Julie Green is about to set off on a 10-week trip interrailing around Europe with her partner at the age of 60.
She admits she’s lucky – having been able to retire early due to a £1m inheritance from her stepmum.
Now, she’s set to embark on the gap year she never had, and feels incredibly grateful.
Julie has wanted to retire early for years. The plan first began when Julie lost her dad to Parkinson’s disease when he was 78, and then her stepmother shortly after that in 2020.
She said: “When my father died, I thought to myself if I retire at 67 then I might only have 11 years left. So, I thought I’m going to go for it and retire at 60 rather than wait till 65, because you don’t know what the future holds – just grab life!”
Julie had spent over 40 years working in the public and voluntary and sectors, and started contributing to a pension as soon as she begun working.
“I have been a saver my whole life. I am quite risk averse and a planner and so I had the mindset of every month saving a little bit for a rainy day,” she explained.
Julie is receiving £4,000 a year in income from her public sector defined benefit pension, and took out a £11,000 lump sum from it when she turned 60.
She also has £150,000 saved into an ISA.
She said: “I have always spent within my means. I have had a credit card but always try and pay it off. Budgeting and thinking about these sorts of things is always how I have behaved. If I couldn’t afford it, I wouldn’t have it.”
Once Julie hits 65, she will receive pension payments from two defined contribution pots she has, totalling £400,000, as well as her state pension.
But the “critical difference” that pushed Julie to retire early was when she received £1m inheritance from her late stepmum.
She said: “The inheritance made a massive difference, and I know it’s not the same for everybody, but it does give you freedom to do things.”
Julie used some of the money to help her son get onto the property ladder and set some aside for any care costs she may encounter later in life.
“When I was 55, I didn’t think I would ever retire early, and suddenly I was able to. While you’ve got your health, go for it and do the things you have always wanted to do,” she added.
She plans to spend some more of the funds when she returns from travelling. In September 2026, Julie will be returning to university, nearly 40 years since she first attended, to study a masters degree in English literature at Queen Mary University London, part-time for two years.
Before then she will be heading off to Europe to go interrailing with her partner for 10 weeks starting in Italy and making their way round Eastern Europe.
Julie added: “Neither of us had a gap year before we went to university, so we are sort of having our gap year now!”
She doesn’t think she will be returning to paid work and sees herself continuing to volunteer at a food bank as she does now.
“When the Autumn comes, I am also hoping to be a coach for adult literacy, helping people to read. I like structure and I like to keep busy, so I am happy to work on a voluntary basis,” Julie said.
She also said her partner is considering retiring early and the pair are thinking of buying a camper van and doing more travelling.
She said: “Being retired doesn’t mean being old and not being able to do things. When I was younger, I didn’t have the financial ability to take a gap year before heading to university and I was thinking about what grade I had to get and the fact I had to get a job.
“I don’t have any of those pressures now. When I am sitting in Palermo sipping my negroni, I’m not going to worry about anything apart from whether my son is feeding the cat.”
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