Summer, a time to go on holiday, relax, and for many, escape Britain’s soaring heat.

For some though, it will be used as a time of contemplation. A chance to take a view on the busy first half of the year and reviving themselves from the relentless pressures of working life. And of course, according to Selectapension, it’s the perfect time to assess your pension provisions.

The pension comparison service is urging people to spend a bit of time over the summer thinking about their future. The top tips from Selectapension director Peter Bradshaw even go as far as using the break as a mock retirement trial, or a “mockrement” if you will. You probably won’t.

While obviously, this would be a sensible thing to do, in reality, I’m not sure many people are going to use their summer to engage with their future retirement in this manner. Is it actually possible to think about anything in this heat?

However, akin to retirement, Bradshaw is right in saying that you would expect to spend a substantial amount more while you’re on holiday than you would day to day, arguing that in your retirement your spending and income will change significantly. So how exactly are you supposed to prepare for it?

If you like me are still waiting for that summer lull, then it is not necessarily an easy time for people to contemplate what to do with their retirement savings. Added to that, with the amount holidays actually cost these days, shouldn’t people be saving that money towards retirement?

Of course, I am being entirely vicious. But with the state pension paying over £18 a day in retirement, Bradshaw suggests it might well be a good idea to start squirrelling some money away now, in order to ensure that you can actually have a holiday in retirement.

According to Selectapension, one way in which to do this is by doing a little deck chair research on your current utilities or insurance bills. Another could be to talk to a financial adviser to “help you rest easy”.

Whatever your solution, Bradshaw’s advice stands firm. Even if you’re not into the mockrement thing, summer can be a valuable time to contemplate how you want to spend your time in the future.

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