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Working with Older Volunteers in Manual Intergenerational Projects
However, it should be noted that this data applies to general travel activities
regardless of destination and purpose of travel, which suggests an even lesser
participation for travels abroad or educational tours.
Retirement Criterion
In connection with the aim of TRAMP, i.e. to consider age-related disadvantages
affecting the mobility of elderly employees, the issue of retirement
seems to bear a special significance. Thus, the abovementioned final report
“Environment and Age” demonstrates that mobility declines as a result of
retirement. Concerning tourist trips there are obvious differences in terms of
travel frequency: while travellers aged between 25 and 64 travel 0.5 times per
year, the over 65s only travel 0.25 times per year. Thus, the statistic “indicates
that the EU citizens above 65 travel abroad for tourism half as frequently as
the younger population. This probably reflects that this group includes both
healthy and active elderly and older and less mobile cohorts.” 8 Furthermore,
major differences exist between the member states of the EU. The exact reasons
for this decline are not stated in this context. It is to be assumed that, in
addition to health problems, financial losses and the simultaneous increase of
the needs of the elderly make travelling more difficult for them.
Income Criterion
For this reason the financial situation of elderly employees is significant as a
further travelling factor. The available income decreases following retirement.
In general, people with a low income, particularly those retired, have fewer
means of travelling beyond national borders and are therefore limited in their
mobility. 9 Incomes are unequally distributed across social groups. The problem
of travel expenses increasingly applies to the population of financially
weak EU-countries, which sees no opportunities of transnational mobility
due to the financial gaps within the EU.
Education Criterion
Furthermore, statistics refer to the correlation between general travel activities
and the level of education. 10 It is to be assumed that people with a lower level
of education are not only generally less mobile, but that they participate in
trips abroad and educational tours to a lesser extent than people with a higher
level of education. The same applies to foreign language skills. In accordance
Commission, DG Environment, 2008, (S 20) http://ec.europa.eu/environment/enveco/
others/pdf/ageing.pdf
8 ebd.:21
9 Tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion of Older People – Lessons from Europe, Working
paper 308, Andreas Hoff, Oxford Institute of Ageing, October 2008, www.ageing.ox.ac.
uk; Eurostat: Armutsgefährdungsquote nach Altersgruppe 2008 http://epp.eurostat.
ec.europa.eu/tgm/graph.do?tab=graph&plugin=1&pcode=tsdsc230&language=de&tool
box=data
10 Ministerium für Gesundheit, Soziales, Frauen und Familie NRW: Leben im Alter. Düsseldorf
2003:102.
Set of Methods 67