The Retirement Times, They Are a Changin'

from Tara Bahrampour at the Washington Post:
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A generation ago, Americans' idea of retirement travel might have involved a Caribbean cruise, a casino vacation or a European shopping trip. It would not have typically included trekking in the Himalayas, clearing invasive weeds on a volcanic island, canoeing through crocodile-infested waters in Nepal or, at the extreme end, selling the house to fund years of travel.

But little is typical among today's retirees, who increasingly are leaping into more adventurous activities than their parents ever dreamed of.

Partly this is because they can-- many older Americans are fitter and more active than their parents were and more creative about how they spend their time and money. And as baby boomers start to reach retirement age, many are eager to reconnect with the ad­ven­ture and service ethos of their youth.

Whereas earlier generations might have taken a seven-day cruise to Alaska, now they might go on safari, or in the case of some military veterans, return to where they served, Gibson said. "People want to go back to Vietnam and visit and see how that has changed and what's new."
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The entire article can be read here.

HT: Scot McKnight