Forget all-inclusives and big bus tours, the older generation is determined to keep the spirit of adventure alive in their holidays and Intrepid’s Peregrine Adventures has taken note.
The operator recently surveyed of 2000 Australians across both the Gen Y and Baby Boomer age categories and found that the older travellers actually took more risks while travelling.
Interestingly, they are also definitely more partial to a spot of skinny-dipping. One in five of the over 50s admitted to stripping off, as compared with one in ten of their younger counterparts.
Older travellers are also more interested in getting off the beaten track and travelling in order to learn, the research showed.
As a result, the operator, which next year celebrates its 40th birthday, has revamped its offering.
This week, general manager Robyn Nixon unveiled Peregrine’s latest program with some major changes inspired by these revelations about the daring nature of the older traveller.
“It needed a bit of a facelift,” she said of the brand at a media lunch in Sydney yesterday.
“Our travellers have matured as they’ve grown up and now they’re looking for a slightly different experience.”
Perhaps most significant is its launch of a new small ship cruising range – the world’s first carbon offset program.
Then there are its new Limited Edition tours designed to cater to travellers wanting to “combine their special interests with their love of travel”.
“We’ve seen an increase in demand for destinations such as Cuba, Morocco, India and Antarctica as our travellers look to go beyond their original bucket-list,” Nixon said.
“They’re well-travelled and they are now looking for places where they can learn new things and immerse themselves in the local culture.”
The new itineraries include a visit to the Jaipur Literary Festival along with Rudyard Kipling’s Bundi. There’s also a visit to Colombia’s Medellin for its flower festival.
Each year, Peregrine will look to “new and exciting” places and events to incorporate into that range to keep things fresh, Nixon confirmed.
The latest changes follow the removal of its premium Peregrine Reserve collection last year.
“We were trying to move adventure into the 4-5 star end but we thought it was a very crowded market,” Intrepid managing director James Thornton told KarryOn earlier this year.
“We just didn’t have a sufficient skillset in that really top end.”
While he claimed the product had been overwhelmingly “loved” and reasonably successful, in the end it was just “too niche” to be sustainable long-term.
The focus now is on keeping things fresh and exciting, according to Nixon.
“This is a generation of people who have really lived and are not willing to age in their travels gracefully,” she said.
Does that mean lots more skinny-dipping? We hope so.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve done on your travels?
