Traveling and Living

There are some important considerations to take into account when choosing an accessible travel agent.  This is because many travel agents will claim to specialize in accessible travel but they actually don’t.  In reality, they are normal travel agents that find an “accessible” hotel and charge you a big fee. When choosing an accessible travel agent, you should make sure that they research and provide detailed accessibility information.  First, ask them the open ended question “what makes your trip accessible?”  If they miss any important aspects of an accessible vacation, don’t use them as a travel agent.

Your accessibility needs will depend on the type of disability that you have but here are some aspects you may want to consider and a good travel agent would mention:

• Accessible hotel room – Are there steps at the entrance?  How wide is the elevator?  How wide is the bathroom door?  Can a wheelchair be rolled into the shower and positioned next to the toilet?  Don’t trust a travel agent that only tells you they have arranged for an “accessible hotel”….if they can’t give you more details than that, you run the risk of arriving at a hotel that does not meet your needs!
• Getting to the hotel – Will you be taking a normal taxi?  A taxi with a wheelchair ramp?  An accessible bus?  An accessible train?
• Accessibility at the tourist sights – Which museums have steps to enter?  Which palaces have no elevator to get upstairs?  Which ancient ruins have uneven ground that is too difficult for people with wheelchairs or canes?  If the travel agency can not answer these questions for you, you might spend a lot of energy getting to a tourist attraction that you can’t actually visit.
• Getting around the city – How hilly is the city?  How prevalent are cobblestones?  Are they mild cobblestones or severe cobblestones?  How far are the tourist sights from each other? Which Metro stations have elevators?  Which bus routes have busses with wheelchair ramps?  Where can you find taxis with wheelchair ramps?

If a travel agent does not mention these details from the outset, you will probably encounter some difficulties on their trips.

Other disabled travel agents are very knowledgeable about planning accessible holidays, but may know very little about the destination you want to visit.  Consequently, they won’t be able to make helpful recommendations on what you should do while you’re there. Your best option for selecting a disabled travel agent is to find someone who understands the needs of disabled travelers, can customize the trip, and is knowledgeable about the destination.

If you are interested in traveling to Australia, consider using the Last Minute Flights.  Our agents have traveled extensively through Europe and understand the accessibility challenges you are likely to encounter.  We will customize your trip to take into account your particular interests, abilities, and energy level. You will see the sights that you want to see at the pace you want to move at.

Traveling is exciting. It is one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences for each and everyone. We need to travel to change the sight of those who are around us and avoid the depression of being in the same place. When we travel with our family, it strengthens the relationship bond which seems to lose its grip. It is also possible to see and experience different cultures, sights, and spots which you have never been before. Before traveling to a new destination, try to get as much information as possible about the destination .It helps to make your journey more comfortable. Even though traveling is very exciting we should not forget that there are risks in traveling. It is a must to take care of yourself and your belongings.

Crime is a fact throughout the world. In most of the places, tourists are targeted for theft. To have a safe and pleasant vacation, it is a must to follow the safety travel tips. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a fact that seniors as a group have more disposable income and more time to spend it than ever before. If that’s true for you, what’s keeping you from packing up?

Perhaps a spouse can’t travel any more and you have no one with similar interests to travel with? Or perhaps you’re concerned about safety and health or problems with unfamiliar languages and cultures?

If it’s too scary to think of heading off alone, try joining a tour group the first time, one where you’re likely to meet people with similar interests. Find a group that allows for free time to explore on your own and follow your interests. Being alone in a group combines the best elements of solo and accompanied travel. You always have people in the group to talk with and eat with, but you can also explore on your own, close your door, and savor your privacy.

Solo travel arrangements usually require paying some penalties in the form of financial supplements. If this is a deterrent or you don’t like the idea of going with a group, look for an organization that will supply you with a companion of your age and gender (see Solo Travel Resources box on next page). The risk is that you may not “click” with that person. But think of it as a short-term commitment: you’ve at least got to where you want to go and you may even have found a longer-term friend.

Real solo travels—where you decide the destination, read up on it, get your own tickets, and head off alone—is another matter. This is where you weigh concerns for personal safety and where women feel especially vulnerable (nearly all the solo travel advice is directed at women). Read the rest of this entry »

Seniors have plenty of ways to cut costs if you know where to look.

Air travel is generally the biggest money outlay—and therefore the biggest deterrent to going anywhere. Consider some key ways around it. One is the extraordinarily low winter airfare to get to Europe that happens every year, usually between mid-October and March or April. Airlines offer transatlantic roundtrip fares of $400 or even less to London, Paris, Rome, etc.

Why would you want to go abroad in the winter? To see and do the same things as in peak seasons and without the crowds and high costs for museums, concerts, theater, language courses. Hotels and all-inclusive packages are generally cheaper at that time too. Book at least six months in advance and pay early to get low-priced promotional airfare, or, if your time is flexible, see what you can get at the last minute for a low price. Most major airlines have discontinued the senior discount fare, making the off-season rates especially attractive. Once in Europe, you’ll find more new airlines to provide cheap travel from nearly all the major hubs to wherever you want to go (see below).

Read the rest of this entry »

Ensuring you will enjoy your holiday starts with assuring the safety of your home while you are away. It seems we hear this warning time and time again, however statistics demonstrate that we often fail to take the steps necessary to protect our belongings left at home and also our possessions we take on our trip. When the safety of either our home or our travel luggage is violated, it mars our enjoyment.

People remain more vulnerable if they still operate on the premise of the days when they left the key under the mat or the house unlocked. Recently, I was visiting relatives in the US Midwest and was alarmed at their crime prevention attitudes. They routinely left their 3000 square foot home unlocked with patio doors open. Their opinion is that if someone wants to break in, they will. So why make it difficult; they will only damage locks and/or break windows. This is very foolish thinking. Criminals are basically lazy. If there are two houses side-by-side and one is locked and alarmed, even if they are high on drugs and looking for an adrenalin rush, they are more likely to choose the easy target! Read the rest of this entry »