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Move over, millennial travel influencers. One company, Compare the Market, is currently looking for a retired person to travel the world on an all-expenses-paid “Senior Gap Year.”
The search for the perfect retired travel addict is limited to residents of the United Kingdom, where Compare the Market is based, but competition is expected to be fierce. After all, the winner of the Senior Gap Year competition will get up to £10,000 (the equivalent of $14,000) of their travel costs covered as they explore up to 12 different destinations. They’ll also be given a GoPro camera in order to capture their best memories on film.
While traveling, the Senior Gap Year winner will be charged with putting together a blog post a month, supplemented with pictures from their expeditions and advice for fellow traveling retirees. All in all, it sounds like the perfect opportunity for those looking to have a few adventures—and the competition is still open for another week, with applications due on Feb. 12.
The Senior Gap Year competition is a fantastic idea—especially considering that the number of Americans over age 65 will more than double in the next couple of decades (while other age groups’ numbers remain relatively stable). And those numbers make for a booming industry (pun fully intended): the Canadian Tourism Research Institute believes baby boomers will make up the majority of the pleasure travel market over the next decade, according to the Globe and Mail.
With extra time on their hands, seniors are the perfect growing market for the travel industry to focus on, which means accounts from traveling seniors should probably be in higher demand than just another millennial travel blog.
If you’re in the U.K. and meet the criteria, apply before Feb. 12 with a 200-word personal statement for a chance at winning. If you’re not eligible, you can still follow the fun by voting for a finalist and checking to see who’s won by mid-March.
If you were to take your own senior gap year, what countries would make it onto your “must visit” list?
[h/t: Lonely Planet]
About the Author
Kenza Moller is a writer and editor based in Toronto. She's into psychology, travel, and running, and often falls down random Wikipedia rabbit holes. More.
