Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 22, 1994 TAG: 9405260013
SECTION: SENIOR STYLE PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Discounts, group rates and senior tours are plentiful, and by gauging your capabilities and assessing your interests, travel can become a whole new picture on the world.
Tom Clark, senior citizen recreation supervisor with the Roanoke City Parks and Recreation department, that in the past 2 1/2 years he's been on the job, he's planned three major trips, but has settled upon many more day trips of about eight to 10 hours.
Clark said seniors seem to want the shorter trips more because they don't have to bother with baggage and they don't have to sleep in strange beds. So far, he's taken trips to about 30 different locations, some several times.
With a travel radius of about 150 miles, he takes his seniors on trips past Winston-Salem, N.C., above Charlottesville, east to Appomattox, and all the way to the West Virginia State Fair.
He takes certain things into consideration in designing his trips, which are open to the public and cost, for day trips, between $3.50 and $30 ( the latter was for Smith Mountain Lake's Virginia Dare noon cruise).
For longer trips, he schedules a nice rest stop and often schedules two activities into one trip. Recently they went to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. It had a train ride, already included in the price of admission, which was perfect for those who had difficulty walking the zoo. And City Council, he said, has recently approved the purchase of a new, 18-passenger van with a wheelchair lift and room for two wheelchairs, which will be great for sightseeing trips.
Clark said statistics point to travel as seniors' No. 1 activity. It gives them a chance to see new things, allows for socialization, provides an educational opportunity, and in general, is of benefit as an activity outside the home.
"Having a lot of things to do in their life keeps them healthy," said Clark. One couple Clark knows has lived in Roanoke all their lives, but never got out because they don't have a car. "It was so fun to take them somewhere because they had never been anywhere," he said.
Mel Ludovici, president of Martin Travel, often plans trips for seniors (he does all of the travel planning for Central Fidelity's Focus 55 group, he said). Ludovici said seniors are placing a much higher priority on travel than in the past, voicing the attitude that "we're not going to leave a lot of money, we're here to enjoy life." He often plans major trips - for instance, on May 12, a group embarked on a five-country European trip. The way to ease inconveniences is to pamper his customers, he said.
Ludovici said he makes sure they're well escorted (on this trip, there are about six escorts for 70 travelers), that security is seen after, and that logistical details such as luggage and checking into hotels are done for them. That's why cruises are so popular with seniors: It's a relatively detail-free vacation.
Seniors, he said, are eligible for 10 percent discounts on airfare, and are offered airline coupon books and AARP discounts. In addition, Martin Travel has a TripPlan service, which is basically a checklist of what you want to know about a certain place. You check off the categories, hand the list back in, and receive information, which can range from a list of restaurants to the price of ball game tickets.
Ludovici said there are even resorts and cruises specifically desined for seniors. The level of service is often higher in these places, the environment is what he called "soft," and the entertainment is tailored to seniors.
Cindy Bergeron, director of Viva, which is a senior membership club sponsored by Roanoke Memorial and Community hospitals, agreed that seniors love to travel. One of Viva's services is setting up group trips and obtaining group discounts for their members.
She, too, finds that her members want the extras - luggage tagged and delivered to their rooms, and room keys given to them while they're still on the bus, for instance. She also said that they are looking for the trouble-free, day or one-night trips more often than the longer forays.
Recently, she published a checklist of health tips for senior travelers in the Viva newsletter which outlined some ways to make a trip a success. Some suggestions were to carry medical records and a prescription with you, in case any supplies such as insulin or syringes arouse suspicion at borders. And always bring more medication than you need, in case your trip is longer than expected.
In addition, if you are on a special diet, notify the airline in advance. Pace yourself so you don't become exhausted, and try to book an airline seat on the aisle so you can get up and stretch.
Viva's trips in 1994 range from Washington, D.C. to Nashville to New York City.
by CNB