One of my grandfather’s favorite expressions was, “Now I’ve seen it all!” But in travel, as long as you’re in good health, my advice for the 55+ traveler is “You HAVEN’T Seen It ALL!” This monthly column will tell your clients how and where to go to places they may not have seen of how to see them in a different way.
My advice to travelers is there’s always something new to see, even in the world’s most popular destinations and even if people have visited dozens of times. For more than 12 years, I’ve been advising the travelers to visit places around the world missed by most—and even missed by many locals.
While reading this new column geared to the older traveler, you’re probably wondering what makes me an expert on this subject other than being in this 55+ age category. I’m a professor of architecture and humor who first and foremost believes that “leisure travel should be fun!” I’ve been to 117 countries, and visited palaces, churches and museums. I’ve even lectured in museums and cultural institutions on five continents from the Smithsonian to the Hermitage.
This column will view age as an asset. Unlike younger travelers in college and post college, we have both the leisure time and disposable income to travel. We’ll fight the assumption that age in travel is a liability. In fact, it’s an asset.
Sadly, this age group (my age group) is sometimes either ignored or lumped together. I’m just waiting for someone to ask me if I first visited Martha’s Vineyard when Martha planted her vineyard. There are many travel industry age stereotypes out there such as: “If you’re 55+ you must love a cruise.” While I’ve lectured on many cruises, unfortunately their land excursions are not really geared toward seasoned travelers who have already visited all the ports’ major sites before and want to return to see new sites in the old familiar cities they love.
Even if you love the cruise line and its ships—and you want to repeat a cruise—you’d think in 2023 a cruise line would come up with two different shore excursions—one for travelers who have never been to those ports and a “You HAVEN’T Seen It ALL!” itinerary for travelers who love the cruise line but want to see something new in each port. My message to the travel industry: “Here I am—come get me!”
I’ve been creating and leading commercial tours since 2007, starting with tours for AARP (before I was too young to even become a member). Since 2000 I’ve created and led fam and press trips for the experts—government tourist boards, airlines and hotels.
Since 2019, however, I’ve moved up to another level of experience (in addition to writing a column), hosting my “Been There, HAVEN’T Done That” syndicated WOR travel radio show as well as appearing weekly covering travel on the BizTV Network’s “Liquid Lunch.”
This column will show how age and experience are assets. In fact, instead of referring to my contemporaries as “Senior Travelers”—let’s refer to us as “Seasoned Travelers,” whether it’s visiting your local beach or visiting the Riviera—or better yet visiting cities that also have beaches, “Urban Beaches” such as Rio de Janeiro and Chicago where you can visit a museum and a beach the same afternoon
If you think that just because you’ve visited a city many times you’ve seen it all—you’re wrong. Back when my parents took me as a child to Rome, anyone could just walk right into the Colosseum for free—and free of lines. In 2023, however, there’s even a line for “Skip the Line.” However, just a few short blocks away there’s another sensational but seldom-visited Ancient Roman site, the Domus Aurea, the spectacular underground Palace of Nero, which often doesn’t even achieve its quota of 25 visitors at a time.
Just because a city is “old” doesn’t mean there are no new sightseeing discoveries—even ancient ones. In Rome looking down is looking up. Under Rome’s Palazzo Valentini, adjacent to the Roman Forum, two Ancient Roman houses with baths were recently discovered and excavated this century and are presented with the latest virtual reality—and there are virtually no lines.
I can get rid of lines using Botox. “You HAVEN’T Seen It ALL!” gets rid of lines by avoiding packed famous sites and visiting sites just as fascinating—unknown sites without lines. Chances are you might have even walked past great seldom-visited sites such as the Roman Forum’s perfectly preserved Ancient Roman Senate with its original marble floor and even senators’ stone seats or the Forum’s fascinating round Temple of Romulus, a small intact Pantheon.
These sights aren’t just for “Seasoned Travelers,” they are for everyone at every age. In fact, “You HAVEN’T Seen IT ALL!” will also offer great sites for travelers of every age—specializing in “intergenerational travel”—“Seasoned Travelers” traveling with their children and grandchildren.
“You HAVEN’T Seen It ALL!” is intended for Seasoned Travelers “put in their place”—quite literally by seasoned tour operators, seasoned travel advisors, seasoned travel publicists and seasoned travel Journalists. “You HAVEN’T It ALL!” is not intended for “Influencers” who may not have visited any place beyond their computer keyboard. Were George Bernard Shaw alive today, he’d say, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, influence.”
Prof. Barry Goldsmith is a TV, radio, print and web travel journalist who's been teaching architecture and comedy for over 20 years (but not together in the same course). While great architecture is sought out by many travelers, you may be wondering what comedy (humor) has to do with travel? Above all, Goldsmith believes that leisure travel should be fun! Since 2019 Goldsmith has been the weekly travel and culture expert on the BizTV Network's national TV show "Liquid Lunch." Since 2000 he has created and led tours for tourist boards, airlines and hotels as well as creating and leading tours based on his columns. To contact him, email ProfBGoldsmith1@gmail.com or Barry.Goldsmith@nyu.edu.