whale watching

Bucket List Fever: Pyramids, Vegas, Road Trips

Published October 10, 2016 | By Clark Norton

Man with camel at Great Pyramid of Giza at sunset. Note how souvenir shops are not visible. Photo by Dennis Cox/WorldViews

In our last post, we took a look at the top five travel-related Bucket List items as determined in a survey of 1,000 people by TotallyMoney.com.

The Northern Lights, a wildlife safari, the Great Wall of China, the Grand Canyon, and taking a cruise were all perfectly good choices — for baby boomers or active travelers of most any age — keeping in mind, of course, that everyone’s individual lists will be different.

A few of the second five in the Top 10 surprised me a bit — simply because they edged out others I would have expected — though they’re all understandable as highly ranked picks.

So here, with my comments and added travel info, are the five sights and activities that finished out the Bucket List Top… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Bucket Lists, cultural travel, States | Tagged bucket lists, Egypt, Las Vegas, New York City, Pyramids, road trips, whale watching | 4 Comments

Gray Whale-Watching for the Gray-Haired

Published October 2, 2013 | By Clark Norton

Learn sea kayaking with Sea Kayaking Adventures

I was a little taken aback when I received a press release from a company called Sea Kayak Adventures titled “Baja, Mexico Gray Whales For the Gray-Haired,” promoting a whale-watching base camp trip in Baja intended for travelers aged 50-plus.

While I myself would more qualify for the “Baja Hairless Whales for the Hair-Impaired” trip — having turned gray (prematurely, of course) some years ago, and then deciding to go more for the mostly shaved-head look — I wondered whether 50-plus folks who retained dark hair (natural or otherwise) might feel offended or even forego the trip for that reason.

(Hey, stranger things have happened when it comes to deciding how to spend vacation dollars.)

So while I don’t recommend that promotional approach, exactly — is the play on “gray” really worth possibly costing business? — I have to say the trip… Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure travel, Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Wildlife | Tagged baby boomer marketing strategies, baby boomer tours, baby boomer travel, baby boomer travelers, baby boomers, baby boomers and tourism, Baja, marketing baby boomer travel, Mexico, ROW Adventures, Sea Kayak Adventures, selling travel to baby boomers, travel marketing, traveling baby boomers, whale watching | 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.