a lot to offer and many things to do so I decided to spend a weekend there to scope things out. I discovered that the traffic in the area, even in an off season, is so horrendous that even going to the grocery store just down the road would take over 3 hours.

You might also find out that home prices are affordable but the overall cost of living is much higher than advertised. Things like this you only find out when you spend time in the area and see what they are not telling you.

Another example I can think of right now is an area that is located at the Atlantic. I visited another beautiful historical area but found out the hard way with my dog at the veterinarian clinic that the area is heavily infested with flees. Dealing with this would be a constant battle. Do you think you find this out by just looking at pictures? No. You have to go there and find out for yourself or find someone who has already been there and are willing to tell you.

When you find an area you like, you might want to return several times for vacation and scope out areas where you may like to buy or rent a home. Just be sure to visit the area during different times of the year. This will give you a more well rounded picture of the area.