I Research Boomers’ Needs

It’s not difficult to get people to talk about their travels as most enjoy sharing their stories, reminiscing about the great times they had, and giving advice on where to go and what to see. I’m often surprised, however, at how quickly our conversations turn negative once we begin talking about the logistics, costs, customer service, or the limited selection of products tailored to boomers.

The degree of frustration travelers feel quickly becomes apparent, and in no time borders on anger at the industry, with many threatening to stop traveling entirely. I don’t expect they’ll do so, but what I’ve seen is these boomers—with the inclination, time, and money to travel—are doing it in ways the industry didn’t predict and isn’t ready to take advantage of.

My research into boomer needs takes several forms:

• Interviews all over the world with boomers while they’re traveling as well as at home as they look back at their travels to gauge what they liked and disliked about their experiences
• Surveys measuring how much they travel, their future travel plans, how well served their needs are, and to pinpoint their expectations of the industry
• Feedback received through years of writing weekly blogs (Baby Boomers Traveling and This ExPat Life), daily travel tips, and guest posts on a number of boomer and travel blogs.