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BY Nancy Mueller 8 Comments ON February 4, 2013

2013 Boomer Travel Trends

HanumannBackpackerWalkingontheBeach (450 x 366)

Photo courtesy of Hanumann – Flickr

An article in the Sunday New York Times asserts that Boomers have been travel pacesetters since our student years when we hoisted backbacks and headed to Europe. Not surprisingly then, the writer claims that the travel industry has once again set their sights on our generation in 2013. And why not? Collectively, we’re about 26% of the population and control much of the country’s disposable income.

The NYT’s article cites 5 key ways Boomers are impacting current travel trends:

Shorter Itineraries

Since many Boomers plan to postpone retirement due to lost investments and a sputtering economy, the promise of taking a leisurely 3 week or longer trip has faded to the practical “What can I experience in a week to 10 days?” Consequently, tour operators are designing shorter itineraries to meet the needs of working boomers.

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Photo courtesy of  jimmiehomeschoolmom – Flickr

But let’s hope that the trend doesn’t regress to “How many countries can I pack into a week?” I’m reminded of a quote by Georgia O’Keeffe: “Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – and to see takes time,  like to have a friend takes time.” While it’s good to have tour options, discovering the heart of a locale takes time.

Exotic Locations, Modern Amenities

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Photo courtesy of druidabruxux- flickr

We Boomers are adventurers. We want to explore exotic locales, visit places previously off-limits that have opened up again for travelers, like Myanmar and Cuba. We want to hike, bike and climb mountains before our knees and hearts give out.

BUT, and this is a very important BUT, we do like our creature comforts. Our days of staying in youth hostels have fled along with the passing of our years. We wonder what’s wrong with a little indulgence, like luxury tents, gourmet food and a gentle massage after a day of hiking.

BUT, and this is another very important BUT, what about the travel trend of asking for Wi-fi connection wherever we go, even if in remote locations? Do we really need to stay connected to friends and family on Facebook 24/7 when traveling? Consciously taking time off-the-grid allows us to discover deeper connection to ourselves, our planet and each other.

Multigenerational Travel

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Multigenerational travel is not a new trend. Grandparents have been taking their kids and grandkids along on their trips for the last several years. But Boomers have redefined what used to be specialized tours for grandparents and their families. More of us are still parents of children under 18 at what was once considered grandparenting age.

As the WanderBoomer mom of a 14-year-old, I can attest to that, and tour operators are scrambling to meet our changing travel needs.

Emphasis on Local Color

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Another trend cited in the NYT’s piece is that Boomers relish having unique, authentic travel experiences, with the emphasis being on “experiences.” Many of us are widely traveled. Plus, deeply connecting with a culture, the local people and places makes up for having spent too many nights in chain hotels whether traveling for business or pleasure. Experiences allow us to become participants in a culture rather than simply voyeurs.

Customized Travel Options

We Boomers are individualists who balk at being stereotyped, herded into groups or labeled “seniors.” Travel companies have taken notice by acknowledging our youthfulness in their marketing copy. And travel operators catering to Boomers are building in more free time so we have the best of both worlds: community and comraderie, along with plenty of opportunities to take personalized side excursions.

What do you think, Wanderboomers? How do your travel plans in 2013 fit with these travel trends?

 

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Travel News Tagged With: Boomer, Boomer travel, business travel, Cuba, culture, customized travel, exotic locations, family travel, friendship, Georgia O'Keeffe, leisure travel, local culture, luxury travel, multigenerational travel, Myanmar, New York Times, travel experiences, travel itineraries, travel trends, travelers, wi-fi

BY Nancy Mueller 2 Comments ON December 13, 2012

Here We Are & There We Go . . .

As a child, Jill Dobbe imagined a life far different from the one she was living in her small Wisconsin town. She dreamt of one filled with travel, excitement and adventure.  After graduating with dual degrees in sociology and education, Dobbe set off with her husband Dan and their two children, both under the age of two, to make those dreams come true.

In her new memoir, Here We Are & There We Go: Teaching and Traveling with Kids in Tow,  Dobbe takes the reader along on her family’s journey over the next sixteen years as they settle first in Guam, followed by Singapore, Ghana and Guadalajara.

Recently I had the chance to ask Jill about her peripatetic lifestyle and its impact on her family. Here’s an excerpt of our interview:

Tell us about your memoir.

My memoir is not just about traveling with kids, but is also about the cultures we lived in and the crazy, humorous, and sometimes scary adventures that we found ourselves in.

For example?

On our first night in Accra, Ghana, we were taken to our new home in the middle of the night.  After unloading all of our suitcases we looked around and found no locks on any of the outside doors and no bars on the windows.  My husband stayed awake the whole night walking from one end of the house to the other, while my two kids and I slept in one bed locked inside a bedroom.

You grew up in a small town like I did. What inspired your wanderlust?

I always wanted to travel and I kept the hope alive all through college. I had a friend whose mother taught German at a local high school. I remember her going on a trip to China when her daughter and I were teenagers.  She was the only person I knew in our small town who had ever traveled.

When I graduated with my degree in elementary education I started investigating teaching overseas.  I married an educator and despite having two very young children, we went to our first overseas hiring fair and were hired as teachers on Guam.  That’s where it all began.  Our children grew up overseas and our daughter currently teaches with us in Honduras.  We all have wanderlust now and our kids continue to travel on their own now that they are adults.

What’s the value of living, working and raising a family abroad?

It is the best education that you can possibly give to your children.  Not only do they learn about the world firsthand, but they get to see in real life what their friends back home only see in school textbooks or on T.V.  Children can easily become global citizens as they travel and experience the sights of the world.  They learn the values of empathy, respect, and tolerance for others more readily, as they witness the importance of greetings, the value placed on extended families, and the importance of education. There is also much less emphasis on material possessions and more emphasis on the quality of life. Living and working abroad gives us all a much better perspective of our world and more opportunities to help others in need.

What has been your hardest adjustment to living and working overseas?

Sixteen years ago when my husband and I began teaching overseas was the most difficult.  I remember having to make expensive long distance calls to our U.S. bank from West Africa just to try and sort out our banking issues.  Sometimes we ended up unable to hear over fuzzy telephone lines, or getting cut off, or being unable to get through at all. There were absolutely no cell phones or computers then. We were unable to email, Skype, or Facebook with anyone during our first ten years abroad.  Snail mail was all we had and it took weeks to get letters/packages from the U.S.  Happily, it is a smaller world today with all the technology available.  Living overseas is not as traumatic or scary anymore and we can keep in touch so much more easily.

What’s been the most challenging cultural difference you have had to overcome?

Right now I am trying to learn Spanish and that is challenging!  We have had to learn the basics of Hindi, Arabic, Twi, and more. Despite working in English speaking schools, we still found that we needed to have a translator when getting our cable hooked up, paying household bills, getting a driver’s license, etc. because the average workers didn’t always speak English.

How would you advise parents to prepare their kids for a move abroad?

Prepare them by talking about where you are moving to.  Find it on the map and read books from and about the country that you will be living in.  Tell them about the new school they will be attending and find out as much as you can about the extra-curricular activities that they can take part in.  Communicate with them as much as possible about the move and find out their concerns and fears about their new lifestyle.  Allow them chances to say goodbye to their friends, cousins, grandparents, and classmates. Let them know they will not lose touch and will be able to keep in touch through Skype.  Buy them a camera or journal or both to record their experiences while living overseas.

If you had it to do all over again, what would you do differently?

We first moved overseas when our children were only one and two years old.  We took chances with their health and safety that when I think about it today, was sort of risky.  Waiting until they were at least school age would have been more ideal.  They would have experienced and remembered more and would have been more interested and excited in the amazing sights that we saw.

What advice can you offer to others who want to follow in your footsteps?

For teachers who are interested in teaching abroad I tell them that they must be open to everything, interested in other cultures, be able to accept frequent change, and practice patience with all of the inconsistencies.  Teaching overseas is not for everyone, but once you try it and get sucked in it is hard to stop going from school to school and country to country.  It is a unique lifestyle and one that has many rewards if you can handle the occasional power outages and/or lack of school resources.

I am always interested in speaking with others who want to know more about teaching overseas.  It is a great lifestyle and one that I can highly recommend.

Thanks for sharing your travel journey with us, Jill!

Photos courtesy of Jill Dobbe.

Have you ever taught overseas, Wanderboomers? Any future plans to do so? Please share your experiences with us here.

Filed Under: Activities, Africa, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations Tagged With: Arabic, China, culture, education, German, Ghana, Guadalajara, Guam, Here We Go & There We Are, Hindi, Honduras, Jill Dobbe, living and working abroad, memoir, Singapore, Spanish, teaching overseas, travel with kids, Twi

BY Nancy Mueller Leave a Comment ON September 4, 2012

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

With so many choices available in Waikiki Beach, how’s a wanderboomer to choose where best to stay? Fortunately, I had the chance to try out the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa for a couple of days on a recent vacation. Here’s why the resort ranks high on my list for solo and family travelers:

Location, Location, Location

The resort lies at the southernmost end of Kalakaua Avenue, the main road through Waikiki.  Kuhio Beach Park is right across the street, for easy beach and ocean access, with Diamond Head and the Honolulu Zoo close by. Even the Waikiki Sand Restoration Project, well underway during this visit, couldn’t diminish the pleasure of having the beach just footsteps away, since most of the beach still remained accessible.

The good news is that the restoration is now complete!

Ocean View

Guests can book a room in one of two towers at the resort: the beautifully renovated oceanfront Kealohilani Tower with its own private balconies or the older Paoakalani Tower. Can you guess which one gets my vote?

Bright, tropical colors and cozy down comforters inside sheeted duvets define the look and feel of rooms in the Kealohilani Tower. Having reading lights mounted into the headboards is a welcome touch, along with outlets and connecting jacks for electronic devices.

Cultural Connections & Activities

So much of why I love to travel is wrapped around learning about and experiencing different cultures. The Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort rests on land that was once the summer palace of Hawaii’s last reigning monarch, Queen Liliuokalani. To honor her legacy, the resort renamed the twin towers, together translated as “heavenly fragrance,” to represent her two homes.

Lucky VIP guests can book the Queen Liliuokalani suite, thoughtfully designed to include her love of flowers and music composition.

In a further nod to the Queen’s musical background, nightly entertainment at the resort presents authentic Hawaiian music. What a treat to sit in the warm open-air of Moana Terrace overlooking Waikiki Beach, listening to music masters George Kuo, Martin Pahinui (slack key guitar) & Aaron Mahi (bass)!

And if watching hula dancers is on your must-do-in-Hawaii list, you’ll be happy to know that performances are presented throughout the day in the resort’s enormous main lobby.

Active wanderboomers  can also take advantage of the Surf Package offered by the on-site Pro Surf School Hawaii, owned and operated by professional surfer Kai Sallas. For $244./night, guests can stay in a deluxe room with balcony, and receive a two-hour lesson with professional surfers and a two-day surfboard rental. Classes are offered at all levels in how to surf, stand up paddle and bodyboard.

Amenities

With 1,310 guest rooms, 5 dining facilities, plus Seattle’s Best Coffee House, two outdoor pools and whirlpool, a free 24-hour state-of-the-art fitness center and a spa salon, is it any wonder that staying at the resort feels like living in a small village? Oh – and don’t forget over 55,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space and a Business Center (if you must work while you’re here), plus a host of places to shop throughout the property, including the always popular ABC Store.

Hawaiian Hospitality

Maybe it’s because the ever-present sun and timeless, natural island beauty bring out the best in people. Whatever the reason, the spirit of warm hospitality runs deep in Hawaii. From the fragrant floral leis presented to visitors at airport arrivals to the heartfelt expression of “Aloha” in greetings and partings, Hawaiian hospitality is legendary. A little bit of kindness extended by chef Chuck and server Janice in the Kuhio Grill, for example, went a long way in making this WanderBoomer a happy camper.

* Special thanks to the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa for hosting a portion of my stay.

There’s still time to enter our special Travel Writing Contest, Wanderboomers! Win a 5-night stay (and fantastic extras) on Hawaii Island at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. For details, click here:

http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/2012/hawaii-island-travel-writing-contest-announced

But hurry – entries must be submitted by September 14, 2012 11:59 p.m. PST!

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Entertainment, Food & Dining, Hawaii, Shopping Tagged With: Aaron Mahi, Aloha, bass, beach, bodyboard, cultural connections, culture, Diamond Head, fitness center, George Kuo, Hawaii, Hawaiian hospitality, heavenly fragrance, Honolulu Zoo, hospitality, hula, Kai Sallas, Kealohilani Tower, Kuhio Beach Park, Kuhio Grill, leis, Martin Pahinui, Moana Terrace, ocean view, oceanfront, Paoakalani Tower, Pro Surfer School Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani, restoration, slack key guitar, spa, stand up paddle, surfer, surfing, travel, Waikiki Beach, Waikiki Beach Sand Restoration Project, Waikiki Marriott Beach Resort and Spa, Waikiki Sand Restoration Project

Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
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