For the past year, I’ve been giving speeches about “longevity travel” and the emergence of “longevity resorts” dedicated to helping Boomers and GenXers have a transformational travel experience that extends their lifetime. Most of these resorts, as captured in this recent Forbes article “The New Frontier of Luxury: Where Wellness Meets Longevity and Venture Capital,” are focused on the physical science of longevity. On the other hand, MEA focuses on the social science of longevity based upon Yale’s Becca Levy’s research showing that if you shift your mindset on aging from a negative to a positive in midlife, you gain 7.5 years of additional life, which is more efficacious than any trendy biohacking procedure.
Now, the big guns are announcing their longevity travel ventures as evidenced by this NY Times story featuring Tony Robbins and Sam Nazarian announcing their chain of luxury preventive-medicine resorts. They “want to take technology out of the walls of the doctor’s office and embed it into the hospitality experience.” They plan to open 15 luxury hotels and residences, along with 10 longevity centers in major markets, by 2030.
As I wrote last month in this post, “Trickle-Down Longevity,” I worry that we’re creating a culture and longevity marketplace that separates the wealthy from everyone else. Should health be a commodity that is bought and sold to the highest bidder? Are longevity resorts the newest form of “conspicuous consumption?” How do we make longevity advancements accessible to everyone?
As many of you know, since the start of MEA nearly seven years ago, about half of those who’ve come to Baja or Santa Fe for one of our workshops have been on some form of financial aid that we’ve offered. We’ve even set up a non–profit, AGE, that has raised more than $2.5 million for scholarships for everyday folks – firemen, union plumbers, elementary school teachers, and physical therapists – to come and experience one of our workshops (we appreciate you considering a donation to AGE). We will be extending that same generosity as we develop our plans to open a longevity-focused school meets wellness retreat in Santa Fe on Museum Hill (a former Catholic seminary and retreat center) when it opens in the next few years (we already own the property).
In sum, I’m excited by this emerging trend of longevity travel, but I think we should amplify our voices to ask that wealthy entrepreneurs like Tony Robbins and Sam Nazarian make their super-luxe resorts accessible to more than just the uber-rich. What do you think?
-Chip