Grey nomads share a drink with locals at the Tilpa pub in NSW. PIC: Melinda Sinclair
The hordes of grey nomads who have embraced the open road and completed the Big Lap already know it, but a major study of senior travellers has now confirmed it.
Meeting locals is “overwhelmingly” the highlight of any domestic road trip. The survey also found the “romantic idea” of an extended journey across our wonderful country “burns for many years”, within travellers who talk with great pride about Australia and its natural landscapes.
For the first time after many years of research, the over 55s are also showing an “active interest” in getting to know and understanding Aboriginal culture, the report stated. The findings offer a comprehensive analysis of what grey nomads are looking for when contemplating a domestic travel adventure.
And it is mixing with local characters, listening to their stories over a beer or around a camp fire that is the key driver, according to the report.
“Overwhelmingly, the number one thing about travelling….is the people you meet along the way,” it said. “Domestic travel for Australians delivers on the promise of meeting ‘locals’ who are unique to the region. It truly is the highlight.”
It adds the best recommendations come from locals who can unearth “hidden gems” that “you wouldn’t know about had you not met them”.
Helping to maximise the local experience is the attitude of older travellers themselves who are “open and friendly” and “happy to chat to anyone along the way to engage with the people they meet”.
Comments contained in the report will resonate with all grey nomads, as the report described the joys of travelling to Outback regions and encountering “rough as guts blokes with big soft hearts having a yarn at the bar”.
One respondent said: “Locals have pride in their communities and what they can offer you. Meeting interesting people who shares their lives and stories with you is what memories are made of.”
The authors of the report, marketing consultancy New Young Consulting, said conversations with senior travellers found they were meticulous planners and demonstrated immense pride in their country.
There was a realisation that Australia “has it all” and that no other country “can beat us on our landscapes, natural beauty and flora and fauna. Our beaches are also unrivalled”.
The Outback was also revered and almost regarded by respondents to the survey as a “faraway country” and the “stuff dreams are made of”.
Unsurprisingly, those who take off and explore the country are also bitten by the bug, with many who arrive home often anxious to re-open their maps and plan a second adventure.
• Have you had many memorable encounters with locals? Comment below.
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