You’ve worked hard and made sacrifices throughout your life. Now it’s time to enjoy your time and put yourself before your children or other dependants.So says Caroline Tapken who is semi-retired after a 40-year career in hospitality, travel marketing and PR that took her worldwide.Her attitude is that money should be enjoyed while she is still healthy and active enough to do the things she wants.‘Travelling was always high on my list of things to prioritise when I stopped full-time work – and I’m doing it early in retirement while still fit and active. I’m not extravagant on day-to-day things – I would rather put that money into travel and experiences. What’s the money for, if it’s not for enjoying?’ she says.Caroline, 65, who lives in Uxbridge, west London, saw her retirement plans take an unexpected turn when she divorced in 2017 after 25 years of marriage. She had planned to retire to Thailand with her ex-husband, where they were living at the time, running a guest house.But after the separation, she decided that returning to the UK made sense because it removed the complications of visas, work permits and healthcare costs.Caroline, who has a daughter aged 30 and a son of 28 living in the UK, says she’s now living life to the full – travelling whenever she can, while fitting it around her work as a consultant to expats. Caroline Tapken, who is semi-retired after a 40-year career in hospitality, travel marketing and PR that took her worldwideShe says she’s not saving money simply so her children can inherit it after she dies. She would rather enjoy experiences now and help her children while she is alive.‘I think a lot of people feel guilty spending their own money because they’re concerned about passing it on and making sure their children are looked after in the future,’ she says.‘My view is that you’ve worked hard for your money, so you should enjoy it. If the children have expectations, then maybe there needs to be a conversation there.‘But don’t let inheritance planning hold you back from doing what you want to do. You’ve put them first all your life. Now’s the time to put yourself first.’Caroline’s recent holiday was a trip to Antarctica with a female friend a few years older. The total cost was £18,000 each, which Caroline describes as the price of a decent car.However, she has no regrets. The trip lasted nearly three weeks. They spent a couple of days in Buenos Aires, flew to Ushuaia in Argentina, then spent 12 days on a small expedition ship around Antarctica where they saw several species of penguins and got within touching distance of whales. They then spent a couple of days in Uruguay before flying home.The expedition ship had about 128 passengers, so it felt personal as you got to know the others on board. Caroline and her friend, aged 69, shared a twin cabin.She says expedition ships do not generally have solo cabins, and solo rates can be very high, so travelling with a friend helped with cost and companionship. ‘The trip was out of this world and absolutely worth the money,’ she says. ‘It was just so surreal to be that close in nature.’Caroline and the same friend also travelled on the tall ship Royal Clipper around the Caribbean last year where they started in Barbados and sailed through the Leeward Islands. Caroline’s recent holiday was a trip to Antarctica with a female friend a few years older. The total cost was £18,000 eachThey’re now considering another Royal Clipper trip, possibly starting from Costa Rica or a transatlantic crossing from Europe to the Caribbean. The total cost is £6,000 to £8,000 each depending on the itinerary and flights. They’re also planning a smaller city break to Krakow, Poland, in September. ‘We’ve been friends since I lived in London in the 1980s, and she travels a lot as well,’ says Caroline.‘So for trips that are of interest to both of us, we’ll travel together to have company and to keep costs down. It’s nice to have somebody with similar interests and a similar adventurous spirit to go along with. We’re also thinking of going to Sri Lanka in the new year to be turtle rehabilitation volunteers for a week or two.’She says people should do the biggest and most physically demanding trips while they are fit enough.She subsidises trips for her children when she goes away with them. A highlight was when she took her son, daughter and her partner to Barbados for a week where they enjoyed the beach and went sailing.‘When you get away from your normal environment and the routine of daily life, it’s a great opportunity to get to know your children as adults,’ she says. ‘We had some great conversations when we were sat on a beach with a cocktail in hand, and nothing to worry about apart from what we were going to have for dinner that night.‘We were just able to relax and have conversations that we just don’t seem to have time for these days. I got to know the three of them so much better now as the adults that they are.’She has a financial adviser who helps her work out what she can spend and she has always been prudent with her money, investing her savings over the years, so has built up a decent retirement pot.However, she will not get the full state pension because she lived abroad for most of her adult life and did not make voluntary national insurance contributions.But she will get some because she has been in the UK since 2017 and backfilled her NI contributions as much as she could.She says: ‘Running out of money or not having enough to last my retirement is a common fear among people my age.‘But your mid-60s to your mid-70s are your go-go years where you still have hopefully health, energy and fitness to do stuff, so experiences should be maximised in these years.‘Don’t put off doing the big stuff until you feel ready to spend, because your money may outlast your health.’