In growing
iStopOver, we have found that there is significant interest in “commonality”
between our Hosts and our Guests. Our Guest members want to “stop over” with
someone they are comfortable with, and our Hosts want someone they are
comfortable with staying in their home. We will be launching iStopOver aimed at
different interest groups over the next while, and we are starting by launching
“iStopOver for Ages 50 and Beyond”.
Our research has
shown that, as the “Boomer” generation is aging, they are traveling more and
more. The retired community has
more time on its hands, and is looking for an economical, and “less hotel-like”
way of traveling. As a result, many of our members are in this community of “50 plus”.
iStopOver for Ages
50 and Beyond caters specifically to the needs of the mature traveler. We help
you find accommodation that works for you. That means according to your budget;
the location you want (often near family, in a specific location, or just a
landmark on vacation); with the facilities you want (such as where you can make
your own meals, or with parking, or with no stairs to climb or wheel-chair
access); or, for a longer period of time than a few days.
Let us know what you
think? If you have specific requests, email us at info@istopover. If you have
some good ideas for growing this community we’d love to hear from you.
We look forward to
working with this exciting community.
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And, as a member of
the “Age 50 and Beyond” community myself, I find we have an ability to laugh at
ourselves. I (as an Internet startup founder) am VERY comfortable with
technology and love every gadget I can get hold of. But some of my associates
(and family) are less comfortable. I received the following email recently from
one of the “less technical” and thought it funny enough to share:
FOR A GOOD LAUGH …. This is for the non-techie
over 50 generation:
“I thought about the 30 year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a
Blackberry that played music, took videos, pictures and communicated with
Facebook and Twitter.
I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids,
their spouses, 13 grandkids and 2 great grandkids could communicate with me in
the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter with
only 140 characters of space.
That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree,
Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something
that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the
texting world.
My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything
except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to
live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.
The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost
every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a
box under my tool bench with the Blue tooth [it's red] phone I am supposed to
use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble
talking to my wife as everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. Seems
I have to take my hearing aid out to use it, and I got a little loud.
I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dashboard, but the lady inside
was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10
minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-ul-ating". You
would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me.
She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next
light. Then when I would make a right turn instead, it was not good.
When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the
cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the
GPS lady, at least she loves me.
To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless
phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven't figured
out how I can lose three phones all at once and have run around digging under
chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the
phone rings.
The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every
time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something
themselves but this sudden "Paper or Plastic?" every time I check out
just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid
looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me.
Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, "Paper or
Plastic?" I just say, "Doesn't matter to me. I am bi-sacksual."
Then it's their turn to stare at me with a blank look.
I was recently asked if I tweet. I answered, No, but I do toot a
lot."
PS I know some of you are not over 50; I sent it to you to allow you
to forward it to those who are.”
