Over 50s Head for the Caribbean for a Seachange in Lifestyle

While the younger British generations are all about adventure travel and exotic gap year experiences, when it comes to the so-called Baby Boomers (aka the over 50s demographic) it appears that in their lifetime commitment to establish a lifestyle of wealth, security, and family values, something had to give.

Just a few years ago, in a survey conducted among over-50 travellers, an overwhelming nine out of ten cited regrets that they had not done more travelling when they were younger. However, in a modern-day mid-life Renaissance, three out of four now list travelling as top of their life 'to do' list - so it's time to make amends!

Over 50s Head Overseas

Bucking the safe concept of spending the next twenty years of retirement or pre-retirement snuggled up in front of a cosy hearth with pipe and slippers at the ready, a new breed of British over-50s is spreading their wings and setting a course to far-flung destinations to satisfy their travel bug.

An Investment in Leisure

By both their nature and by design, naturally the over-50s aren't following the same travel patterns as their youthful backpacking counterparts. But, while of course there are plenty of older people who are quite satisfied with a few weeks a year on a cruise or in a sun-soaked beach resort to work on their tans, there is a growing number who are looking for something more.

With age not only comes wisdom, but also generally more disposable income, as well as a desire to experience a more meaningful and long-term cultural experience. With one in four over-50s reporting a desire to live abroad for part of the year, investing in the foreign property market is becoming a very attractive option for anyone looking to spend their leisure years somewhere more stimulating than their own front room or Eastbourne at Easter, but less 'rustic' than the floor of a lean-to hut on a beach in Goa.

Sun, Sea and Foreign Investments

With its obvious natural assets and an excellent luxury travel infrastructure, The Caribbean is high on the list of choices for foreign property investment for over-50s Brits. For those who aren't planning on a permanent expat lifestyle, however, the prospect of an expensive holiday home sitting idle or incurring heavy management rental fees for most of the year can be a bit of a dampener. Now, in a new style of investment previously unavailable in Caribbean beachfront property, luxury 5-star resort The Landings, St Lucia is offering an alternative.

With luxury villa and penthouse accommodation, a private beach, a marina, an opulent 5-star lifestyle, and non-stop sunshine on tap, The Landings St Lucia offers all the trappings of a fully operational luxury resort – because that's exactly what it is. So far so good - who wouldn't want the opportunity to live like that for a few months of the year?

But aside from the unbeatable beachfront aspect, the thing that's really piquing the interest of the astute over-50s is the freehold nature of The Landings St Lucia – putting them firmly in the driving seat with no restrictive conditions on their investment.

Freehold ownership affords the choice of living in the property full-time, for several months of the year, or just once or twice a year as an occasional holiday home. Alongside the opportunity for meaningful capital growth, when not in residence, owners can take advantage of the resort's managed 'rental scheme’, which allows their investment to return an income to offset the mortgage or upkeep of the property.

Astute Adventure Lifestyle for Over-50s

It's not often the words 'astute' and 'adventure' appear alongside each other, but the opportunity to combine leisure, lifestyle, travel and now investment, in places like The Caribbean is now surprisingly accessible. It's never been a more exciting time to be heading towards mid-life, and it seems the over-50 Brits are teaching us how to do it in style! Gen X, start taking notes now.