Maybe you’ve been thinking about getting away from it all—whatever “it all” means to you. If you haven’t heard of “celebration vacations,” they’re the trips you take to celebrate what’s important to you, including anniversaries, birthdays, family reunions and weddings.
News from AARP Travel finds that America’s 76 million baby boomers spend over $120 billion annually in leisure travel. Marketers, especially in television media buying, who think the 18 – 49 demo is the only one that matters, please note that statistic. Travel is the number one aspirational activity for the boomer generation—meaning it’s an activity you aspire to do, even if you can’t really afford it right now.
Half of the respondents traveled with their significant other. Sure, large groups do take off on celebration vacations, but when the host is buying, this type of outing isn’t economically feasible for everyone.
Top reasons for celebration vacations
- Celebrating anniversaries is the main reason people 45+ plan a celebration vacation. In fact, 87 percent said they would choose a vacation over a party or jewelry to celebrate anniversaries.
- 77 percent said they’d celebrate a milestone birthday like a 50th, 60th or 70th.
- 69 percent will vacation for a retirement celebration.
- 66 percent will hold a wedding.
Where we go to celebrate
Turns out 63 percent of the survey’s respondents took celebration vacations in the U.S. as opposed to international destinations in the last two years. They went to:
- Las Vegas: Makes sense.
- Disney (more likely for 45-49): This surprises me, although I would take another ride on Space Mountain at any time. And Disneyland is 20 minutes away.
- Los Angeles: It’s my other “home” up the road, and there’s so much to do there, as well as here in The OC.
What challenges us
What’s the hardest thing for you when planning a trip? The survey respondents listed as their top three challenges:
- Sticking to a budget (17 percent)
- Budgeting for a trip (13 percent)
- Identifying activities at a destination (11 percent)
But, we won’t let anything stop us. Now, when do we leave?
(Photo courtesy www.freedigitalphotos.net and arztsamui)