Serving in the armed forces is more than a career, it truly is a way of life. Despite that fact, all service must come to an end at some point and we have to move on and enter the next phases of our lives. Perhaps you’ve already entered the retirement phase of your career and now you’re looking to find a hobby that will allow you to reconnect with an old passion.
There are a couple of different past times you can take up that will keep you entertained no matter what branch of the military you served in and most will even allow you to apply what you learned back when you were doing it for a living.
Army Retirees
It may seem a little on the nose, but paintball is a sport and a hobby that is gaining popularity all the time and all over the country. The best news for army retirees is that they can apply what they learned when they were being trained and drilled every day and apply it to something that won’t cause any real harm to anyone and is actually quite fun.
The best paintball facilities are going to have wide open spaces where you and your team can spend hours playing a number of different mini games all geared towards beating the “enemy” while getting a great deal of exercise and having a fun afternoon. Some places have a desert setting, a jungle type setting and just an obstacle course. These basically have a little something for every paintball player and most will rent all the equipment you will need for a fun filled, action packed afternoon.
Navy Retirees
Sailing or some other kind of watersports will allow you to get back to what you loved most about your time in the armed services, because you’ll be able to be out over the open water once again. Sailing is probably the best of the best because you can sit back and relax for part of the trip, but you also have direct control over where you’re going and how fast you get there depending on how much work you’re doing getting the sail set and unfurled.
If you feel the need for speed, you can certainly turn to something like jet skis or even motor boats in order to skim over the water at high speeds. Some people have also turned to something like parasailing which generally happens over large bodies of water. This allows people to float high above the surface looking down and taking it all in.
No matter which watersport you choose, you get to be close to the thing you loved the most while have a nice relaxing afternoon with family and friends as well.
Air Force Retirees
Travel photography is getting more popular all the time with former pilots who loved zooming over the deck and seeing the sights. There are all kinds of pilot supplies you might have used in your professional life that can be applied to your new hobby such as a brand new travel bag or pair of sunglasses. You’ll want to get trained up a bit on what angle and time of day is best to take a photo when you’re on the road, but if you do it right the hobby could turn into a new career or lifelong passion.
Travel photography is getting particularly popular when it comes to contests detailing the most remote regions of the world, or the best photographs in one category or another. Some of these contests pay big money and some will give you big time notoriety.
All of the Above
It bears pointing out that all of the hobbies mentioned above could be done and enjoyed by anyone from any branch of the armed forces, including the Coast Guard and the Marines. Having served as a grunt or a midshipmen doesn’t mean you only have one interest in life. Try one or more of the hobbies, mix and match and you’ll soon find out that retired life isn’t nearly as boring as you thought it might be.