Q & A:  Patrick Logan – BoomerScape’s On-Site Travel Ambassador

Patrick Logan, 49, had reached new heights as the creative director of a top ad agency when the founders of BoomerScape, presented Patrick with an offer he couldn’t refuse: to become the official BoomerScape travel ambassador and recount his travels and experiences in a free-wheeling blog and travel journal.

Boomerscape interviewed Patrick the day before his flight to Roatan, Honduras, where he’d begin the first leg of his “scape”.

How did the Boomerscape team convince you to take this unique “sabbatical”?

They tried blackmail, extortion, torture; and when that didn’t work, they resorted to buckets of President beers. I believe it was between the fifth and sixth bucket that I  agreed to become the “BoomerScape travel ambassador”.

Has your family been supportive of this “career change”?

I’m single again, so I didn’t have to consult my ex-wife. Our two children have been enthusiastic. Nina is studying archeology at college and plans to join me on a “dig” in Guatemala, if I survive the first few months. Ben, who just turned 19, promises to join me somewhere in Costa Rica during the winter holidays, for a fishing or hiking expedition.

What really prompted this “sudden departure” (pardon the pun)? Wanderlust? Mid-life crisis? Marco Polo syndrome?

(chuckling) Nothing mid-life here, as my life has been in a state of perpetual crisis. But I’ve done a fair amount of traveling, so I feel fairly comfortable in other cultures and foreign worlds.

What are some of your favorite past travel adventures?

Trekking the Himalayas, hiking the Inca Trail, cruising the Amazon, sailing the Galapagos, kayaking in Bhutan, hanging out with the lemurs in Madagascar, or just lying in a hammock anywhere.    

Do you have any mission as the “roaming BoomerScaper”?

Stay alive, stay out of prisons, and don’t start any revolutions. Actually, I plan to just scope out the scapes, try to connect with the locals and provide an ongoing account of my wild and crazy experiences. Probably not too wild, as I had to sign a waiver to make sure Boomerscape wouldn’t be held liable or responsible if I got into any trouble.

If you mean adventurous, compassionate, spontaneous, creative, and pioneering – absolutely! I also meet the age criteria.

Why are so many Baby Boomers obsessed with traveling and living outside their native countries?

We grew up in another Age of Discovery, with astronauts and space travel and transcendent experiences through Eastern philosophy and whatnot, so I guess many Boomers got enchanted with expanding their boundaries. The Peace Corps has continued to attract lots of Boomers to faraway locales. Traveling outside the country in our college and post-college years was cheap. Thousands of Boomers made the annual rite of passage by backpacking and globe-trekking on dollars a day. Katmandu one week, the next week, Goa, Thailand, Bali, Morocco, or wherever the nomadic sirens called us.

Would you consider retiring outside the United States?

I’ll definitely use my esteemed and insider position as Boomerscape travel ambassador to check out any overseas opportunities, deals and properties.       

Any preferences for choosing a spot to settle down?

I like beaches, lakes, mountains, eco-retreats, or urban cultural centers. But I won’t turn down any villas or lodges on private islands. Especially with balconies and hammocks.

Why’d you choose Honduras as your first destination?

I got invited by two friends who are renting a house on the Bay Islands. And they just happen to have a hammock on a balcony overlooking lush hills and water.  

Any parting words as BoomerScape’s travel ambassador?

 Escape to Everywhere is my new mantra.