Europe

The Most Serene Republic of San Marino

Published November 16, 2016 | By Clark Norton

A dramatically perched fortress tops Mount Titano. Photo by Catharine Norton.

In a recent post, I noted that the tiny Republic of San Marino, which is entirely surrounded by Italy, was number one on my personal bucket list.

The main reason was that it was the only country in Western Europe that I hadn’t visited, and that since I would be visiting Italy soon, I could then cross it off my list. Of course, I also wanted to go for all the reasons I want to go anywhere — seeing what there is to see and, I hope, enjoying it — but I admit the list thing was the top consideration.

As it happens, I did visit Italy shortly after the post appeared, and I did make it to San Marino — whose irresistible full name is The Most Serene Republic of San Marino.

And — as a… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Bucket Lists, Cities, Countries, Europe, History | Tagged Adriatic coast, Europe, Italy, Mount Titano, Rimini, San Marino | 2 Comments

Burdened With Bags? No Problem, Say Luxembourg Hoteliers

Published November 21, 2013 | By Clark Norton

Luxembourg is a land of medieval castles and forested hiking trails. Photo from Luxembourg National Tourist Office.

I always like to call attention to enterprising travel marketing ideas, and a group of five hotels in the Ardennes region of northern Luxembourg have banded together to come up with a good one.

If you stay in any of their hotels, you can walk, bike or ride a motorbike between them, and the hotels will transport your luggage for you — much like a guided group walking tour would do, except you do it on your own (at less expense).

The five hotels form a rough loop about seven to 13 miles (12 to 22 km.) apart, so you can easily put together a five-day walking plan or perhaps a three-day biking trip, using any combination of the five hotels. There are about 70 miles (120 km.) of hiking paths in the… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Countries, Hotels, Marketing | Tagged Ardennes, baby boomer marketing strategies, baby boomer travel, baby boomer travelers, Europe, European hotels, hiking, Luxembourg, marketing baby boomer travel, selling travel to baby boomers, travel marketing, traveling baby boomers | 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.