HOME
PLAYING
LITERARY
LIVING
RELATIONSHIPS
MONEY
HEALTH
TABLE CLOTH
MARKETPLACE
A LA CARTE
ABOUT BOOMER CAFÉ

by Betty Alexander

There’s a new group of travelers with the time, resources, and most important of all, the sense of adventure that is capturing the tourism industry by storm. It’s us: Baby Boomers. We have become the de rigueur travelers, with disposable income, fewer family obligations as our children leave the nest, and the travel experience that leads us to crave trips offering more than shuffleboard games and bus tours. Our Disney Days are over, visits to cottage country have lost their luster, and we’re ready to explore the world in a whole new way.

Our generation is now driving a new market segment: “wellness travel,” a growing industry that is targeted at travel adventures that nourish the mind, body and soul. So what is “wellness travel” exactly? The definitions can vary, but the essence is the same: a travel experience designed to enhance mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual balance. Its prime focus, as the title implies, is on promoting and maintaining a sense of well-being.

Wellness travel is a natural offshoot of an overall wellness revolution that has been growing considerably in recent years. According to Paul-Zane Pilzer, author of The Wellness Revolution, wellness as a whole is expected to be a trillion dollar industry within the next seven years, with Baby Boomers as the major driving force.

Baby Boomers are also prolific travelers. We generate the highest volume of travel in the U.S., according to the Travel Industry Association, with so-called mature travelers (age 55+) accounting for 31 percent of all household trips. Baby Boomers are also the most affluent, with 44 percent of us making an average annual income of $75,000 -- higher earnings than any other age group.

Given our leanings towards wanderlust -- and resources to foot the bill -- there is no question that the tried and true vacation packages of old are leaving a large contingent of well-seasoned Baby Boomers wanting something else--- something more suited to our lifestyle. Many of us are looking to wellness travel as a new breed of travel that delivers a combination of culture, fitness, healthy eating and spiritual renewal.

For example, Well Traveled Tours has focused on meeting this overwhelming demand for balancing health and happiness. It also aspires to deliver a totally different vacation experience by consulting leading world travel writers and creating vacation packages that are consistent with today’s trend.

Tours can offer a meditation session in a Thai wellness retreat, with a chance to wash an elephant before riding it, and a barbecue dinner with a local tribe, interspersed with pampering spa treatments and recreational activities from yoga to golf. Or a healing vacation to Hawaii that includes guided tours through volcanic regions, dinners with experts in local cultures, and participation in ancient cleansing and healing rituals.

The changing times

So with all the cruises and packaged tours available, why the need for another type of vacation offering? Simply put, Baby Boomers are changing. We realize we have to stay in shape, eat well, find contentment and inner strength and de-stress in order to remain well. We are also reaching out to try to learn how to continue improving our wellness lifestyle.

We are active, interested, and engaged in the world around us, and we enjoy physical activities like swimming, running, and cycling. Admittedly there are tours centered on such activities under the Adventure Tour category, but the age ranges in participants don’t necessarily satisfy the need for social interaction with peers. It’s one thing to spend a week cycling eight hours a day around Italy when you’re twenty-something. But when you’re forty- or fifty-something, a three hour bike ride through the Italian countryside might be more appealing, especially when it’s followed by a gorgeous, calorie-conscious lunch and a massage ... and a rest time around the pool to end a perfect day!

Many Baby Boomers also have a love and knowledge of wine and gourmet cooking, exploring new cuisines and educating themselves on different cultures. And we are willing to consider alternative exercise disciplines, therapy treatments and meditative and/or healing practices to find balance and inner peace.

We are the people who look beyond the “passive” experience offered by more traditional packaged holidays for older couples and seniors. Because for many Baby Boomers, curiosity and learning are part of staying young at heart.

Wellness tours let us expand our educational, spiritual, and physical horizons. It’s not about simply hiking to observe natural phenomena, or collecting photos for a slide show at home. Wellness tours take participants many steps beyond observation to active engagement, where an interaction with local culture and learning about ancient practices can help cultivate some wisdom on how we can cope with our own lives.

As the wellness travel industry takes hold, there is a growing wealth of possibilities to choose from, ranging from weekend yoga and meditation retreats at exclusive locations within a beautiful natural environment, to one to two week exotic European, Asian, Pacific or Central American adventures, with activities appealing to women and men alike.

But it is important to look for the right balance. If traveling with a spouse, then choose packages that have activities that work for both of you. While one may enjoy a massage or an advanced yoga session, the other might prefer a round of golf or scuba diving.

Also, a package should offer built-in flexibility so you can vary your activities according to your state of mind (and body), especially if you are a traveler with a diverse range of interests.

We in the travel industry often hear people confess that while they loved their cruise, or their all-you-can-eat-and-drink packaged vacation, they prefer not to bring home an additional 10 lbs. in the process. And while many travelers will continue to enjoy the beaten path, you can discover new travel experiences that combine adventure with education and wellness.

It really all boils down to how “well” you like it.

For more information, visit:
http://www.welltraveledtours.com/