Learning Experiences of Senior Travellers

Abstract

Growing numbers of older adults are choosing to travel each year. Most research on older travellers focuses on how to market travel opportunities to this age segment. The purpose of this investigation was to examine learning experiences of older adults during travel. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposively selected sample of eight individuals ranging in ages from 56 to 89. Questions were directed at the nature of significant travel experiences and what they learned. Four themes emerged from the data: learning about personal character, learning about trust, learning about the world, and learning about home.