Ward Luthi
Ward Luthi, who runs the terrific tour agency Walking The World — geared to active travelers aged 50 and over — has developed a new initiative called the “OK Boomer Challenge.”
The OK Boomer Challenge is a call to Boomers (and anyone else interested) to raise $15 million by the end of 2020 with the goal of planting 15 million trees in different parts of the world.
For each U.S. dollar donated, the organization One Tree Planted will plant one tree. (All funds raised will be donated to One Tree Planted, so $15 million will equal 15 million trees.)
“This is a challenging time for many but particularly, I believe, for older adults,” Luthi explains. “We’re growing older. We have children, family and friends, and a planet that’s on… Continue reading
In a previous post I talked about Walking the World, an adventure tour company headed by veteran guide Ward Luthi, which caters just to travelers age 50 and up and specializes in walking and hiking trips in Europe, Asia, Latin America and beyond.
Luthi — who has met challenges as an Outward Bound instructor and successful tour company owner since 1987 — is now taking on new ones: giving back to local people around the world — particularly to those in Central America — who, as he puts it, “have given so much to me and my fellow travelers.”
Giving back is one of three pillars of Walking the World’s motto: “Get Up — Go Wild — Give Back.”
“Get Up” essentially means getting off the couch or up from… Continue reading
Back in the 1980s, Ward Luthi — an experienced Outward Bound instructor and adventure tour guide — served on the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors. The commission, he says, found that “active outdoor travel was rated one of the top three goals of older adults.”
Based on the commission’s findings, Luthi in 1987 founded Walking the World, which he says was the first company to offer active outdoor adventures just for those aged 50 and above in the U.S.
It was a prescient move, because with almost all the 76 million U.S. baby boomers — the most active generation of older travelers ever — now reaching 50-plus (the youngest boomers are 49), Luthi’s target market is growing exponentially.
I’ll be talking more about Walking the World tomorrow and… Continue reading