Life's An Adventure
When they say Life’s An Adventure, it appears the travel industry has taken the concept quite literally. And in fact, it may actually be a new group of Super Seniors – active older adults, who are really fueling the front.
While travel has always been among one of the most treasured aspects of retirement, many of today’s retirees see this phase of life as a time for new adventures and exploration, and in the process, are pushing further and harder – tossing aside the presumed limitations often associated with aging.
As a result, the global travel and leisure industry, long focused on youth, is now racing to keep up. According to a new study from George Washington University, the so called “experiential marketplace” – sensation, education, adventure and culture, is an estimated $56 billion industry – and is where much of the new old money is headed.
Whether this is a new trend set to stay is yet to be determined. However, what is apparent is many travel companies serving the senior market are definitely experiencing significant growth.
At Grand Circle Corporation, for example, a Boston-based company that specializes in older travelers, adventure tours have gone from 16% of passenger volume in 2001 to 50% for advance bookings in 2010, even with the average traveler’s age rising to 68 from 62.
At Exploritas, a nonprofit education travel group formerly known as Elderhostel, the proportion of people 75+ choosing adventure tour options is up 27% since 2004 – with the sharpest growth in the 85+ crowd, with a more than 70% increase.
At VBT, a bike touring company in Vermont that does rides in countries around the world, the number of bikers over 70 has doubled in the last 10 years.
Age is of apparently little consequence to these new adventurers – and this crop of globe-trotting seniors seeking exploration appear to be part of an emerging market phenomenon based on tens of millions of long-lived men and women with more vitality than ever imagined.
My 83 year-old mother-in-law is a perfect example of this trend, and while she’d never consider herself as such, she recently traveled to the Galapagos Islands on a National Geographic expedition that was anything but a relaxing cruise. The adventure included stops at all seven islands (some 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador) where they explored on foot and via Zodiacs some of the most extraordinary places on the planet.
The excursion also featured close encounters with a dazzling array of fauna and wildlife ranging from blue-footed boobies, sea lions and pilot whales, to bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles and penguins, as well as the much anticipated giant tortoises, which she said were simply awe-inspiring.
While it was the trip of a lifetime and definitely on her bucket list, one has to be in pretty good shape to endure adventures like these. These weren’t Disney-paved pathways; this was relatively rough terrain, particularly hiking to the top of volcanoes. And maintaining one’s balance getting in an out of Zodiacs on the ocean waters is no easy feat for most octogenerians either. Yet while it was a challenge at times, she did it -- which seemed to give her a boost of confidence as well.
But equally as exciting as all the destinations were, it was the educational component of the expedition that really made the trip. With some of the top experts in the field – from marine biologists and astronomers to naturalists and Galapagos specialists, the opportunity to learn new things was as fulfilling as the exploration.
When every day is a new adventure, with a chance to learn something new, it’s no wonder there’s been an explosion in travel exploration among the active older adult market -- as that’s what living’s really all about. It’s an ageless opportunity.
Life’s an adventure -- so always enjoy the journey!
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 Pat Ferrin at the top of a Volcano |
Kelly Ferrin, gerontologist and author of “What’s Age Got To Do With It? Secrets to Aging in Extraordinary Ways” has been studying aging and retirement issues for over 25 years. She was one of the first to ever receive a degree in this field from the prestigious Andrus School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, the top school in the nation for age-related studies.
website: kellyferrin.com ••• email: ageangel@earthlink.net