Baby Boomer Travel Trends Can Take You to Sea Ranch
Are you a 50-plus traveler making plans for 2016? If so, you will be very interested in learning how you and your generational cohort will travel this year according to AARP’s recent Baby Boomers travel trends survey.
AARP’s recent survey provides some great insight into how Baby Boomer Americans want to get away in 2016, from desired destinations to lodging options to favorite trip planning tools.
Why, you may even find your baby boomer travel itinerary includes a trip to Sea Ranch, California!
Who are the Baby Boomers?
If you or someone you know was born between 1946 and 1964 you are considered a member of the Baby Boomers.
Welcome to the club!
Jorge and I are members too.
No Slowing Down
We use to be the largest generational group until just this month. Pew Research just announced (April 2016) that the Millennials, whom we define as those ages 18-34 in 2015, now number 75.4 million, surpassing the 74.9 million of us who Baby Boomers (ages 51-69). And Generation X (ages 35-50 in 2015) is projected to pass the Boomers in population by 2028.
As a rule, we were raised by a post-war 1950’s mentality that included a stay at home stability. We might have been rebels during the 1960’s and 70’s, disillusioned with the vision or for some, lack of vision, of the generation before us.
You may have traveled the world in your youth, some even on less than $5.00 a day!
You sought out different cultures, different ways of life, an understanding of the nuances of the world about you. Though a complicated world, you embraced it nonetheless. You feed your voracious interest in understanding through world travel.
True, our work and our responsibilities may have slowed Baby Boomer travel trends in the past. But today, as a group, we are still quite the traveler – both domestically and internationally.
What we want to know is…
We wondered, could these Baby Boomer travel trends for 2016, also lead you to a vacation at Sea Ranch, California?
Would the neighboring communities in the Mendonoma Region be a good fit for a Baby Boomers’ 2016 travel itinerary?
We think the answer would be a resounding ~
YES!
Here’s what AARP discovered:
Baby Boomer Travel Trends and Sea Ranch Are a Match!
Let’s look a little deeper into the AARP Baby Boomer travel trends and see why we think Sea Ranch would be a great fit for you.
(1) 2016 will bring a travel boom for Boomers.
As we already know, there ‘s no slowing Boomers down. Just about all of you (99%) are planning to travel this year, and more than three-quarters of you have already chosen your destination(s).
The survey showed 11 percent who are planning to take a domestic trip booked early, as did Baby Boomers traveling internationally, most of whom booked by September 2015.
Booking Early Assures Your Holiday
Most likely you know that the holiday bookings at Sea Ranch go quickly! And a quick look at Abalone Bay’s booking calendar can attest to this finding.
(2) Boomers will find funding for a fantastic holiday
Getting a great deal, like Abalone Bay’s special off-season rates that give you up to two nights free for a 7 night stay will certainly make your trip more delightful.
Yet your enthusiasm for travel is unwavering despite the added travel costs of airfare, car rentals, lodging, meals, and activities.
Unlike the more than half of Millennials and Gen Xers who say that cost is a barrier to leisure travel, only 45 percent of you Boomers agree. Additionally, two-thirds of the survey’s Baby Boomers claim it had no impact on their travel plans.
So you’ll go ahead and book that remaining full price holiday weekend for the Fourth of July this year because you know your R&R is worth it!
(3) Summer and weekends are for domestic adventures with family
Quick weekend getaways will be popular, with 23 percent of Boomers saying they will choose a weekend for domestic travel.
Why not Sea Ranch for the Weekend!
For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento Valley, or in the northern California foothills, Sea Ranch is an easy weekend getaway.
For you who live further away, the trip in a rental car from the Bay Area airports is about three hours. Or catch a quick hop into Sonoma County Airport at Santa Rosa with its added flight options and car rental services and save an hour in driving.
Click here to see driving directions.
And for you Boomers with access to a private plane, you could definitely extend your weekend time by flying in directly to Sea Ranch’s private airstrip.
Boomers like it hot
Nearly a third of Boomers will take advantage of hot summer weather to make domestic trips.
Sea Ranch sizzles
At Sea Ranch, though, you won’t really find many hot summer days. In fact, most of you will be coming to Sea Ranch to get away from the inland heat.
But for those in the know, the early fall months of September and October are not only sunny, but they’re also sizzling with our lowered seasonal prices.
Family first
Twenty-six percent of Boomers say they will take domestic multi-generational trips (with three or more generations traveling together) in 2016, but that’s down from 32 percent in 2015.
Family fun at Sea Ranch
Whether you stay in one Sea Ranch home or book a cluster of homes nearby, there are many activities available to entertain everyone.
The children of all sizes will enjoy the playground at One-Eyed Jacks…
Uncovering discoveries made at the tide pools will delight all ages.
Meanwhile dad and grandpa test their skill at Sea Ranch Golf Links.
Swimming, basketball or tennis at any of the three recreation centers is always fun for family. And with added sports amenities at Abalone Bay fun is assured.
Then relax at the rec-center’s sauna or soak in the hot tub at Abalone Bay.
Pets are family too
Among those with pets, few (5%) will travel with them ‘All the time.’ When you do travel with your pet you’ll have no worries about bringing Fido to Sea Ranch. Abalone Bay welcomes you and your pet.
(4) International “bucket list” trips top the itinerary in 2016.
It will be a year of once-in-a-lifetime trips for many of you. Thirty-two percent will be embarking on an international bucket list trip. International trips will be especially popular in the spring, with 29 percent traveling to other countries then.
I wouldn’t be a bit surprised that international Baby Boomers outside of the United States will be doing likewise!
Plan your bucket list while at Sea Ranch
Being international Baby Boomer travelers ourselves, we resemble those results! And we encourage you to develop your international bucket list too. In fact when you stay at Abalone Bay during your domestic leg of your vacation, be sure to leaf through some of the international travel books we have left for you in our bookshelves.
(5) Baby Boomers want to soak up the sun.
Many Boomers will be taking off to destinations filled with warm glorious sun and sand. And California (9%) is in the top three will be one of the most popular domestic destinations for Boomers in 2016!
Other favorite travel spots include Florida (19%) and Las Vegas (9%).
Internationally, the Caribbean and Mexico (each 19%) will see the most Boomer travel.
Summer with our friends, saving Sea Ranch for later
As we mentioned above fall is Sea Ranch’s warmest period. We suggest after your summer tropical holiday you book a fall stay at Sea Ranch in September and October.
And if not Sea Ranch, then click here to see who Abalone Bay recommends for your sunny getaway, while saving money too.
(6) Free Wi-Fi is a must
No matter who you are, it seems free Wi-Fi is king of all amenities.
Forty-three percent of Boomers say that when choosing a hotel, free Wi-Fi is a must-have, as do 86 percent of Boomers seeking rental homes. While roughly 4 in 10 Boomers stay at hotels or motels when they travel, Airbnb and VRBO are growing in popularity: 1 in 10 Boomers are planning to use those services to rent a private residence, like Sea Ranch Vacation Rental – Abalone Bay, instead of using a hotel on a 2016 trip.
A no brainer for Baby Boomers: Sea Ranch Abalone Bay
Given what the survey says about vacation choices Sea Ranch, and especially Abalone Bay, is a perfect fit.
Not only will you have Wi-Fi, but you’re also provided with top quality linen, spa towels, bathrobes, and a kitchen ready to make that family reunion meal memorable.
(7) 2016 travel is all about F-U-N
Most Boomers spend their vacations surrounded by family—and with a smile on their face. Boomers say that when they’re on vacation, they do more smiling and laughing (68%) and that they spend more time with family (61%).
Sea Ranch is full of fun for one or all the family…
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words! Baby Boomer travel trends will definitely include a trip to Sea Ranch!
The Baby Boomer Travel Trends online survey was conducted September 17-28, 2015 among males and females 18 and older who had taken at least one trip 50 miles or more away from home, with a two-night stay, in the past two years.
The survey can be found at aarp.org/2016TravelTrends.
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