Older travel: Adventure holidays are a favourite with over-50s travellers

Add to My Stories They were once a familiar sight pottering along the promenades of Britain's coastline or enjoying the sunshine on Spain's best beaches.
But now older travellers are looking for more adventure from their holidays and are trading in the traditional beach break and heading off the beaten track to exotic destinations like Borneo and Bolivia.The over-50s travel market is booming and older holidaymakers now account for more than half of overseas holiday spend as they splash out 17.6bn a year on travel.

Splashing out: The over-50s travel market is boomingAnd intrepid 'greycationers' are not stopping there. Experts predict the amount they spend on holidays will almost double in the next 10 years.Travel companies that cater for the over-50s, such as Saga, are unsurprised by the latest developments in older travel, they have seen a growing demand for adventurous breaks over the past few years.'We now offer trekking in the Himalayas to the Mount Everest base camp,' said Saga spokesperson Carl Catterall.'We have had holidaymakers hiking Mount Kinabalu in Borneo or trekking up the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, there are so many different things on offer.'Free of responsibilities and often lucky enough to have made the most of the previously strong economy, many of Britain's over-50s are in the position to be able to splash out on holidays.On average, they spend 883 on every overseas trip, 67 per cent more than their younger counterparts whotypically spend 528.

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While destinations such as Spain and France have enduring popularity, other more unusual hotspots are emerging.LV= travel has reported a surge! in inte rest for Poland, Bulgaria and Croatia, while Saga has tipped Nepal, Borneo and Bolivia as its top destinations for 2011, saying more than half of customers are looking for adventure outside Europe.When asked why they go abroad, only one per cent of Saga travellers said it was for a suntan, while 45 per cent said it was to experience a different culture.

On the up: Older travellers still want to climb mountains, ski and have exotic adventures abroadOlder holidaymakers are also refusing to give up the outdoors pastimes they love, with 10 per cent of those questioned by LV= travel insurance saying they were planning a ski trip this year. Other favourite activities include walking and cycling holidays as well as safaris.Perhaps it is no wonder that so many over-50s, around 1.6m, are choosing to take sabbaticals and extend their holidays so they can fit everything in. But a word of warning to younger readers hoping to spend their latter years globe-trotting.
The current trend for older travel could well tail off after 2020 as the increasing age of first-time parenthood and lack of pension provisions for younger workers means many will be reigning in costs to save for retirement.