the Panama Canal.

Exploring Panama On, and Beyond, the Canal

Published February 21, 2022 | By Clark Norton

Ever since my own visit to Panama, I’ve considered it one of the “essential countries” for travelers.

And not just because it harbors a canal vital for global commerce. Panama also connects two continents (North and South America) and is a key link in a chain of countries (including neighboring Costa Rica and Colombia) that claims some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet.

For older baby boomers, it’s also an enticing location for retirement, offering comparatively low prices and modern amenities.

Contributing writer Robert Waite recently visited Panama and returned with this informative report:

By Robert Waite

Panama City – When I think of airlines and stopover programs, Icelandair comes immediately to mind.

For no extra charge, they allowed you to stop over in Reykjavik when flying from North America to Europe. They often threw in discounted hotel stays and a trip to the hot spring-fed Blue Lagoon.

But… Continue reading →

Posted in Airlines, Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Bucket Lists, Central America, cultural travel, retirement travel | Tagged Biomuseo, Canal Zone, Copa Airlines, Embera Indigenous village, Lake Gatun, Miraflores Locks, Panama, Panama City, Panama Stopover, Panama travel, the Panama Canal., Visit Panama | 4 Comments

More Global Must-Sees for Baby Boomer Travelers

Published January 28, 2014 | By Clark Norton

A friendly Galapagos iguana. Photo by Clark Norton

In my previous post, I contrasted my list of “must-see” sites around the world with that of Patricia Schultz, author of the best selling bucket list guidebook, “1000 Places to See Before You Die.”

With an eye specifically on baby boomers, and without wanting to be too grim about it, I wanted to accentuate places that are themselves at least somewhat in danger of dying or being considerably altered in coming years, for a variety of reasons.

So far, we’ve covered five regions of the globe — Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia/New Zealand/Pacific Islands. Now let’s tackle the U.S./Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean area.

U.S./Canada: There are so many possibilities in North America, but I’ll pick Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming/Montana over Schultz’s Monument Valley.

Yellowstone is not only a remarkably diverse collection of sights — from… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Countries, National Parks | Tagged Amazon Nature Tours, baby boomer travel, baby boomers and tourism, bucket list travel, Sacha Lodge, Santo Domingo, the Amazon, the Panama Canal., travel marketing, Yellowstone National Park | 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.