History

Watch Out, Ocean Cruise Lines: Here Comes Viking

Published June 9, 2016 | By Clark Norton

The Viking Sky and Sea meet in Santorini, Greece. Photo from Viking Cruises.

Viking Cruises — which already operates the world’s largest and most popular river cruise line with almost 60 ships in Europe, Russia, Egypt, and Asia– is now moving into ocean cruising in a big way.

Viking launched its first ocean-going ship, the Viking Star, in 2015, and in April 2016 launched its second, the Viking Sea. (I’m looking forward to a voyage on the Viking Sea this fall in the eastern Mediterranean).

And it’s launching more ocean-going vessels, the Viking Sky, Sun, and Spirit, in 2017 or 2018. A sixth unnamed ship is on order for 2020, and if Viking’s explosive growth in river cruising is any indication, other ocean-going cruise lines may want to watch their backs.

Viking’s ocean-going vessels hold a maximum of 930 passengers and, in… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Caribbean, Countries, Cruises, cultural travel, Europe, History, Islands | Tagged Viking Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises, Viking River Cruises, Viking Sea, Viking Star, Viking Sun | Leave a comment

Stride Travel: An Essential Travel Resource

Published March 9, 2016 | By Clark Norton

This is one of the beautiful images you’ll find on StrideTravel.com. Photo by Dennis Cox.

“The Savvy Path to Breathtaking Travel, Without the Hassle”

“Less Planning, More Experiencing”

“A Journey of a Thousand Smiles Begins With a Single Click”

These are some of the taglines that express the essence of the new travel website, StrideTravel.com, where I worked for more than a year as Content Director. (My job is now in the capable hands of Content Coordinator Samantha Scott, who, together with co-founders Gavin Delany and Jared Alster, comprise a formidable team.)

In practical terms, Stride aspires to be — and in many ways already is — the best place on the Web to survey the wealth of multi-day, pre-planned trips that are now available from hundreds of travel suppliers around the world.

“Pre-planned trips” may encompass guided group or private tours as well as independent journeys… Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure travel, Africa, Alaska, Asia, Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Budget travel, Caribbean, Cities, Countries, Cruises, cultural travel, cycling, Eco-tourism, Europe, Family travel, Festivals, food, Hiking, History, Holidays, Luxury travel, National Parks, Packing, river cruises, singles travel, South America, Tours, Wildlife, Women travelers | Tagged African safaris, Antarctica, baby boomers, Danube, guided tours, pre-planned trips, river cruises, small-ship cruises, Stride, StrideTravel.com, tours, travel | 4 Comments

What I Learned about Charlottesville, Virginia

Published February 15, 2016 | By Clark Norton

Monticello — Jefferson’s home, which appears on the U.S. nickel coin. Photo by Clark Norton

Dear Readers,

While I’m traveling in Antarctica for a few weeks I’ll be reprising some of my most popular posts from the past three years. This one (now slightly updated) originally ran in December of 2013.

On a recent family visit to Charlottesville, Virginia, I found it to be a very livable — and visit-able — city, which I highly recommend for baby boomer travelers.

Mostly I knew it as the home of the University of Virginia and Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, both of which were designed by our third president. Those two sites alone would warrant a visit, but anyone interested in history, outdoor activities and good food would find a welcome respite in Charlottesville.

Now here are ten things I didn’t know about Charlottesville:

Montpelier, home of President James Madison. Photo by Lia Norton

Montpelier, home of… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Cities, cultural travel, Hiking, History, museums | Tagged Appalachian Trail, Ash Lawn-Highland, Charlottesville, Crabtree Falls, James Madison, James Monroe, Monticello, Montpelier, Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive, Spudnuts, Thomas Jefferson, University of Virginia, Virginia | Leave a comment

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.