Boomers Youth'n ® Up Adventure-Travel via Volun-tourism helping the bored find a home for adventure Dr. David J. Demko, gerontologist and editor, AgeVenture News Service, Boca Raton, Florida 08-25-07

Today's boomers seem to have it all. They are the most highly educated, affluent, energetic, goal-oriented adult population in history. Ironically, hectic lifestyles make it difficult to find an outlet for all that talent. As a result, boomers are busy, yet bored. A new travel trend now helps the bored find a home, or outlet if you will, for their creative energy and penchant for volunteerism. It's called Volun-tourism. Boomers grew up in a world in which "voluntary service" was as common as weekly trips to the grocery store. President Kennedy's Peace Corps, was followed by VISTA, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Senior Core of Retired Executives, Foster Grandparent Programs, state and local 4-H chapters, boy scouts, girl scouts, United Way, League of Women Voters, AARP volunteers and much more. So, you'd expect the boomers to continue this "change-the-world-through-voluntary-service" attitude. Well, yes and no. The service attitude remained, but life got complicated. The boomers became known as the sandwich generation. The Sandwich Generation consisted of Boomer parents establishing a home and career, while raising kids through college, and caring for aging parents. In fact, 80% percent of all care provided to America's ever-going older population is provided by the Sandwich Generation. Dove-tailing and multi-tasking became the order of the day. Doing two things at once. This time-saving, multi-tasking approach to life's demands created a new Boomer trend. That trend consists of combining (dove-tailing, multi-tasking) vacation time with voluntary community service. These boomers seeks respite from work, opportunity to serve others, experience other cultures, and establish new friendships. How do you cook-up such an extraordinary experience? That's easy. Start with a week or two vacation break from the daily routines of everyday life. Add service-oriented boomers intent on sharing their talents with those in need. Stir-in a global destination seeking volunteers for community progress projects. Finish up with a dose of sound travel planning and cultural sensitivity. Viola! Enjoy your volunteer opportunity wrapped inside a vacation. AARP reports vacationing boomers helping out orphans in Tanzania to building homes for Habitat for Humanity. Not surprisingly, travel experts say an increasing number of baby boomers are participating in these volunteer vacations. During these trips, known as “voluntourism,” participants work with various affiliates to offer services or provide relief to those in need. Over the past five years, according to the AARP, the travel industry has seen a dramatic jump in the number of volunteer vacationers. Cathy Keefe, Travel Industry Association of America reports that in a 2006 survey, increasing numbers of boomers ... were taking volunteer vacations." “It is a very social conscience age group, they are looking to give something back and they are at an age in their lives when they can afford to.” AARP's Magazine's Ken Budd believes that boomers get to a point when they start rethinking their life. Suddenly, the usual vacation fare isn't enough. "You want to do something a little more substantial.” Volun-tourist, Ellen Goldstein adds “I think the best thing is to not have high expectations on creature comforts, not have high expectations on orderliness and kindness and just be ready to be accepting, cheerful, accommodating and patient." "If each of us did enough of a number of these things we might be able to change the world a little bit.” Image credit: AARP, Washington, DC. Image tagline: Dr. David J. Demko, AgeVenture News Service.

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