If you are hoping to attract younger members (Boomers, for example), consider adding at least one soft-adventure trip into the mix on your annual travel calendar.
Today’s age-50-and-up travelers are not interested in getting on a tour bus daily and seeing the world through the window. They are accustomed to walking, swimming, playing golf or tennis, and going to the gym several times a week and they wish to remain as active as possible and as their stamina permits. They are perfect candidates for whats referred to as soft adventure. And, if you are not going to offer it to them, they will find an organization or company that will. Climbing Mt. Everest, hiking 30 miles a day, sleeping outside through rain and hail, and subsisting on beef jerky and trail mix are not what they have in mind. That’s hard adventure. That may be what they did when they were age 20.
Surprising to participants, adventure travel is not less expensive than regular travel. This is because of high costs to operate in remote areas, heavy fixed expenses costed out over a small number of participants, and the expense of training and retaining exceptionally qualified tour leaders and guides.
The good news about soft adventure travel is that there are a number of excellent companies with which you can work. These companies do a wonderful job of educating and preparing your travelers for the trip by sending them all sorts of pre-trip information bulletins, clothing and packing suggestions, and so forth.
Also they are helpful in rating each trip from easy to strenuous, often listing hours of activity, miles of hiking or biking, altitude, etc. For more information on trip options, destinations and qualified tour operators, contact the Adventure Travel Trade Association.
