Game of Thrones

Overtourism: The New Travel Plague?

Published August 29, 2018 | By Clark Norton

Prague’s famous Charles Bridge is often jam-packed with tourists. Photo by Clark Norton

You may have experienced it yourself when battling humongous lines to enter San Marco in Venice, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, or the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, or when you found yourself in a wave of fellow travelers struggling to get a peek at the changing of the guard at palaces in London, Athens, or Prague.

You may have been put off by hordes of drunken revelers in Amsterdam, Mallorca, or Berlin (of which, we trust, you were not one yourself).

You may have found small Alaskan ports or Croatian islands too overrun by your fellow cruise ship passengers to appreciate the beauty that attracted you to such cruise itineraries in the first place.

You may have sought out privacy in Iceland’s hot springs, only to find them packed with Game of Thrones fans drawn… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Cruises, cultural travel, Europe, Film Locations, Foreign travel, travel economic impacts, vacation rentals | Tagged Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Game of Thrones, Iceland, Kyoto, Overtourism, Prague, responsible tourism, sustainable tourism, Venice | 11 Comments

Game of Thrones Fan? Try These Locales

Published March 28, 2016 | By Clark Norton

Sahara Desert dunes at Erg Chebbi, Morocco. Photo by Dennis Cox/WorldViews

With Season 6 of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones almost here, it’s time to reacquaint yourself with Westeros, Winterfell, Essos, King’s Landing, The Seven Kingdoms, the Iron Throne, Tyrion, Cersei, the rest of the Lannisters, Daenerys and the Targaryens, the Baratheons, the Starks, Lord Baelish, the Greyjoys, the Wildlings, the White Walkers…and dozens of other characters, places, families, armies, kings and would-be kings, sadists, liars, spies, schemers, charlatans, lovers, knights, dragons and dungeons we don’t have room to mention.

You can be forgiven if occasionally you get confused about who’s who and what’s what. But GoT is just about the most popular TV show in the world right now, seen in 193 countries (we’re guessing North Korea is the outlier), and we’re big fans, too.

What better way to get ready for Season 6 than visiting some or… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, cultural travel, educational travel, Film Locations | Tagged Croatia, Dubrovnik, film locations, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Season Six, HBO, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, northern Ireland, Spain | 1 Comment

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.