The Lure of Nostalgia in Baby Boomer Travel

The S.S. Badger car ferry, still plying Lake Michigan as it did when I was a boy

This fascinating piece on nostalgia in today’s New York Times got me thinking about the role that nostalgia plays in the decisions we make about where and how we travel — especially as it relates to baby boomer travelers.

The Times piece points out that nostalgia was traditionally considered a “mental defect” of sorts, related to sorrow and depression. Recent studies have shown, though, that feelings of nostalgia for days, events and people gone by can actually brighten your mood and make you more optimistic for the future.

As someone who has a fair amount of nostalgia for places I’ve lived and traveled to in the past, I’m a big believer in the findings of those more recent studies.

Baby boomers (now 49 to 67) have reached the age when nostalgia tends to… Continue reading →