“Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

There is no better way to start this blog than starting it this way. These two lines are from a famous poem Ulysses, penned by the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. These two lines insist on the adventurous spirit of aged Ulysses who says that time and fate have made him weak but that he has a stronger will to strive, seek and find. This is not only Ulysses’ quest for being adventurous but also the of most seniors. Yes!

Senior tourism. Have you heard about this before? This blog is going to brief you about senior tourism.

Senior tourism isn’t something that started to come into existence in recent times. There is ample evidence that supports the claim that senior tourism has been in existence for ages. There are pieces in literature, cave paintings, raw murals, rock art, stone sculptures, and other classical records that bring to our knowledge that traveling and tourism have been prevalent since the old days for different purposes. Pilgrimages, expeditions, journeys into the woods, and sea-side voyages were so common. The culture, architecture, wealth, nature, shrines, and temples were the most prominent point of attraction for travelers in those days. The travel groups mostly had seniors under whose guidance and supervision the youngsters traveled in the group.

At the present, senior tourism has become the fastest growing in the tourism market. The seniors belonging to the age group of 60+ are willing to spend their savings on quality tours. According to a survey conducted by the World Tourism Organization, it was found that more than 593 million global travelers belonged to the senior age group. It is also predicted that by 2050 one-fourth of the global population will comprise seniors, and this in turn will account for an increase in senior tourism.

It is already bought out in a survey that in the UK, 60% of the travel & tourism expenditure is made by the senior travelers. This means that the expense made by the senior travelers is 3 billion more than the travel & tourism expenditure of Millenials.

When it comes to the travel preferences of the seniors their main motive is to have some leisure time and relax. But we cannot draw any boundaries on their travel expectations. They might also like some daring adventures like paragliding, rafting, canoeing, skiing, scuba diving, etc. Whereas activities like hunting, fishing, water sports, sunbathing, camping, and hiking fall under the least preferred category. According to the Journal of Hospital Marketing & Management, the traveling preferences of seniors are as follows:

We provide,

• Sightseeing - 89.3%
• Historical places - 88.1%
• Restaurant dining - 85.7%
• Shopping - 77.4%

It has also been recorded that due to physical disabilities, 38% of the elderly mainly expect security & health safety during travel. Additionally, they prefer luxury stays and chances to socialize.

You might be interested in surprising your aged parents with a trip or if you are someone interested to organize trips for the seniors, by now you would have collected many travel tips for elders. Here are some add-ons for you. As far as senior tourism is concerned quality of service is the first and foremost priority. One of the perks of senior tourism is that the elderly won’t be having any set time limit for the complete trip as they belong to the retired age category. Therefore, you won’t have the pressure to cover maximum places in a limited time frame. The elderly will prefer their trip to be at a slow, gentle, and leisurely pace. So you have to keep this in mind while planning their trip. Security & attention are primary. They should feel taken care of. So plan accordingly. Since they are aged or in the phase of aging, they might be having physical difficulties. Hence during the trip, their medical care and support should be ensured. Food is another important thing that has to be planned well.

Once the trip is planned, considering the destination, the travel period, and accommodation, along with the senior’s health and medications, appropriate senior travel vaccines should be advocated. Ensure that a first aid kit for seniors is available throughout the travel. If you could plan a diet chart for seniors with the help of a nutritionist it will be optimum.

Age is just a number. Never let age take over you. This life of yours deserves to be lived. Drink life to the lees. Travel as you wish, this world needs to be explored.

Talking of travel, if you need a non-emergency ambulance for the travel of the seniors, Ambulance on Call is the right choice. We ensure safe and secure transportation of the seniors.