I admit to more than a little satisfaction when I learned that Boomeresque was named by the Trip Advisor vacation rentals blog as one of the 20 Baby Boomer Travel Bloggers Having More Fun than Millennials. This is because our son and many of his friends are millennial travel bloggers and they write about how wonderful it is to travel in their 20’s, unencumbered by spouses, children and desk jobs. (I must hasten to add or he’ll never speak to me again that our son is not a dissolute mostly drunk aimless back packer, but rather, a digital nomad who supports himself quite nicely with his on-line businesses. We’re not sure where he acquired his entrepreneurial drive. I come from a long line of hard-working, dedicated wage slaves. When I told my mother I was starting my own law firm, her reaction was, “Oh, you can’t get a job?”)
Our son jumps out of airplanes, rides motorcycles through the Yucatan in Mexico, and I’m sure does other things I don’t want to know about –or I don’t want to know about until after the fact—-like the time he protected a young woman in his hostel from a knife wielding would be rapist in Turkey. Mr. Excitement and I are pretty positive we don’t want to jump out of airplanes nor ride a “hog” through the Yucatan jungle. We’re also pretty keen on staying away from all knife wielders in all countries, but even our millennial sons seem to have at least a grudging respect for the amount of get up and go we still exhibit.
We’ve already been to Hawaii this year where on the island of Oahu, we dragged our old bones we climbed to the summit of Diamond Head, Honolulu’s iconic extinct volcano. ( “Iconic” is overused by travel bloggers of all ages, including moi, but Honolulu is instantly recognizable because of Diamond Head’s commanding omnipresence.)
The extinct crater of Diamond Head is part of the Honolulu scene.
The view of Waikiki Beach and Honolulu beyond from the top of Diamond Head.
Ten days on Maui and Oahu in Hawaii was our first trip of 2016 (not counting my solo trip to Tampa to a cousins’ reunion in which Mr. Excitement did not participate because that would have been just too excrutiating exciting for him.) I endured flew on 14 flights in 2015 and went on 10 trips. Two trips to Europe are already planned for 2016, and if someone wants to send me to Antarctica or to see the Northern Lights, just tell me where to show up.
In addition to affording me the “see I told you we were fun” moment with our millennial sons, one of the reasons I was happy Boomeresque was included in the list of 20 Baby Boomer Travel Bloggers Having More Fun than Millennials is because the other baby boomer travel bloggers on the list have excellent, informative, well-written blogs, so Boomeresque is in august company. Many have also patiently, generously and supportively mentored me in my encore career as a travel blogger and have become friends in real life. Check out their blogs for some reading pleasure and for some good travel photography. You can find the links to their blogs in the TripAdvisor article.
Most baby boomers have been around long enough to know that the road of life goes up and down. We’ve all had our carpe diem moments, reminding us that tomorrow is promised to no one. We’ve made plans that God found laughable. Speaking in the baby boomer vernacular, we know full well that life is a trip — man. However, we’ve retained our capacity to laugh, love and have fun.
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A mention well-deserved amongst august company! Congratulations! Yes, I’d say we boomers are having way more fun than millennials. We’re generally more comfortable and choosing healthier options because we just can’t stay up late. 😀
Yeah. We’re happy with wine (sangria) with dinner and a quiet hotel room. Actually, even our millennial son has noticed that he can no longer party quite as intensely as he used to be able to.
Congratulations on your TripAdvisor award, and happy tripping!
Congratulations! Your post shows your wonderful writing style and sense of humour! I just can’t believe (well I can) that you did 10 trips in 2015. The energy alone to do that equals your son’s adventurous exploits.
Of course, I always knew you were an exciting couple! Fun article, Suzanne. Always a pleasure to read your posts. Very happy to be in your company on the Trip Advisor list. Keep on having fun!
Congrats on the honor. Is Mr. Excitement excited about it?
I’ll find out tonight if he reads it at work today. He’s so exciting that sometimes it’s hard to know how he really feels. 😉
Congratulations. Life does indeed have its ups and downs. Enjoys the ups of your travels and your encore career. I enjoy reading about them.
Having left our “Teenage Wasteland” years long behind us I have to agree that the boomers we meet while traveling are having a blast and can list many exciting adventures. We’re at the age where we know NOW is the perfect time to travel (before we have to haul along a walker) plus we have both the time and income (and there are ways to cut costs) to travel to places that interest us. Congratulations Suzanne and here’s to an exciting 2016!
Hats off to the two Excitements for a boomer life well lived and stories well told…Well done, Suzanne!
Well, it would seem the names Mr. a.k.a. Dr. & Mrs. Excitement were spot on. Congratulations for the nod from TripAdvisor. I think they’re on to something about us boomers. I look at how my mother lived her life at 60 and I look at my life at 60 and the differences are vast. Boomers today have it goin on!
Wonderful accolade from a respected source! Congratulations and a hearty thank you from this boomer for helping to promote the image that curiosity and fun continue to drive this generation:) Keep on, keepin’ on, friend:)
Suzanne,
I have never actually met Mr. Excitement, but look forward to the day I do, since his extroverted personality probably aligns with mine young lady! LOL! Love following your many escapades and congrats on the TripAdvisor awatd!
#safetravels
Mike
He really exists, Mike, in all his exciting glory. Some boomer travel bloggers have even met him. I too hippie or paths will cross when I have him in tow.
I believe, after reading your comment on my blog, that you have chosen a great way to reward yourself. Take care, Beth
Congrats for being included in this Boomers list, now you guys are rockin’ it!
Congratulations on this honor, which I think is important and well-deserved! I’m not sure what has been my most fun trip…probably my trips to Africa and Tahiti, as well as any trip with my family to Wallowa Lake in northeast Oregon.
Far out, man! That is so cool and out there! Those people are the ones in august company. I could never have imagined reading a travel blog and here I am, in love with yours!! Handsome son you got there! Mine is also out there with his Hog, his wife and their trips everywhere. They love GOING. I can’t even imagine them having a kid unless it is going to be hauled around on the Razr like their dog is!! They do have fun, that’s for sure.
Congrats on the Trip Advisor recognition, Suzanne! And with your celebrity status you can buy me dinner when I get to Philly. My choice 🙂
Deal.
Hi Suzanne,
Thank you for visiting my blog today and commenting on my WP Hacks post. I wanted to return the blog love and visit you too.
Thanks for the baby boomer travel tips. My husband and I are baby boomers. We travel often.
Janice
Congratulations on making the list. I hope Henk and I will be on it one day, since we’ve always believed that fun is for grownups, too! (either that, or we’re very immature)
I think not having to be worrying about what to be when one grows up is quite freeing. IMHO, we’re more fun now than we were when we both had demanding careers, children to raise, a mortgage to pay, ad nauseum. (PS: Mr. Excitement still has a demanding career, but even he seems more relaxed and “fun”, now that a last research grant cycle is in sight.)
Not surprising to those who really know you Suzanne! Congrats on the acknowledgement. Can’t wait to hear how you and Mr. Excitement celebrate.
That is very sweet of you to say, Sue. You might be surprised to learn that “celebrating” is not our strong suit. OTOH, I found out about this during a trip to Hawaii, more than enough celebration—especially since I was on my sangria tasting quest. 😉
Congratulations on making “the list”. Well-deserved! How great that your son has inherited the travel gene. 🙂
It’s probably lucky for him that I also have the gene. I think some parents would look askance at his digital nomadic lifestyle, but I get it. Maybe I would have even been one had I been born at a different time. (I am not complaining about the trajectory of my life as it was/is. To the contrary, I feel extremely grateful.)
Congrats on your achievement and recognition with Tripadvisor! Keep up the Gr8 work! Rob
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