Laos

San Marino? Bhutan? My Quirky Bucket List

Published October 19, 2016 | By Clark Norton

Punakha monastery, Bhutan Photo by Dennis Cox/WorldViews

In our last two posts, we took a look at some of the most popular travel-related bucket list destinations and activities based on a survey of 1,000 travelers by the website TotallyMoney.com. You can view those results, and my comments, by clicking here and here.

While my own experiences with a few of the items — such as gambling in Las Vegas — were on the margins (in the case of Vegas, dropping a few quarters into slot machines), I had pretty much done all those on the list.

My own bucket list tends to be a little quirkier than most. Places that end up on my list are pretty far-flung, represent something I’ve missed in past trips, or are just items that fulfill my admittedly peculiar travel obsessions. (I suspect that a lot of baby boomer frequent travelers’ lists are… Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Bucket Lists, Countries, Cruises, cultural travel, History, river cruises, South America | Tagged Angkor wat, baby boomer travelers, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burma, Cambodia, Italy, Jungfraujoch, Lake Titicaca, Laos, Myanmar, San Marino, Switzerland | 3 Comments

Finding Wellness Travel in All the Exotic Places

Published June 6, 2016 | By Clark Norton

Laos’ Pak Ou Caves are a site for Mekong River-based meditation. Photo from Travel Laos.

In recognition of Global Wellness Day — June 11 this year — I thought it would be apropos to mention a few of the more unusual ways to promote health while traveling. As a baby boomer, I’m prone to the usual stiff joints and other nagging ailments, and love the idea of medical tourism, even if it’s mostly an excuse to go somewhere exotic.

Water-based Meditation.

While I don’t practice meditation, I have a few good friends who do, and they always seem focused and calm. Does meditation have this effect, or are naturally calm and focused people drawn to meditation?

I don’t know, but I do know I could use a little more calmness and focus in my life, and I love being on water, so maybe I’ll try:

The Mekong Spa at Belmond… Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Baby boomer travel, California, cultural travel, health, Luxury travel, Medical tourism, Wellness travel | Tagged andBeyond Vamizii, Calistoga, Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France, Connaught Hotel, Costa Rica, GoldenEye, Jamaica, Laos, London, Luang Prabang, luxury spas, Meditation, Mekong Spa at Belmond La Résidence Phou Vao, Mozambique, Napa Valley, Nayara Springs, Silverado Trail, Solage Calistoga, Spas, St. Bart's, wellness travel, yoga retreats | 2 Comments

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.