The New 21st Century Travel Vocabulary

With the new century has come a surge in new types of travel as the Baby Boomers find themselves ready and willing to expand their travel expectations.   And I like the some of the names almost as much as the travel trends!

(By the way, a vocabulary lesson doesn't exactly lend itself to travel photos,  so I am just going to insert some pix that I just love for whatever reason.)

Ranger, my Handsome Stranger.

Many of us grew up camping but are finding it less attractive to spend hours packing gear into the car, unpacking it at the camp grounds, and generally working just as hard as if we would have stayed at home, cooking, cleaning up, and more.  Yet we still long for fresh air, starry skies, day hikes, and being out in the wild.   So let me present....glamping!  Yes, this is camping with a glamorous twist.  Imagine a large tent...with a soft bed...rugs (no you are not on the dirt)...an indoor/outdoor shower...a heater...and a dresser so no more ruffling through your  backpack or tote bag of clothing when you need a change of clothes!


Plus,  you will typically find way more activities available than if you were in a state or national park somewhere.  You can still go fishing, take walks, wade along the shores of rivers or lakes, but how about horseback riding, ziplining, mountain biking, cooking classes (WHAT?) and maybe kayaking.  Think of a combination of an old fashioned dude ranch and a posh resort by the seaside.  Or something like that.   Oh, and I forgot to mention food...once your eyes drop to the plates, you would think you were in a fine dining room somewhere in a city full of foodies.  So if glamping sounds like a good mix of refined and wild to you,  I have some ideas.

Midsummer midnight- Baltic

Here's a great new word as it covers so much territory about all that is good with travel.  Ready?
Experential.   No more looking at things, watching things...it's time to do things.  For example, I made a trip in the Sea of Cortez and hiked on uninhabited islands, snorkeled with sea lions (keeping a very respectful distance although they seem to love people) and stared down at a gigantic eyeball about a foot below the waterline as I sat in a little panga in Bahia Magdalena, where gray whales give birth.  (This was on the Pacific side of Baja California.) The whale glided underneath us, crosswise, just below the surface.  We looked at each other, and time stopped for a moment.

Experential doesn't have to be in the realm of soft adventure, though, as you could travel with others who wish to pepper their trip with such things as cooking classes,  making cheese,  olive-oil tastings, that sort of thing.  Typically you will be hands on and you might work at an archaeological dig.    Experential travel kind of has one edge blurred with another new term,  Voluntourism.   Which speaks for itself.   Help maintain a national park somewhere, within or out of the US.   Build homes.   Help people to learn how to care for themselves.  Kids are doing this now, as spring break and/or summer projects are scheduled, so our younger generation sees the world with way different eyes than did their parents, who were lucky to travel outside of the US at all during their youth.

From the side of a highway, Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

The case for going green has been tried and tested,  and I am sure you have heard of various hotels, protected areas, and that sort of thing that are champions of "sustainable tourism."    Here you'll find structures designed for minimum energy usage, the most pristine and renewable building materials, hotels and restaurants that grow much of their own food....the sort of thing that will help mother nature remain clean so that our grandchildren can appreciate our world's beauty as much as we can.

Have you experienced any of these trends?   Drop down to the comment section and talk about this so others can learn more.   And if you would like to, contact me and we can talk. 

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