I think that the trend of intergenerational travel is going to be a top growth market in the next five years.  Yes it has been around for many years but I feel the next generation of seniors (The Boomers) are the group that will make this become a top new market.

The “NEW SENIOR” is more active than their grandparents were, they are well traveled and have a bigger discretionary income.  For these reasons I feel that this generation will be the ones who take their grandchildren on an intergenerational tour.

I suggest to my fellow group tourism professionals to become creative and start developing new products that can be enjoyed by both grandparents and their grandchildren at the same time.

Popular programs will include baseball tours, train tours, outdoor adventures including water sports, hiking and more.  As I mentioned, this generation in more physically fit and will try new experiences with their grandchildren.

Be creative and think outside of the box.

The popularity of television cooking shows and culinary travel has grown tremendously in the past few years and I noticed an increasing number of Americans choosing travel destinations around the concept of cuisine.  The lack of food-oriented travel options prompted me to develop a company with an entire focus on culinary travel.    

The Travel Industry Association released a first-of-its-kind national survey a few years back on the culinary travel niche market.  The survey revealed that 27 million travelers, 17% of which are American leisure travelers, engaged in culinary or wine-related activities within the past three years.   Another survey, conducted by Edge Research, showed that travelers are motivated by unique experiences. These results reinforce Donnelly’s certainty for the need of a company that focuses on a destination’s individual, environmental, and cultural elements.

Over ten years ago I started planning educational programs for Elderhostel, now Road Scholar, incorporating Revolutionary War history programs.  In 2003, I began searching for new program ideas and came up with “Vermont: A Week of Fine Foods.”  This idea became the start of culinary programs for Sugar Tours.  In 2005 the company introduced another culinary-related program entitled “Lobsters, Wineries, and Fine Foods.  Since then Sugar Tours has designed six programs, which are so popular they never fail to sell out.   My idea of a culinary tour is not just a visit to a culinary school for a meal, or to a winery for a wine tasting; it’s more about a total experience.  If you visit a Rhode Island winery you don’t just do a tour and tasting, add a traditional Rhode Island clambake along with the tasting.  In the evening try working with state gourmet food associations to bring in speakers for an evening program.” 

I have established working relationships with many specialty food producers, such as an organic dairies, CSA farms, distilleries, and boutique wineries, which are included in my programs.   Other programs now include Philadelphia, New York and Boston.  In the fall of 2011 Road Scholar will begin to operate his new creation entitled; “Flavors of the South: BBQ to Peanuts”.

This program will begin in beautiful Norfolk, Virginia where you will stay for the first three evenings.  While in Virginia you will explore the charming town of Smithfield, home of Smithfield Hams, visit local farms, a Williamsburg winery and sample Colonial Fare in one of Williamsburg’s historic taverns. 

Then you are off to the Tar Heel State of North Carolina which is home to some of the best BBQ in the US.  Go behind the scenes of Chapel Hill and Carrboro restaurants where traditional and modern ‘farm-to-table’ cuisine comes to life. From fine-dining restaurants to mom & pop shops, sample innovative and upscale southern dishes, authentic barbecue, house-made chocolates, local meats and cheeses, organic wine, local beer, and more. Known for being on the forefront of the Slow Food movement and for restaurants that have redefined Southern cooking, Chapel Hill/ Carrboro is one of the best places in the country to live and eat!

Then experience the best that North Carolina has to offer. You’ll learn about authentic wood smoked barbecue and the growing farm to table movement. We’ll stop at the best and most authentic barbecue restaurant in the Triangle, where you’ll get to taste some of the finest ’cue you’ve ever had and chat with the Pit Master himself. Next, visit an organic style, small farm, raising everything from chicken and pork to a wide array of produce. Later you’ll visit a restaurant that the farm owners have opened in downtown Durham.  End the afternoon with a relaxing, beautiful, farm view with a homemade ice cream cone at a Hillsborough Dairy Farm.

You will have the experience of a lifetime on any of our great culinary offerings.

We began operating history based programs in 1999 in conjuction with the Vermont Living History Association.  Our programs focused on The American Revolution in Vermont and New York. 

In our third season with Elderhostel we began our culinary offerings with our Something’s Cooking in Vermont: A Week of Fine Foods program in Brandon, VT.  This traditional five night program still operates five times a season May thru October. 

Looking for additional programming we started one of Road Scholar “Most Popular” programs, Lobsters, Wineries and Foods of New England.  Our first year we offered three program depatures and six years later we offer eleven depatures.  From Rhode Island Wineries and Grist Mills, to lobster boat cruises and distilleries in Maine, to dairy farms, cider mills and sugar houses in Vermont this program takes you on an adventure you will not forget.

In 2012,  after receiving many requests for a southern based culinary experience we begin our new journey.  Over two years in the making we finally have put together our Flavors of the South: BBQ to Peanuts.  Starting in Norfolk, VA we visit Smithfield, Home of Smithfield Hams where we explore and sample this southern staple.  Most people know Virginia Beach to be a seaside resort community but do not realize their dedication to local agriculture.  Here we visit many small farms and the VA Beach Farmers Market soon to be featured on the Food Networks, Diner, Dives and Drive Ins.  Experience the Boardwalk including local seafood and Candy and in Norfolk visit Doumar’s Ice Cream, inventors of the ice cream cone.  In North Carolina learn the secrets of great BBQ and explore the vibrant culinary communities of Carborro, Chapel Hill and Durham. 

For information on these culinary programs visit our web site at www.creativeculinarytours.com.  Join us this year for a Culinary Adventure near you.

Plan Your Trip:

Tour length: Most are six nights, although custom lengths are available for groups and individuals.
Group size: Individual tours are available, most group tours operate with 24 to 32 people.
Price: From $200 to $250 per person, per day.
Transport: via walking or bus, depending on the location.
Booking: Three months advance reservation preferred.
Phone: (888) 889-8681
Email: vttours@sover.net
Website: Creative Culinary Tours

By JAMES ASKEW

Do you want to know what’s hot when it comes to vacation travel? How about a sautéed salmon? Or, a lobster bisque? Or maybe, a pumpkin ravioli would better suit your palate?

Food — that’s what’s hot. And not just what’s on the menu but who, exactly, is doing the cooking. No more waiting to be served, napkin in hand. Travelers are now looking to dig in, get their hands dirty, maybe even learn a little something while away from home.

Through the growing popularity of the Food Network and a whole stew of culinary programs, this one-time side dish of a great vacation has been elevated to the main course.

Just ask Chris Donnelly, owner of Creative Culinary Tours and Sugar Tours based in West Dover. In the last six years, Donnelly has witnessed, firsthand, the sizzling sensation of culinary travel, and he has the burns to prove it.

“Culinary travel is hot,” declares Donnelly.

Donnelly, who has a background in the food service industry, has been part of the group travel industry for more than 20 years. For the past 11, Donnelly has been a wholesale tour provider for tour operators and organizations like Elderhostel out of Boston.

Elderhostel provides educational travel experiences for travelers 55 and over and Donnelly had started out providing American history tours of the region: the Battle of Bennington, Fort Ticonderoga, etc. That is, at least, until his pot of good ideas one day boiled over.

Back in 2002, Donnelly offered a tour package to Elderhostel called “Vermont: A Week of Fine Foods.” The concept was to spend a couple days in the Brandon area, visiting places like King Arthur Flour in Norwich and local cheese makers, attending a cooking class provided by a local chef and , of course, enjoying some of the best fine foods.

“Being on the farm that makes the cheese, then eating it in a meal that evening; that’s what we consider culinary travel,” says Donnelly.

And, from that nascent idea, Donnelly saw a business ripen to perfection. Once employing only himself and one office worker, Donnelly’s business has expanded to include five to six program operators and four people in the office. Between his two businesses, Creative Culinary Tours, the retail side, and Sugar Tours, still operating as a wholesale tour provider, Donnelly says he has more than 1,000 culinary travel clients per year.

That first tour, “Vermont: A Week of Fine Foods,” sold out three times the following year, then five the next, followed by 10 the year after. Now, says Donnelly, they’re planning for 2009 with all tours sold out with a waiting list. Donnelly has also added a number of other tours to his menu, either through Elderhostel or on his own, including “Lobster, Wineries and Foods of New England,” which tours Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont, as well as “A Culinary Adventure of Three Great Cities,” sampling the best foods of Philadelphia, New York and Boston, all in seven days.

Visit Creative Culinary Tours online at www.creativeculinarytours.com. The e-mail address is vttours@sover.net, and the phone number is 888.889.8681. Elderhostel’s Web site is www.elderhostel.org and its phone number is 800.454.5768.

Some other Vermont culinary opportunities

Deborah Kransner’s Vermont Culinary Vacations — Putney, 802.387.6610, www.culinaryvermont.com. A number of four-day package holidays are offered through the year, each focusing on different culinary theme, with an award-winning cookbook author.

New England Culinary Institute — Essex, 802.878.1100, www.vtculinaryresort.com. NECI offers single-session cooking classes as well as a two-day, one-night “Chef Inn Training” getaway package at one the nation’s finest culinary schools.

Rabbit Hill Inn — Lower Waterford, 802.748.5168, www.rabbithillinn.com. The inn offers a three-day, two-night, Sunday-to-Tuesday getaway featuring a Sunday evening wine pairing and three-hour cooking course on Monday.

The Inn on Park Street — Brandon, 800.394.7239, www.theinnonparkstreet.com. Full weekend sessions are available throughout the year, with a Friday-night arrival and three to four hours with the chef, chipping in or simply sipping wine and watching.

Inn at Baldwin Creek — Bristol, 888.424.2432, www.innatbaldwincreek.com. Single-day cooking classes are offered throughout the year. The inn doesn’t offer a package , but accommodation is available.

Kids Culinary Camp of Vermont — Highgate Center, 802.868.3030, www.kidculinary.com. Yes, that’s right, a cooking camp for kids. It offers one- and two-week summer sessions and now offers eight, one-week homeschooling sessions through the winter.