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 Making Your Retirement Years Count with Senior Travel If you’re retired, or soon will be, you’re probably looking forward to using your new free time for travel. But you want to make sure you get expert advice when planning your journeys. The best person to provide it is your travel agent. You’ll also want to educate yourself about the different travel suppliers that offer cruise and escorted tour vacations. Advice@American Express asked some American Express travel counselors about their senior clients’ frequently voiced questions and concerns. How can I find a vacation that will suit both my interests and my activity level? Alberto Jo is a travel counselor in the American Express Travel Service Office in Coral Gables, FL, right in the middle of one of America’s leading retirement communities. He often books customers on cruise ships that visit nearby Caribbean and Latin American ports, and even faraway destinations such as Alaska, Scandinavia and the Baltic. “The ship takes you to places you want to see, and you can be as active along the way as you please,” is the way he sums up a pleasure cruise, an experience he has enjoyed firsthand. “Unless you want to, you won’t be relaxing on a deck chair. While underway, you can choose from a wide variety of entertainment and sports activities. At each port of call, you can disembark to join guided tours or simply look around on your own before returning to the comfort of your floating hotel.” I worked hard all my life. Now I want to be pampered and let someone else worry about the details. Houston travel counselor Carole McFarland finds that her retired clients are looking for tours that promise and deliver personalized service. “To these travelers, it’s important to stay at top of the line hotels near the city center, with most of their meals included, and to be able to select from an ‘a la carte’ menu. Of course, all of this costs more, but for this client group personalized service is an essential component of value.” Barbara Valiente of the company travel location in Tampa adds: “Senior citizens with physical limitations could travel with an escorted tour whose superior service meets their special needs. I am very familiar with companies that look after these requests. Clients who are senior citizens enjoy well-guided tours and full agendas, start early and early to bed. I’ve found that smaller group size is also an attraction, because of the personalized touch.” What will I do if I get sick far away from home? When Barbara Valiente talks with new clients about their vacation needs, they invariably ask her about health insurance and trip cancellation policies. This gives her a chance to factor in any medical issues they might have. “For example, I have clients who are going to Australia soon, but taking a whole week to get there by air, on a series of short flights with ‘R&R’ breaks. For anyone with medical problems, I check before departure with each hotel to find out the location of the nearest hospital and the availability of a doctor.” I don’t have a travel companion and I don’t want to travel alone. One option you might consider is the American Express Mariner Club, where you can join a group of other single passengers for a cruise with your own social host who establishes a convivial atmosphere that fosters friendships. Another is to join an existing group tour from your community. Or you can work with a travel counselor experienced in group travel to design one for a club or similar organization of which you are already a member. Carole McFarland did this for a group of couples who met every Saturday for dinner and dancing. October 3, 2002
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