New research from escorted tour operator Leger Holidays has revealed that it is the more mature generation that make the most adventurous travellers, with over 4.6 million UK ‘pensioners’ spending their free time travelling to exotic locations, trying new things and meeting new people.

Published: 03 Feb 2011

New research from escorted tour operator Leger Holidays has revealed that it is the more mature generation that make the most adventurous travellers, with over 4.6 million UK ‘pensioners’ spending their free time travelling to exotic locations, trying new things and meeting new people.

The company has dubbed this new generation as the ‘Golden Globetrotters’ – and they’re likely to be a pensioner.

Leger’s research revealed that:

• One in three (35 per cent) of those aged 55 and over prefer to travel away from the beaten track on holiday - a higher figure than any of the younger generations.

• Whereas 56 per cent of the over 55s crave a holiday which allows them to see something new every day, the younger generation are much more likely to want to spend a week lying on a beach.

• One in two (47 per cent) 18-24 year olds saw spending a week sunbathing as a good way to spend a holiday, as opposed to just one in four over 55s (26 per cent).

• One in 10 aged over 55 has abseiled, one in two has eaten something when they didn’t know what it was and one in 25 have done a parachute jump.

Not only are they more adventurous with what they do, but the study also indicates that this group is also far more frequent with their trips away than the younger generation. Fifty eight per cent of over 55s admit they go on holiday several times a year, with one in five clocking up at least a trip away every couple of months.

Huw Williams, marketing director at Leger Holidays, added: “An estimated 13.8 million people in the UK are now aged 60 and above, and many of those people have the time and the resources to go to the places they’ve always dreamed of.”

He continued: “We are increasingly finding the more mature travellers want to go more off the beaten track and have an experience they’ll never forget on their holiday – unlike the younger generation they don’t just want to sit on a beach, they want to get out and explore. Our research also revealed that socialising and meeting new people was very much part of the holiday experience for the Golden Globetrotter generation. This new trend has helped us shape the holidays we offer to include more ‘once in a lifetime’ trips through our Grand Explorer range. These are designed to help make visiting some of the world’s most spectacular places easy and comfortable, with tours across Europe, Russia, America, Canada, Africa and the Middle East.”

Change

Psychologist Dr David Lewis, who worked with Leger Holidays on the research, said: “In the past many people felt trapped by some of the myths of ageing imposed by society. Myths like ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ or ‘Act your age’. Today more and more people over the age of 50 are refusing to become victims of chronology. Increasing numbers are prepared to strike out into unfamiliar territory, to visit new places and take on unfamiliar challenges.”

“In relation to travel, this is due to several factors. Golden Globetrotters gain encouragement from the fact that increasing numbers of their generation are grabbing life by the horn and modern media gives them a wider awareness of what is happening in the world. They often have a more balanced and mature approach to travel that comes from greater experience of life in general. In addition, they may be bored with familiar places which they perhaps visited with their children, and that goes hand in hand.”