20 Ways: How To Stay Social After Retirement

Staying social in retirement is important for your health and happiness. Many retirees struggle with the loss of daily social interactions and stimulation from work once they retire. So, to live a happier retired life, you need to seek new ways to stay social. But how do you stay social after retirement?

How To Stay Social After Retirement:

• Become an Airbnb Host
• Join or start a club
• Take a class
• Find a Senior Buddy online 
• Become a mentor, tutor or coach
• Start a business
• Get a job
• Organize events
• Become a foster grandparent
• Do volunteer work
• Travel
• Get involved in your community
• Start an annual tradition
• Visit family more
• Start dating

These are just the tip of the iceberg. In this article, I want to share with you in-depth information about 20 ways to stay social after retirement. So keep reading. 

#1 Become an Airbnb Host

Most social activities are outside of your own home, but if you become an Airbnb host, the (international) guests are coming to your house. And you can show them around and have an awesome time as well.

Airbnb is an online marketplace for arranging or offering lodging, primarily homestays, or tourism experiences. Travelers can book a room, studio, apartment, or entire homes from individuals for one or multiple nights via Airbnb. And if you have some extra space in your home, you can rent it out, earn some extra money and have social connections with people from all walks of life. 

You can turn your extra bedroom, empty garage, or available additional house into a cozy place your guests can stay at. 

You can apply as a host here. But to be successful on Airbnb means that you have to be a hospitable person and don’t mind cleaning the space every time guests leave. People rate their experience, and if you rank high, you can raise up your nightly rate. 

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#2 Join or start a club

You can join a club or start a new club to stay social in retirement. Maybe you have neighbors with the same interest as you, and you can start a club together. Or you can join a nearby club that already exists. 

Via Meetup, you can find a club with similar interests near you. You can find all sorts of clubs, like book clubs, religion, arts & crafts, pets to all different sports clubs. 

Meet Up Example Story

#3 Take a class

You can apply for a class in retirement. This can be an exercise, arts, or educational class. This way, you meet new people and challenge yourself by learning something new or improve your current skills. 

Regularly, challenging your brain is good for your health. It improves your memory, concentration, and general problem-solving skills. So, check out the classes at your nearest gym, senior center, or go back to school to get a degree.

Read more: 50+ Fun Classes For Retirees

Masterclass

Do you want to get better at your hobby and learn from the best in the world? Or do you want to explore new hobbies and passions in retirement? Then I can definitely recommend MasterClass.

For example, you can take a cooking masterclass from Gorden Ramsey, a comedy masterclass from Steve Martin, or a tennis masterclass from Serena Williams. How cool is that?!

You can subscribe to a single masterclass, which will never expire. But I advise you to get an all-access pass for Masterclass, where you have all access to every Masterclass on the platform. Because there are so many cool Masterclasses that will make your time in retirement so much more fun and interesting. It’s the best investment you can do for yourself in retirement. Check out all the masterclasses;

#4 Find a Senior Buddy online 

If you want to travel with someone, you can find a travel buddy online via Senior Travel Buddy or Your Travel Mates.

Or, if you don’t have travel plans, but like to get in touch with other seniors, you can write letters to each other via the organization: Love for The Elderly. 

#5 Become a mentor, tutor or coach

If you want your life experience, wisdom, and knowledge, don’t go to waste, you can think of becoming a mentor, tutor, or coach in retirement. You can stay social as a tutor for young/ teenage kids or be a mentor or coach for adults from any age. The benefit of being surrounded by younger people is that it will keep you energized and young at heart. And maybe you’ll learn a thing or two as well, along the way. 

Tutor

If you know you’re good at a high school subject, you can become a freelance high school tutor within your region. Or if you have an academic degree or are a certified teacher, you can think about tutoring academic students. 

Also, the online tutoring industry is growing fast, so you can also tutor kids from your own home at Tutors, Care, or Tutor.

There are no regulations in place within the private tutoring industry. It means that legally speaking, anyone can be a private tutor with no qualifications. But make sure to check out the latest regulations within your state about tutoring as it can change.

Coach

There are different types of coaches: life coaches, health coaches, sports team coaches, to career coaches. 

You can consider becoming a life or career coach for people within your work field. Your expertise, life lessons, and years of experience within the same profession can attract other people from your work industry who need guidance in their life or career.

Currently, you don’t need a degree or be certified to become a life coach in the US. Life coaches are not regulated by any government organization in the United States, but you should check your local regulations. But becoming a certified coach will help you do your job better.

As a career coach, you assist your clients in identifying personal goals, developing leadership skills and plan and strategize (new) career moves. And as a life coach, you help clients to achieve life goals, overcome obstacles and make changes or shifts in their lives.

Maybe you have grandchildren that do a sport you know a bit about, and you can become their sports team coach. Or become a sports team coach within your local community. 

Mentor

Coaching has a more formal approach, and mentoring is more focused on creating an informal bond between mentor and student. 

If you get real satisfaction in helping another person to learn and grow in confidence and self-esteem, then this could be a way to stay social in retirement. You can inspire and uplift a whole new generation by being their mentor. Check out The Mentor Network or  Mentoring if you’re interested in becoming a mentor.

#6 Start a business

A great way to stay social in retirement is to start a business. Because as a business owner, you’re in constant contact with your customers, clients, and suppliers. Did you know that 54% of America’s small business owners are over 50?

You don’t have to invest a lot of money to become an entrepreneur. You can start small and let it grow over time. Here are some tips that will help you become an entrepreneur:

1. Know your skills and qualities
2. Choose your market
3. Look for problems to solve
4. Decide what business to start
5. Execute on your idea
6. Launch and learn

Easy Startup Business Ideas:

• Start a Blog (check out Income School)
• Online photo selling via GettyImages.com and Flickr.com
• Sell your arts and crafts online via Etsy
• Become a freelance consultant
• Dog walking business via the app Wag
• Dropshipping
• Tax preparation
• Handyman (meet a handyman)

#7 Get a job

A job ensures your much needed daily social interactions in life, and that stops when you retire. So, getting a retirement job is for a lot of retirees the best way to stay social, have structure and purpose in their life. Also, many retirees need extra money in retirement or benefits like health care to make ends meet. 

Getting a job in retirement doesn’t mean you have to go back to your old employer. There are so many great retirement jobs out there that are aligned with your interests and needs. And it can be a lot of fun too.

Retirement job ideas:

• Driver via Uber, Lyft, Amazon Flex or UPS
• Personal or Virtual assistant (Upwork.com)
• Movie extra (check Backstage and Central Casting) 
• Tourguide (check out Coolworks or Transitions abroad)
• Become a camp host (check out Workamper)
• Translator (Upwork)
• Government Jobs

Read more: The 50 Best Jobs for Retirees

#8 Organize events

Maybe one of the best ways to stay social in retirement is to organize events. You can be a professional event planner and organize weddings, functions or anniversaries and earn extra money. Or organize events for your family, friends or neighborhood. For example annual family reunion, summer neighborhood street BBQ, or monthly dinner party. 

#9 Become a foster grandparent

Not everyone has grandchildren or lives close enough to their own grandchildren to see them every day. And to fill up that void, you can become a foster grandparent for kids that don’t have any grandparents or positive role models to look up to. You can become an important role within these kids’ lives and for you, perhaps a very fulfilling way to spend your time in retirement. 

Foster Grandparents Organizations :

• UPO 
• National And Community Service

#10 Do volunteer work

For many retirees doing volunteer work is the most fulfilling way to spend their time in retirement. Helping people in need gives your life, meaning, and purpose, which can be very rewarding. Volunteering is a big antidote to loneliness. 

Look for volunteer jobs at:

• Volunteermatch.org
• justserve.org 
• Volunteer.gov 

#11 Travel

Traveling is the best way to meet new people from different walks of life. You can learn so much from traveling and listening to stories from people from various regions and cultures around the world. You’ll become more open-minded and grow a new perspective on life which is enriching. 

And even if you’re traveling alone, there are like-minded people at any destination in the world that will be happy to share a conversation, drink, or a meal with you. As long as you, stay open, seek contact, and don’t be afraid to go off the beaten track. You can have spontaneous interactions that will make your trip an experience of a lifetime. And for that, you don’t have to travel to the other side of the world to experience this. You can travel within your region and have the best time as well.

Read more: 20 Best Retirement Trips In The USA

Our Maori Documentary about the indigenous people of New Zealand:

#12 Get involved in your community

Within your community, there are possibly countless opportunities for you to be social. Perhaps, you have a neighbor in the same situation as you and would love to share a cup of coffee with you regularly. 

Maybe your church needs extra help that you can provide. Or perhaps there are volunteer projects within the community that you can help out with or events that you can help organize or participate in. 

You can organize a neighborhood clean up or a member of your neighborhood watch group. 

#13 Start an annual tradition

If you want to be more social, rather than just wait to be invited to social events, you can start a new annual tradition. It will keep you occupied during the year and a way to be social at least once a year. 

Think about family traditions that faded away over the years and you can revive again. Or pick a national holiday that you can actively participate in like Halloween (decorate the best Halloween house), 4th of July (BBQ Pool Party), or New Year’s Eve.  

#14 Visit family more

It’s important in retirement to spend time with your loved ones. And because life happened and work got in the way it’s very likely you haven’t visited family members as often as you would love. You can take the time now to visit your family members that live far away or weren’t on your radar while working. Maybe you love to see your cousin again that lives far away. Or get in touch again with a far uncle or aunt. 

It’s never too late to reach out to family and make time to build a fresh relationship in retirement. Sometimes a call, email or text will be appreciated very much. And a visit while you’re in the neighborhood can make you and them feel happy.

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#15 Start dating

If you’re a single or widowed retiree and you feel you have plenty of love to give and are looking for a (love) partner you can start dating. For all people of every age, dating is scary, but if you want to have romance in your life you need to get over this hump of fear and get your self out there. 

Check out these dating sites:

• Dating for Seniors
• Eharmony
• Elite Singles

#16 Check your nearby senior center

You can find a senior center near you to get in contact with other seniors. At senior centers, they organize all types of social gatherings and activities (sports, games) where you can participate in on a regular basis. 

If you don’t know where to find a senior center near you check out this website.

#17 Join a group or organization

If you’ve always dreamed about being on stage, acting, singing and dancing you can join a theatre group in retirement. Or you can become politically active to meet other like-minded people in retirement.

There are also other groups or organizations you can join to be more social in retirement. For example:

• AARP
• Red Hat Society
• The American Society on Aging

#18 Cultivate your relationships

Now in retirement, you have enough time to spend with your family members. So make sure you grab this opportunity. Make an effort to see your children and grandchildren more often and rekindle the romance with your spouse by organizing date nights. 

#19 Attend local events

There is always a local event happening near you. From an interesting seminar, pub quiz, a trivia night, free food or music festival to the local farmers market that you can attend. Check out your community events schedule or the city or state agenda to find which events are taking place within your region. Because the only way to stay social in retirement is to get out of the house. And the only way to meet new people is to go to social events that are new to you.

#20 Become an Intern

You don’t have to be young to be an intern. There are senior internships out there for you that you can find on Simplyhired or other job websites. This way, you stay social while learning something new. And Internships don’t often require a specific set of skills. An eagerness to learn and to be open to new opportunities and experiences will get you a long way.

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