---
title: 10 Trending Things to Do After Retirement, and the Science Behind Them
description: Wondering what to do after retirement? From pickleball and Men's Sheds to choirs, slow travel and encore careers, ten ideas and the science behind each.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-10-22T14:28:06.066Z
updated: 2026-10-22T14:30:01.139Z
canonical: https://richdadmagazine.com/article/what-to-do-after-retirement
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-4720779.webp
categories: Lifestyle, Health & Strength
content_type: Guide
region: United Kingdom
publication: Rich Dad Magazine
schema_type: Article
---
If you are wondering what to do after retirement, you are not alone. After decades of routine, an empty diary can feel daunting, and today's retirees are filling theirs with sport, classes, workshops and second careers. Here are the ten activities growing fastest, the evidence behind each and the first step you can take this week.
## 1. Play pickleball
Pickleball combines tennis, badminton and table tennis on a small court with a solid paddle. It has been the fastest-growing sport in the United States for five consecutive years. An estimated 24.3 million Americans played in 2025, up from 4.2 million in 2020, and the game is growing in Britain and across Europe.
*Photo: Photo: Alex Saks / Unsplash*
Pickleball is no longer a retirees' sport. In the United States, people aged 13 to 24 now have the highest participation rates, so you can [play competitively](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/the-unfair-advantage-of-competing-after-50-as-high-performing-men-veterans-take-the-lead-at-g) with your grandchildren.
**Start this week:** book a beginners' session at your local leisure centre. The rules take ten minutes to learn.
## 2. Join a u3a
The u3a, founded in Britain in 1982, has more than 1,000 local groups and around 400,000 members. Average membership costs less than £20 a year. Groups cover hundreds of subjects, from astronomy and art history to languages, walking and bridge.
Members teach the groups themselves. A retired engineer may run astronomy and a former nurse may run first aid, so your professional expertise becomes useful again.
**Start this week:** find your nearest u3a online and attend an open meeting.
## 3. Find a Men's Shed
Men's Sheds are [community workshops](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/happy-men-potting-writing-or-building-a-shed) where people, mostly older men, make and repair things together. The movement began in Australia. When the UK Men's Sheds Association was founded in 2013, there were 30 sheds in the UK. In 2026, there are more than 1,150, with around 180 more in planning.
*Photo: Photo: Quintin Gellar / Pexels*
The main benefit is social. Many men find it easier to talk while working side by side on a project than in a face-to-face conversation, and regular attendance means someone notices if they stop coming.
**Start this week:** search the UK Men's Sheds Association map and arrange a visit.
## 4. Build strength
Muscle mass and strength decline with age, which affects balance, independence and the risk of falls. The UK's Chief Medical Officers recommend that adults, including those over 65, do muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days a week.
Muscles respond to training at any age. People who start [strength training](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/strength-training-and-ageing-body-has-a-shutdown-switch) in their seventies and eighties can still build measurable strength.
**Start this week:** book a session with a qualified trainer or join a strength class for older adults.
## 5. Learn a demanding skill
Retirees are taking up languages, musical instruments, digital photography and coding, rather than relying on puzzles alone.
Difficulty is what delivers the benefit. In one experiment, older adults who spent around three months learning demanding skills such as digital photography or quilting improved their memory. Those who did social activities or familiar, easy hobbies did not show the same gains.
**Start this week:** choose one skill that is beyond your current ability and commit to three months of regular practice.
## 6. Sing in a choir
Community choirs are among the most popular group activities for retirees. Many do not require auditions or the ability to read music.
In experiments with choir members, singers' heart rates rose and fell together as they sang, driven by the shared breathing pattern of the music. Group singing combines exercise for the lungs with regular social contact.
**Start this week:** contact a local community choir and ask to attend a rehearsal.
## 7. Travel slowly
More retirees are replacing short multi-city trips with stays of a month or longer in one place, renting an apartment and joining local classes or clubs.
*Photo: Photo: Çağrı Kurt / Pexels*
For British travellers, the limiting factor is the calendar. UK citizens can spend up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area without a visa, so a winter in Spain followed by a spring in Italy may exceed the limit.
**Start this week:** plan one month-long stay and check the visa rules for your dates before booking.
## 8. House-sit and pet-sit
House-sitting means looking after someone's home, and usually their pets, in exchange for free accommodation. Online platforms connect homeowners with sitters in the UK and abroad.
*Photo: Photo: Marcell Pálmai / Pexels*
House-sitting removes the largest cost of long-stay travel. You pay no rent, and the homeowner's local knowledge helps you settle in quickly.
**Start this week:** create a profile on a reputable platform, gather references and start with a short sit near home.
## 9. Start an encore career
Many retirees work as consultants, non-executive directors, tutors or founders of small businesses, for income, structure or both.
*Photo: Photo: cottonbro studio / Pexels*
You start with assets most new businesses lack: an established network, a professional reputation and decades of judgement. You can also set your own hours and choose clients.
**Start this week:** list the three things colleagues most often asked you for help with. Each is a potential service.
## 10. Volunteer your professional skills
Alongside traditional roles in charity shops and food banks, retirees are mentoring young people, joining charity boards, advising small businesses and teaching English.
Long-term studies link regular volunteering to better wellbeing and longer life. Part of that link may reflect the fact that healthier people are more likely to volunteer, but the commitment and social contact are benefits in themselves.
**Start this week:** contact your local volunteer centre and ask which organisations need your specific professional skills.
## How to choose
Pick activities that cover three needs: physical exercise, mental challenge and regular contact with other people. Pickleball covers exercise and contact. A u3a covers challenge and contact. A choir covers all three. Commit to one for three months before you decide whether to continue.