affluent travelers

Our Top Ten Blog Posts of 2016

Published January 3, 2017 | By Clark Norton

Chinese New Year parade features the dragon dance.

Asking you to relive 2016 may be asking a lot, but here at clarknorton.com we offer sheer escapism!

Well, maybe not quite — but travel can, we hope, help take your mind off other things.

So, in that spirit, we offer up Our Top Ten Blog Posts of 2016 as found on clarknorton.com and voted on, in effect, by your clicks.

Yes, this is purely a popularity contest, with no quality control whatsoever. (Kind of like an election.) And because there was a tie for the tenth spot, there’s a bonus post to check out, should you wish to seek penance for overindulging during the holidays.

Here they are in order, counting down to Number One:

10. Top Bucket List Items: What’s Number One? and Top Ten Travel Predictions for 2016. (Tie)

Top Ten or Top Five lists (almost) always… Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Baby boomer travel, Blogging, Bucket Lists, Deserts, Fashion, Hiking, Luxury travel, Tours, Travel Behavior | Tagged affluent travelers, Alexander Hamilton, baby boomer travel trends, bucket lists, Charlottesville Virginia, Chinese New Year, crawfish, Dennis Cox, Mardi Gras, Nevis, Scottsdale Arizona, travel predictions | Leave a comment

Just What Do Affluent Travelers Want?

Published June 20, 2016 | By Clark Norton

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — part of a trend? Photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental.

First, let’s establish one thing: I’m not a particularly affluent traveler, certainly by U.S. standards. I don’t really know where I fall in the spectrum of what I spend roaming the world , but I know that when I’m traveling on my own dime price is definitely an object.

Sure, I like to stay in a five-star hotel, dine in a Michelin three-star restaurant or fly first class as much as the next guy, but only if someone else is paying for it. As a consequence, I’ve stayed in some real dumps, eaten any number of meals in greasy spoons, and sat cramped in coach for up to 14 hours at a time on hundreds of flights, all to feed my travel addiction or in furtherance of getting a… Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Baby boomer travel, cultural travel, Family travel, food, Luxury travel | Tagged affluent travelers, baby boomer travelers, baby boomers, epic journeys, experiential travel, luxury travel, Mandarin Oriental Hotels, Peninsula Hotels, Resonance Consultancy, transformative travel | 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.