How’d you like to combine your love of travel with earning an income during semi-retirement? According to a 2015 AARP Travel report, Baby Boomers spend an estimated $120 billion annually in leisure travel, and that an astounding 99 percent of those older Americans surveyed are planning to take a trip this year. The survey also showed that international bucket list trips are growing in popularity, as 32 percent of Baby Boomers traveling in 2016 will be heading outside the United States. Clearly the boomer travel market has strong growth potential.
Here are two ideas for you (and you’ll also learn about some amazing boomer travel planning resources as well).
1. Travel Blogger: If you’re interested in blogging, take a look at this list of 20 Baby Boomer Travel Bloggers recently published on TripAdvisor. UPDATED LINK: bit.ly/20-boom
While I can’t say for certain that everyone on the list is profiting off their sites, it appears that most are generating at least some income from sponsorships, consulting, books and guides.
By analyzing these sites, you’ll get a sense of the different options for monetization. And as a bonus, you’ll discover lots of inspirational second-act stories and helpful travel ideas.
If this inspires to learn more about the how-to’s of making money as a blogger, be sure to read my NextAvenue.org post, How to Make Money as a Blogger. Another super helpful read: How We Became Travel Bloggers on GypsyNesters.com. Of special note, the Gypsy Nesters recommend the Professional Travel Bloggers Association, a group that promotes the interests of travel bloggers.
2. Customized Tour Operator. Another great travel blog run by a boomer: Ortensia Blu Travel Adventures. This site is the brainchild of my friend Laney Sachs who leads one-of-a-kind tours of Italy (she also sells imported Italian goods on her sister site OrtensiaBlu.com).
Check out these resources and let me know if they spark any new travel and income ideas.