Mongolia

Special April Fool’s Day Travel Quiz

Published April 1, 2015 | By Clark Norton

The Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa — did she name all her daughters after herself?

The usual April 1 routine among publications is to write up some ridiculous story and try to convince readers that it’s true. Today I’m going to reverse that.

All of these 12 trivia items have appeared in some form on my blog over the past two years or so. Only one of them is false.

See if you can figure out which one is strictly for April Fool’s Day:

* You can fly to Mongolia from Beijing, China, in less than two hours.

* Some of the most coveted and prestigious student residences at the University of Virginia have no bathrooms.

* Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa had 16 children; her 11 daughters were all named Maria or Marie.

* The small South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu has made millions… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Blogging, Cities, Countries, Cruises, Marketing | Tagged Aranui 5, Bavaria, beer, Beijing, Empress Maria Theresa, Florida Keys, Ithaca, Lion World Travel, Mongolia, Museum of Broken Relationships, Rip Van Winkle, Roanoke, Super 8 Motel, Tuvalu, University of Virginia, VisitBritain, Zagreb | Leave a comment

Things I Learned at the NY Times Travel Show

Published January 25, 2015 | By Clark Norton

Crowds at the New York Times Travel Show.

Each winter, the New York Times Travel Show draws hundreds of exhibitors — national tourism bureaus, tour operators, and various travel-related organizations, among others — to meet the public and try to lure them to their destination or onto their tours and the like. It’s the largest such trade and consumer show in North America.

There are also dozens of travel-related talks and seminars you can attend led by veteran travel writers, publishers and broadcasters, some beautifully costumed women dancing on stages representing various nationalities, some free food giveaways, a number of special travel discounts good only at the show, and various other enticements.

With winter slush outside, it’s the perfect time to get people thinking about warm-weather destinations or at least traveling somewhere when the weather gets warm.

I was there this weekend making contacts for StrideTravel.com, the new travel… Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure travel, Baby boomer travel, Countries, Luxury travel, Tours | Tagged Cuba, customized tours, Mongolia, New York Times Travel Show | 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.