I love language! It really is not a static thing, but it shifts and evolves with time. Take the word vacation; only recently, another word was created out of it – staycation, for vacations that are spent in the vicinity of a person’s hometown or city. Now, we have another word: greycationer. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the word refers to people aged 50 and above, who spend a lot of time traveling.
The trend is actually gaining ground in Europe. Experts in the travel industry say that this greycationer trend is a result of the “massive influx of baby-boomers who grew up in the 1960s. After redefining youth culture, they are now making their mark on older age.”
Travel agencies and tour operators are now tweaking their offerings to cater to this group of travelers. Their services revolve around activities such as going to spas, swimming, cycling, and other health pursuits. They also have a host of cultural activities – which European countries definitely do not have a shortage of.
The trend seems to be mostly centered in Europe, Germany in particular, for now. It is not really a surprise since this part of the world has had problems with their “ageing population” for quite some time. Now, the problem seems to be taking on a more positive side, at least for the travel sector. I would not be surprised to see the trend catching on in other countries outside of Europe – at least in those countries which have good social services that cover the retirement age.