Can't stop, won't stop.

Seems I’ve joined another generation. I used to be a “Boomer” and then because we refuse to get older I was a “Late Bloomer” but now it seems I’m labeled again because I don’t want to stop working. “Generation why stop working” is a bit of a mouthful but aptly describes the attitudes and focus of many of my friends and colleagues. Thankfully I haven’t had to work in the bowels of a coalmine and that subscription to Fitness First has kept me mobile and energised because I intend to keep on keeping on. Apologies to British Paint and John Mellion.

The decade jokes about 30 being 20, 40 being 30, 50 being 40 only go to show the change in thinking, environment and cultural shift of people wanting to work because they enjoy it. The American Pew Research Centre found that 54% of those working over the age of 65 did so because they wanted to, with only 17% needing to because of the money.

Work in the travel industry has never been based on pure physical work, which is an advantage to this generation. Some say that overseas educationals, hotel visits and late night functions contribute to early ageing but they in fact become part of the legacy of information and relationships required to perform at peak capacity in the industry. The travel industry, more than others, does hold onto its people, because passion and motivation keep them coming back and give them the chance to contribute for much longer than other sectors.

Is this a good thing?

It certainly is, if the industry wants to pass on skills, knowledge and relationships built up over decades to the next generation of travel specialists. It’s a good thing to keep all that knowledge, as long as possible, to give the up and coming even more of an opportunity to learn.

But the clock is ticking and unless we get to 60 being the new 40 and 80 being the new 60 with wonder drugs, that knowledge will soon disappear.

So while the “why stop working” generation hangs around, do yourself a favour and connect with as many as possible because once they are gone, so is the knowledge.