Forget relaxing, over 50s want adventure
The survey, commissioned by Thomas Cook, discovered that 44 per cent of over-50’s admit to being jealous of the amount of travelling youngsters do nowadays but 40 per cent said that they intended to make up for it after retirement!
Dr Peter Slowe, MD of Projects Abroad, the world’s largest volunteering organisation, said that his company had experienced an explosion of interest in philanthropic volunteering abroad from the over 50’s.
Getting older no longer means relaxing and taking it easy as it seems the older generation is more adventurous than ever."
“Projects Abroad places a great deal of value on our senior volunteers, for with age comes a mixture of experience, skills and patience that younger volunteers simply cannot offer,” he said.
“Some of our most successful placements have involved working professionals and retirees who are volunteering in a role in which they have many years of experience.”
Projects Abroad send volunteers to 25 different countries on five different continents all of whom engage in philanthropic projects ranging from child care to ecological conservation.
The study questioned almost 1,000 over-50s and reported that ‘grey’ holidaymakers are opting for adventure-filled holidays and taking part in more activities whilst on breaks.
A spokesman said: "Getting older no longer means relaxing and taking it easy as it seems the older generation is more adventurous than ever. Parents and grandparents are now listening to experiences of their children or grandchildren after returning from their holidays and dream of doing the same thing.”
"We’ve seen a rise in the number of over-50s booking trips to far-flung destinations once their children have left home and an increase in long-duration holidays, with some booking 21 and 42-night packages.”
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