Well, anonymous, keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to take an active role in battling to raise pokémon, and it’s not necessarily unfair to the pokémon themselves if you don’t. A journey is only a temporary condition, after all. Once you get to where you’re going—literally or philosophically speaking—you and your pokémon have every right to retire, especially if you find that battling isn’t your best talent.
It’s just that battling is the easiest way to exercise them and bond with them, but there are plenty of alternatives to doing so. For example, even walking your pokémon and letting them spar amongst themselves are adequate replacements for battling. Playing fetch or other games with them may be as well. Alternatively, what most researchers do is allow pokémon to help them as research aides, and what most breeders do is employ their former team to herd pokémon and help raise and hatch eggs for currently traveling trainers. Some people (particularly those who are neither researchers or breeders) have their pokémon help out around the house doing minor tasks, like keep up with the cleaning, assist with grocery shopping, and so forth.
What’s most important to you during this transitional period, though, is communicating as much as possible with your pokémon. Let them know that you’d like to retire (emphasizing that this is your choice and that it has nothing to do with how well they’ve been doing as your pokémon) but also ask them what they would like to do as well. Some of your team may wish to part ways with you (which may be heartbreaking, I know), but others may transition easily, adopting tasks you suggest once you explain what you want to do instead of traveling. The more you include your pokémon in your decision to retire, the easier it will be for them to retire with you.
The Pokédex According to Bill 