traveling seniors

Stuck In Coach!!! What Can I Do???

Since I fly using frequent-flyer miles, I'm usually flying coach.  I think I've flown first-class or business class only twice in all the years I've been flying.  Usually, the person next to me talks all the time or takes up his space and part of mine.  I'm sure you have experienced the same situation.  What can you do to be more comfortable in coach?  Here are a few suggestions:

FLY AT OFF-PEAK TIMES--MORE EMPTY SEATS.

FLY AIRCRAFT WITH FEWER MIDDLE SEATS.

COMPARE SEAT DIMENSIONS OF DIFFERENT AIRCRAFT--NOT ALL SEATS OR SPACE ARE EQUAL.

COMPARE ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS--SOME REQUIRE LESS SPACE.

SELECT A SEAT AT BOOKING, THEN KEEP CHECKING FOR BETTER OPTIONS.

ASK THE GATE AGENT TO MOVE YOU TO A BETTER AVAILABLE SEAT.

BECOME A MEMBER OF AN AIRLINE LOUNGE CLUB--CLUB AGENTS CAN OFTEN GET YOU BETTER SEATS.

Baggage Lost At Sea--Worth $100 to $300

Although airlines will reimburse up to $3300 if they lose your bag on domestic flights, cruise companies limit their liability to $100-$300 a bag.  Most cruise companies are not responsible for  jewelry, electronics or other valuable items.  Even locking them up in an in-room safe or at the purser's desk will not change the $100-$300 ceiling.  To protect your bags, you must take out travel insurance.  Don't bring what you can't afford to lose.  Make your bag stand out with colorful tags or straps.  Put your contact information inside and outside your bag.  Finally, always read the fine print of your sea voyage contract.

FLY NOW!!! CHEAP FLIGHTS WON'T LAST LONG!!!

With the economy bad, airlines are finding it very hard to fill seats.  It is easy to compare prices by using  sites like www.tripadvisor.com, www.fly.com and www.farecompare.com.  Most of the cheap flights require a Saturday night stayover.  Without a doubt it's a  great time for cheap travel.

There are two fundamental shifts in air travel under way.  First, airlines are dropping more routes and parking airplanes in the desert.

Next, they are going to "unbundle" more services that are included in the price of the ticket.  In the future, airlines prices are going to be like a restaurant menu.  They will be efficient, user friendly and full of a la carte choices.  The strategy is based on imposing extra fees on a number of amenities and services--not just checked bags and food items.  The plan is to have a basic ticket price in 3 or 4 categories and then have a bunch of items you can add.  When you purchase the ticket, you can chose the extras in advance.  Some of these items are:  checked luggage, snack, aisle seat, exit row seat, beverage, video games, passenger assistance, early boarding and maybe a wheelchair.  In order to know the total price of the ticket, plus taxes, you will have to add all the chosen extras, taxes and the base ticket price.  This is the future method for increasing the price of flying.

This is the pricing arrangement I experienced when flyng discount airlines in Europe.  You purchased a cheap ticket and paid for everything else.  I doubt that the basic ticket will be cheap. 

A Safe Port For Cruising--GET TRAVEL INSURANCE!!!!

Unfortunately, no one but the owner knows the liquidity of a specific cruise line.  If a cruise line goes bankrupt, you will be left on shore with a worthless certificate.  With these tough economical times, cruise lines are selling less cabins than last year.  To be safe, you should purchase a travel insurance policy that includes the failure of a line as a covered peril.  These policies are bought on a per-trip basis and are priced as a percentage of the total trip cost--usually about 5% to 7%.

You should consider the following items before buying such a policy:

1.  Don't buy the policy directly through the cruise line.  If the cruise line goes under, the policy will not pay off.

2.  Be careful when you pay for the travel insurance policy.  Many policies require that you purchase it before 15 days of making the initial payments on the trip.  If this is not followed, the policy will be worthless.  If you hear the cruise line is in financial trouble after you are making the payments, it will be too late to purchase the policy.

3.  Be sure the policy includes coverage in the case of financial default.  Not all do.  Look under the "trip cancellation benefits" section of the policy's fine print.

Since you are paying a lot of money for your cruise, the small amount of money this policy will cost is nothing compared to the lost of the total amount you have paid.

WEBSITES--Make Your Next Trip Easier!

This  list of webistes could make your next trip easier.

1. Find Out Where The Locals Eat.  In Europe use a series of blogs called Spotted by Locals-www.spottedbylocals.com.  In the USA, use Chowhound-http://chowhound.com-for a list of places to eat from Flordia to the Pacific Northwest.  For local comfort food, use Roadfood-http://roadfood.com-for a list of eatries along the highways and byways in the USA.

2. Build A Better Itinerary.  You can save all your travel reservations in one place on Tripit-http://tripit.com.  It builds your schedule and provides additional information about your trip.

3. Seek Alternative Lodging.  Instead of staying at a hotel, stay at a home, apartment, cabin or condo.  Homeaway-http://homeaway.com-has a list of 118,000 properties in 100 countries.

4. View Every Available Flight.  ITA Software powers many of the major booking sites.  You can't book a flight on this site, but you can see all your options at http://matrixitasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch. 

5. Avoid Speed Traps.  Speedtraps-http://speedtrap.org-is a great resource for showing all the speed traps along your route.

6. Track Flight Arrival Time.  FlightStats-http://flightstats.com-lets you find out the on-time rating of flights and tracks your plane in real time.

7.  Score A Fare Refund.  Yapta-http://yapta.com-lets you track fares and book a ticket when the prices are the lowest.

8.  Get Directions.  Google Maps lets you find driving, walking, mass transit directions on www.maps.google.com.

9.  Plan A Road Trip.  Roadescapes-http://roadescapes.com-helps you plan your road trip from your start point to the hotel.

10. Locate Cheap Gas.  Gas Buddy-http://gasbuddy.com-relies on a network ofnearly 200 gas price information sites.

11.Research Airfares.  FareCast-http://farecast.live.com-predicts if your fare will rise or fall.

These webites were provided by Christopher Elliott in an article in National Geographic Traveler, April 2009.          

Elderhostel--Senior Travel Adventure

Elderhostel  specializes in travel experiences for people 55 and older.  Its focus is providing exceptional learning experiences for adults for a remarkable price.  Its advantages for traveling seniors are:

1. Package Price.  Elderhostel has a single price with no hidden costs.  This price covers meals, taxes, gratuities, lodging, lectures, excursions, activities and travel within a program, like shuttles.

2. Learning.  Lectures by experts allow you to learn more, and be more immersed in a local culture.

3. Birds-Of-A-Feather.  It's fun and comfortable to travel with other seniors who generally share your interest in travel and learning.

Travelers program their own transportation to domestic programs.  For international programs, you can book the flights yourself or had Elderhostal do it.

Although Elderhostel's emphasis is on travelers 55 and older, it has added inter-generational programs for grandparents and their grandchildren.  It accepts younger participants as long as they are accompanying someone who is 55 or older.

For more information, go to www.elderhostel.org. 

Forget Mexico!!!! Too Dangerous to Travel!!!!

If you are planning a trip to Mexico this year, forget it.  Any travel in Mexico is very dangerous.  Although the country is very beautiful with wonderful beaches, the USA State Department has issued warning about the dangers of traveling in Mexico.  The Mexican government is in a battle with the drug cartel and many innocent civilians are killed daily in  gun battles.  To make matters worse, the drug cartels are kidnapping travelers for ransom.  Unlike Europe, you cannot blend with the residents of Mexico.  Once you are kidnapped, you are on your own.  Since many the police are corrupt, you will get little, if any.  Assistance from the State Department is very limited.

As a senior traveler you are very vulnerable and an easy prey.  The drug cartels are looking for travelers who may be able to pay a ransom.  If you go to Mexico, go to a resort and do not leave it.  Do not be misled by going in groups--as a group of travelers you will only alert the cartels to your presence.  A group guide will not be able to protect you from these cartels. The best plan is to avoid Mexico this year and wait for a safer time to visit Mexico.

Tips For Cheaper Cruises

If you are planning to take a cruise this year, these tips can be very helpful.  When the economic is very tight, cruises are usually the best buy for your travel dollar. For senior travelers, this is a very comfortable and organized mode of travel.

 

1. Plan and Pay Ahead.  Planning and paying way ahead of departure can result in serious discounts.

2. Play the Waiting Game.  Discounts can be great for those who play the waiting game--the choice of cabins will be limited the longer you wait.

3.  Stowaway.  The traveler selects a 30-day window for departure and a cabin class and makes a deposit.  If it's available, you can get a discount rate (usually 25%).  If not, you get a refund.

4. Become a Groupie.  If you can get 15 or more people to go with you, you can go free.

5. Be a Regular with the Cruise Line.  The more cruises you take with a specific line, the better the perks are.

6. Agent Secrets.  Booking through an agent is the sure way to the inside track for upgrades.

7. Be Special.  Make sure the cruise line knows if this is a special occasion, like an anniversary or birthday.  This can get you special perks.

8. Act Your Age.  Many cruise lines offer discounts for folks over 55 or 65.

Avoiding Lines at European Attractions

If you have ever been to Europe during the height of the tourist season, you have probably stood in line for some of the most popular attractions.  This is an unfortunate way to waste a lot of touring time.  The following suggestions can eliminate this problem.

1. Reserve an entry time or purchase a ticket online or at a ticket agency.  Most museums offer tickets for sale in advance--go the day before and purchase the ticket and avoid the lines.  You can use an agency like FNAC which has locations all over Europe.  I used them for a concert and a ticket to see the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt in Amsterdam.  I walked past hundreds of people waiting in the cold and went straight to the exhibit.

2.  Spring for a pass.  Most cities offer passes to the major attractions at their tourist offices.  These passes will be valid from 2-6 days.

3.  Hire a guide.  It'll cost you, but you will avoid the lines and receive additional information during your visits to the attractions.  You should contact the tourist office for guide recommendations.

4.  Join a tour.  Most European cities have tours that show you all the major attractions.  These are very good for families with children who don't want to wait in long lines.  The tourist office has a list of all the tour groups.

5.  Visit in the off-season.  During the off-season, the crowds are less, but the opening hours are sometimes limited.  You must check with the tourist office for the hours of operation.  Also, make sure you know the days of operation--during off-season most attractions aren't open daily.

If you have ever been to Europe during the height of the tourist season, you have probably stood in line for some of the most popular attractions.  This is an unfortunate way to waste a lot of touring time.  The following suggestions can eliminate this problem.

1. Reserve an entry time or purchase a ticket online or at a ticket agency.  Most museums offer tickets for sale in advance--go the day before and purchase the ticket and avoid the lines.  You can use an agency like FNAC which has locations all over Europe.  I used them for a concert and a ticket to see the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt in Amsterdam.  I walked past hundreds of people waiting in the cold and went straight to the exhibit.

2.  Spring for a pass.  Most cities offer passes to the major attractions at their tourist offices.  These passes will be valid from 2-6 days.

3.  Hire a guide.  It'll cost you, but you will avoid the lines and receive additional information during your visits to the attractions.  You should contact the tourist office for guide recommendations.

4.  Join a tour.  Most European cities have tours that show you all the major attractions.  These are very good for families with children who don't want to wait in long lines.  The tourist office has a list of all the tour groups.

5.  Visit in the off-season.  During the off-season, the crowds are less, but the opening hours are sometimes limited.  You must check with the tourist office for the hours of operation.  Also, make sure you know the days of operation--during off-season most attractions aren't open daily.

Passport Cards--Must Have By June!!

Beginning in June, travelers will be required to present documents proving citizenship and identity when entering the US through a land or sea border.  If you drive to Canada or Mexico or take a cruise, but do not plan to fly abroad, the passport card is cheaper and  smaller than the normal passport.  It  is not valid for air travel.  They are good for 10 years and cost $45.  Children under 16 cost $35.  If you have a passport, you can purchase the card for $20.  For more details, go to  www.travel.state.gov.  Processing time for applications are about 3 weeks.

Beginning in June, travelers will be required to present documents proving citizenship and identity when entering the US through a land or sea border.  If you drive to Canada or Mexico or take a cruise, but do not plan to fly abroad, the passport card is cheaper and  smaller than the normal passport.  It  is not valid for air travel.  They are good for 10 years and cost $45.  Children under 16 cost $35.  If you have a passport, you can purchase the card for $20.  For more details, go to  www.travel.state.gov.  Processing time for applications are about 3 weeks.