Rhonda and Lee live an exciting lifestyle. Lee "retired" two years ago and despite the fact that Rhonda has a disabling arthritic condition, they spend way more time traveling than at home just looking at the wall and aging.
Lee and Rhonda are members of the baby boomer set, you know, those folks born right after World War II until about 1964. The baby boomers are an inordinately large group who, as they age, are changing the face of America. Nowhere is this truer than in the travel industry. Further, modern medicine is helping more people live longer as well as helping more people with disabilities take part in all aspects of life, such as accessible travel.
A major fact brought about by baby boomers is that they don't consider travel a luxury; they see travel as a necessity. Even with a disability, baby boomers don't consider themselves "seniors" until they are well into their 70s. They don't hope for accessible travel; they expect it. What this means is that people like Lee and Rhonda aren't comfortable associating with their parents. Group travel packages combining the two generations aren't going to be acceptable. An emphasis on education is a better approach for the travel industry to take in order to woo the baby boomers.
As it turns out, baby boomers are a demanding group, but the businesses that cater to them will do well because the baby boomers have a lot of discretionary income and will spend it for creature comforts because they feel they are worth it - and they are!
Baby boomers see themselves as forever young. Baby boomers want to have fun. Baby boomers want immediate gratification and part of the reason for this is that they try to do too much. Baby boomers put no constraints on where they go for travel.
Whether you are a baby boomer of a baby boomer with a disability, the travel industry is going to become more and more responsive to your needs large and small.
The baby boomers account for 25 percent of the population. However, perhaps you have a disability and think that your options are, or are going to be, limited. The facts say otherwise: you have clout!
Baby boomers with disabilities are a large part of a group that is 55 million strong in the United States and 500 million strong worldwide. Of the 55 million in the states, a survey from 2004 reported that they had a collective income of $200 billion, they took 32 million trips and spent more than $13.6 billion while traveling. Obviously these numbers cannot be ignored by the travel industry.
The trends for the future couldn't look brighter for the baby boomers with disabilities.
First, businesses have begun to get over their irrational fears of providing accessibility. They have found that it adds rather takes away from the environment and it's not just about profit.
Businesses are beginning to provide "intermediate" services such as greeters to help people "settle in" to a location.
Now and in the future, not only will people with disabilities be more prominently made part of the routine clientele, but those with incidental travel needs such as oxygen and walkers will find themselves with needed services and accommodations readily available.
In addition to other reasons for befriending the population of individuals with disabilities, consider the fact that they are extremely loyal and tend to return to those places where they have had a good past experience.
As you age and approach the time when you intend to increase your travel schedule, you are going to find that you can go where you want, when you want and how you want. You will be able to find any desired level of service and expect the options for you to only increase.
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