When Al Zdenek, a wealth advisor with Traust Sollus Wealth Management in Manhattan, first started offering travel arrangement as part of his advisory practice more than 20 years ago, it was to develop a deeper relationship with his high-net-worth clients so they could discuss topics beyond politics, pension plans and stock market returns.

“Why wait until you're in your 50s or 60s to see Rome and have experiences in life?” Zdenek asks. “I help them make leisure a part of their lives now.”

According to a UBS study, 57% of retirees experience an initial shock after quitting their jobs or careers. So advisors are starting to help clients explore outside interests in advance of their golden years. Zdenek’s work organizing trips for his clients is part of that trend.

“Part of my job is making them aware that there’s another part of life to enjoy and other areas to develop other than a career so that they can experience what it’s like to take it easy over time,” says Zdenek, whose clients’ net worth ranges from $5 million to $20 million.

Most individuals look forward to the day they no longer have to report to an office, but few are prepared for a direct plunge into a life with no work.

“Baby boomers have been known for 'living to work,' having been focused on their careers for so many years,” says Paula Polito, a client strategy officer with UBS Wealth Management Americas. “Even once they achieve financial security, their emotional attachment to work keeps many boomers on the job.”

Many wealthy pre-retirees say fear of missing colleagues keeps them from quitting their jobs and entering the retirement phase of their lives. A whopping 64% expect to miss their work schedule more than their salary, and 34% worry about filling the hours of free time.

“As many of them look toward retirement, they need to start working on living and figuring out how they will fill their time and find their purpose once they leave the workforce,” Polito says.

Zdenek provides his clients with lists of favorite restaurants, places to see and things to do abroad. Eventually, this extracurricular, no-fee service evolves into booking hotel rooms, making dinner reservations and organizing tours.

“Financial planning is not just about money,” he says. “It's about how a person likes to live and how they want to develop personally, which is the fun part for me when their personal interests include traveling abroad.”

About 25% of his boutique firm’s 150 clients have taken advantage of his travel planning expertise.

“I never set out to use travel to differentiate me among competitors,” he says. “I just did it because I liked it, and the fact is my clients liked it.”

Some five years ago, he began joining groups of his clients on trips he coordinated to places in Europe such as Paris and Florence, Italy. Today, he participates in organizing two to three trips every quarter.

“There was one nine-day trip where I arranged a villa on the outside of Florence for 12 people who were all clients except for two,” says Zdenek, who enlisted a chef to teach cooking classes.

His clients have also taken trips to Australia, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, Provence, Tuscany and South Africa.

In recent months, he has dabbled in organizing boating tournaments and fishing expeditions. One such trip involved hiring a captain who happened to be a client, renting a boat with four other clients and sailing around the Virgin Islands for a week.

“It gives us something to reminisce about during tax time when they come into my office to tweak their financial plan,” he says.