As our daughter graduated from college this summer and our son traveled to Oxford, Mississippi to begin college, it has occurred to me that my husband and I are now empty nest. Our young adult children have flown the coop and we are free to travel at our leisure. No more worries about teenagers hosting house parties while the parents are away or having to pay outrageous prices for airline tickets and hotel stays when everyone with children is on vacation from school. We are looking forward to empty nest travel! Here are 5 travel tips for empty nest baby boomers!
Tips for empty nest travel
1. Take advantage of off peak pricing.
Airlines, hotels, resorts and cruise ships are all looking to capture the baby boomer traveler who is no longer tied to travel during school holidays.
2. Financial freedom
Depending on the amount of children in your family, empty nesters no longer need to worry about reserving multiple hotel rooms, family-friendly villas, requesting adjoining hotel rooms or renting houses large enough to accommodate kids and friends.
3. Dining decisions
I don’t know about you, but often times our dining decisions during travel were based on where the kids wanted to eat. Traveling with teens often boiled down to fast food drive-ins or chain restaurants. Dining out as empty nest travelers gives us flexibility to choose where we spend our dining dollars.
4. Travel discounts
When it comes to travel tips, I’m all about discovering the discount. I’m not entitled to senior citizen discounts yet, but there are organizations such as AARP (a non-profit organization that helps people over 50 improve the quality of their lives) and AAA ( a North American based not-for-profit motor club that offers emergency road service, insurance & travel assistance) that offer travel discounts for hotels, tours, cruises and such.
5. Automotive downsize
Ditch the mini van or sport utility vehicle that carries children and a dog. Instead, downsize to a sporty Mini Cooper or electric car. You’ll get better gas mileage driving a two-seater coupe and a smaller vehicle forces you to pack more efficiently.
Are you an empty nest parent or getting ready to enter this stage of life? What empty nest travel tips do you have to share?
Article and photos by empty nest baby boomer Nancy D. Brown.
Really good points, we try to take advantage of them all except number 5, we went for a 22ft motorhome.
@GypsyNesters
You know what they say…go big or go home. Looks like you went big and left home. What a trip!
Must have been such an experience, Nancy! I’ll try to make my parents follow your advice, I think they need it! 🙂
@Lily
It’s always good to get advice from our kids!