Baby boomers set a new pace
Published 6:20 am Saturday, March 31, 2012
As the generation which trusted no one over 30 qualifies for Social Security and rethinks Pete Townshend’s rebel yell with The Who that he hoped to die before he got old, baby boomers are living on to leave their mark on travel, too.
“Boomers are more traveled and more active traveling,” according to Michele L. Boyd of Signal Travel and Tours.
Signal Travel and Tours, operated by Boyd since the year man walked on the moon, has been serving Michiana for more than 40 years.
Today, she has storefronts in Niles, St. Joseph and Granger, Ind.
“They all have bucket lists,” Boyd said.
Popular destinations include South America, Europe, the Galapagos, Costa RIca and Central America, Australia and New Zealand, Africa and Antarctica, where cruises and tours rely on smaller ships to guard against ecological damage.
Popular places to see in South America include Machu Picchu, an Incan site on a mountain ridge in Peru; Chile’s fjords and the Amazon River.
Boyd said boomers are taking longer trips to compensate for time restraints during their working years and they are more active when they arrive — zip lining, hot air ballooning, kayaking.
Cruises have always been popular, but boomers like to return and explore the interior.
In addition to European river cruises, river boats are plying the Mississippi River again for the first time since 9/11, Boyd said.
The Pacific Northwest is a favored motor coach destination, but boomers might also travel by rail.
Visiting popular locations at peak travel times can mean paying top dollar.
During winter in Michigan — at least typical ones where snow birds scurry south to escape snow — Arizona restaurants and golf courses would be packed.
There would be deals galore in July because of fewer visitors, but you would be toasted in 110-degree heat.
However, there might be values to be had in May or June with ideal weather before sweltering heat and monsoon season arrive. Travel guides list the best and worst times to visit. Visit in between and save hundreds of dollars.
Boyd has watched social media gather into a force that “has been a great aid to our business. Travelers are more informed and it’s increased interest and opened a lot of new destinations.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes in 30 years. But they still want professional advice on how to buy and who to buy from.
A perfect example is the motor coach tour we organized to Branson,” where a customer commented how nice it was that both of them could sit back, relax and leave driving details to someone else.