Serengeti

Where to Celebrate Milestone Birthdays

Published August 11, 2017 | By Clark Norton

We spent a recent milestone birthday on Milos, Greece. Photo by Clark Norton

Our family has long tried to celebrate milestone birthdays and anniversaries with a major trip.

I won’t specify which birthdays or anniversaries, but these celebratory trips have taken us to Paris, Alaska, Norway, Greece, and Antarctica, among other far-flung destinations.

Sometimes you just need a good excuse to travel. (Other times, not — whatever works.)

So I was intrigued to come across this list of suggested milestone birthday celebratory trips from the folks at Wilderness Travel, which has been taking adventurous travelers to remote regions of the globe since 1978. (It was named AFAR Magazine’s World’s Best Tour Operator for 2017.)

The company, known for their itineraries that delve deep into a region’s culture and cuisine, has suggestions for destinations perfect for a 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th birthday celebration.

Baby boomers have… Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure travel, Africa, Alaska, Baby boomer travel, Bucket Lists, cultural travel, Natural wonders | Tagged African safari, Antarctica, Galapagos Islands, Greece, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Tanzania, Wilderness Travel | Leave a comment

Top Bucket List Items: What’s Number One?

Published October 7, 2016 | By Clark Norton

The Northern Lights, best viewed above the Arctic Circle,took the top spot on this Bucket List survey

While I prefer the term “Life List” to “Bucket List” — it just has a more positive ring to it — Bucket List has become the generally accepted phrase for delineating those often-challenging, mostly travel-related experiences you want to do before you, uh, can’t do them any more.

As a baby boomer, I’m acutely aware that I won’t have as much time or perhaps physical capacity as a millennial to, say, climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, which has recently slipped off my Bucket List until I can work myself into better shape. A few more years on the treadmill should do it, if my knees haven’t collapsed in the process.

The good news is, Bucket List items don’t have to involve super-strenuous exertion. In fact, according to a recent TotallyMoney.com survey of 1,000… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Bucket Lists, Cruises, National Parks, Natural wonders, Wildlife | Tagged Abisko Nafional :Park, Aurora borealis, Badaling, China, cruises, cruising, El Tovar Lodge, Grand Canyon, Great Wall of China, Kenya, Northern Lights, Safaris, Serengeti, Sweden, Tanzania, Wildlife safaris | 5 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.