Article after article today laments the economic downturn and the effect this will have on Baby Boomers who haven’t saved for retirement.
“Retirement.” I hope that is a word my fellow Baby Boomers will never use.
Remember when we were going to change the world? Well, perhaps the current economic reality is just what we need to get back on track. Maybe the current situation is a wonderful opportunity and challenge for Boomers who look forward to doing what they can to help their children and grandchildren appreciate our Global Village. We have the opportunity to leave our acquired comfort zone and to enjoy seeing the world as travelers, not just as tourists. We CAN change the world if we travel as temporary locals, not just as sightseers. I believe Boomers want to claim Spaceship Earth citizenship and to put this citizenship to good use to see the world and to share what we see with our loved ones.
The savings of home exchange travel is just a small part of the opportunity of home swap traveling. What really matters to Baby Boomers is the experience of Living Like A Local–that is, meeting people in different parts of the world, sharing ideas with others face to face, bringing new ideas back home, while pursuing a green (earth-friendly) vacation. As an educated generation, Baby Boomers should be able to see and recognize the win-win scenario of combining “meaningful” with “fun and entertaining” that comes with choosing destinations for home swap exchanges.
If the old way of doing things and the idea of a “golfing-and-cruising retirement” lifestyle has lost its economic base, maybe our new “forced economy” is a good thing. This new economy demands creativity so the Fourth Stage Of Life is not about retirement, but is about the ADVENTURE of traveling as world citizens in search of brothers and sisters in different neighborhoods in our Global Village.
