New Year’s Resolutions

My New Year’s Travel Resolutions

Published December 31, 2015 | By Clark Norton

Don’t forget to renew your passport if it expires within six months.

I WILL pack lightly enough to get all my clothes and gear into carry-on sized bags. That means eliminating the third pair of shoes I never wear, the extra shirts I bring “just in case” I might need them, and all the other extras that force me into larger suitcases. (This will be a challenge for Antarctica, where I’m headed in February, but if I have to wear three coats on the plane, so be it.)
I WILL buy one of those nifty, easy-to-maneuver four-wheeled suitcases (carry-on size, of course) that everyone in the world now seems to have but me.
I WILL get a new passport by October 2016, since my current one expires in April 2017. (Don’t ask me why so many countries now require your passport to have six months’ validity after your planned… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Blogging, Holidays, Packing | Tagged China, flights, flying, luggage, Mom's Restaurant, New Year's Resolutions, New Year's travel, packing, passport renewal, suitcases, travel scams | Leave a comment

Have You Broken Your New Year’s Resolutions Yet?

Published January 9, 2015 | By Clark Norton

I resolve to spend more time…cruising. Photo by Clark Norton

According to a recent study, only eight percent of Americans successfully keep their New Year’s resolutions throughout the year.

That means that the perennial number one resolution, “lose weight,” is a perennial loser. I’m guessing it’s knocked out in the first round — or first week in this case — by leftover Christmas cookies and wintertime cravings for lasagna and mashed potatoes smothered in gravy, sometimes at the same meal.

The perennial number two, “Getting organized,” is always my first resolution, and the first to be broken. For example, it took me 15 minutes of sorting through assorted papers to find the results of this study. But I’m pretty sure I’ll be organized by, well, 2016.

The number three resolution, at least for 2014 (according to the study by the University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology), was “spend… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Cruises, National Parks | Tagged New Year's Resolutions, travel | 2 Comments

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.