Senior Single Men Seek Travel Tours

USA Today recently wrote that Seniors who love to travel have many options for exploring the world, even by themselves. Several companies offer trips geared toward senior single travelers.

Special features like a slower pace, tours that aren’t too physically taxing, and social gatherings like nightly dinners and dances with other tourists near the same age make the tour attractive to senior single men.

From Mediterranean cruises to escorted treks through South America, travel opportunities for single seniors cover a broad range.

Senior single men, Vacations To Go offers a cruise for singles. Each year, they  select several itineraries in different regions of the world, on various cruise ships, and negotiate an extremely low rate for single customers.

Trained hosts from their headquarters organize get-togethers, cocktail parties, dinner seating and more, allowing individuals or friends to travel as part of a large and fun-loving group of singles.

 Senior Single Men Enjoy Road Scholar

Road Scholar is a premier program with many solo travelers. I have had the pleasure of serving as a Tour Group Leader with this organization and they are first class. They are trusted and well known for offering a warm and welcoming atmosphere for couples and solo participants alike. The atmosphere you’ll find is of learning in the company of a small group of individual friends, rather than traveling with a collection of couples.

 If you are single and over 50, traveling by yourself may seem daunting. If Cancun was the go-to destination when you were 20, it may not be your scene anymore.

At Stitch, they have scoured the globe for the 5 best travel destinations for singles over 50 that will give you the best opportunity to enjoy your travel.

 Tips For Senior Solo Travel

Allianz features 11 Secrets for Successful Senior Singles Travel.  Looking for a travel companion who shares your love of river cruising, fine wine and Paris flea markets? Look in the mirror. Traveling solo might seem daunting, but it’s easier — and more rewarding — than you think. These 11 tips for senior singles travel can help you create the perfect solo vacation.

About Travel has an article called Tours and Cruises for Single Seniors. They list several companies and organizations that provide single seniors tour information. This is one of the best sites I have found that addresses the topic and provides so much help. So “O Solo Mio” and get going.

Lastly, Fodor’s has a link on Single Senior Citizen Travel with comments made by single folks who experienced solo travel. This blog is simply a step in helping you to make some choices on your own.

Talk with your travel agent who is experienced in travel for those who prefer to travel alone, but not be alone on the trip. Enjoy making your plans, and better yet, enjoy your solo adventure wherever you choose to go. -jeb

Senior Women Enjoy Travel Options

We are often asked about programs that feature senior women who can travel with other senior women. Yes there are programs all over the world that cater to solo female travelers. Sorry men, this one is just for the women.

There is often comfort afforded to women who prefer to travel with other women and usually it is of the same age range.  Today we highlight programs that focus on travel for women as the French say “d’un certain age.” That is a nice way of saying “older.”

Journey Woman notes that if you’re an older adventuress, this is an absolutely wonderful time in your life to be traveling. In most cultures, age brings respect. Children will gravitate to you.

Local women will be protective, you’ll suffer less from pesky unsolicited male advances, and your travel budget absolutely expands with all the lovely discounts your age group is offered. The possibilities are endless. Take advantage, ladies. You’ve earned the right.

Senior Women Travel Solo Together

Women Traveling Together was started in 1997 by a 40-year old business woman who desperately wanted to do some vacation traveling, but didn’t want to go alone or travel as a single on a couple’s tour.  Unable to find a ready-made solution that met her needs, Debra Asberry spent seven months interviewing women in order to design a travel company that catered to the needs of women traveling solo.

Women Traveling Together (WTT) has a large and loyal repeat client base that has grown year after year since 1997, making it possible to offer more than 60 trips a year.   “80% of WTT travelers come solo. We really should have named the company “Women Traveling Solo Together” because that’s in a nutshell what we’re all about. Select your tour and be assured that fellow WTT travelers are as interested in and excited about the destination as you are.”

Senior Women’s Travel Days Not Over

Why travel alone when you can connect with like-minded women on a trip led by knowledgeable, local guides? At Rio Grande Travel, senior women can find thoughtful and well-planned vacation packages. Women can choose pre-planned trips alone, a travel group for senior women or perhaps embark on a journey with a bunch of friends!

A while back we featured a travel blog for Senior Women. Please check out the programs on that site and learn about the various opportunities that are available.

 Senior Women’s Travel focuses on trips for 50+ women with a passion for travel. “It was founded on the premise that your travel days are not over.

Senior women — widowed, divorced, or with a mate who no longer wants to travel — should still be able to travel with zest, comfortably and safely. No-hassle travel, everything is done for you. No single supplements, exciting destinations, culture, good food, and interesting companions.”

So take you pick ladies and enjoy the trip. -jeb

Seniors Explore The World

This senior was curious to find out the largest cities in the world by population and the largest countries by surface area. Get your coffee and let me show you what I discovered. I figured that China was the largest both by population and surface area. I was wrong, very wrong. What do you think the two or three top would be? I’ve been to three of the largest five cities.

Tokyo is far above New York Metro with 33,200,000. I remember trying to take a photo of Tokyo and found that it is impossible. NYC came in second with 17,800,000 and Seoul, Korea missed NYC by only 100,000 and Mexico City by 300,000. You can look these up yourself and many are surprising, at least it was to me. Bombay (Mumbai), Calcutta (Kolkata), Delhi and Chennai are huge in India.

Now let’s consider the largest countries by total population. China, right. And who follows by only 100 million? Yes, India. But did you know that the USA ranks third just ahead of Indonesia and Brazil.

Seniors Explore The World Some More

So, how are you doing? Now let’s explore the largest in size by area. Any ideas? China? They came in #4 behind Russia, Canada and the USA. Any idea of #5 or #6? Try Brazil and then Australia. They have a lot of land and like Russia, Canada and China, lots of the area is unused and desolate. Not so with the USA.

Russia encompasses 17,075,200 sq. km. Seniors, do you know how much a kilometer is? Well, it is 0.621371 miles and 1 mile equals 1.60934 kilometers. Voila, there you have it, that really helps a lot, doesn’t it? Canada has about half as much land as Russia with 9,994,670 sq. km. I always wonder who is able to figure out those stats right down to the last kilometer. Just 9.7% of the land of Canada is privately held and of course Russi has Siberia.

 Seniors Explore The World Even More

Well, perhaps you are totally bored with all those figures by now. I will depart today’s blog with one last piece of information for those seniors among you who are still reading this article. Curious what the largest bodies of water in the world are?

As you may already know, the Earth is often referred to as the “blue planet.” This particular nickname was given due to the immense volume of water covering the surface of our planet; more specifically, 70% of the Earth is covered by water, making up  326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons. Now who did that calculation?

The Pacific Ocean is not only the largest body of water, but it is also the oldest. I’ll let you go figure that one out… I had no idea.  See you back at seniorcitizen.travel tomorrow. Ciao. Au revoir. Auf  Weidershehen. Arrivederci. Aloha. Adiós. Sayonara. Shalom. Totsiens. Vale and Zàijiàn. -jeb

Seniors, Let’s Check Out a Library

I have my coffee, do you have your’s?  We’re going to visit a library this morning, senior friends. This library is unlike any other in the entire world. It is called the Library of Celsus. Ever heard of it? Nope, this senior hadn’t heard of it either.

Picked by CNN as one great place to visit, the Library of Celsus is an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, Anatolia. Christians know about Ephesus… Paul wrote to the Ephesians in the Bible.

The Story: In 92 A.D., Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus was a consul in Rome, and was in charge of all public buildings. Sometime between 105 and 107 A.D. he was the proconsul (governor) of the Asian province, the capital of which was Ephesus. When he died in 114 A.D. at the age of seventy, his son Tiberius Julius Aquila, built the library as a heroon (mausoleum) in honor of his father, a wealthy and popular local citizen.

The facade of the Library of Celsus is one of the most spectacular sights in Ephesus. It faces east so the reading rooms received the morning light. In the land that is now Turkey, a wide marble road slopes down to this, one of the largest libraries of the ancient world. Early on, Ephesus was a coastal city with a population of 1/4 million.

The library was built to store scrolls and to serve as a monumental tomb for Celsus. It was unusual to be buried within a library or even within city limits, so this was a special honor for Celsus. I always felt that I was “buried in a library too”… during grad school at Ohio State.

 Seniors…Greek City, Roman City, Important City

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire, ranking behind Rome, the empire’s capital.

This library is one of the most beautiful structures in Ephesus. The grave of Celsus was beneath the ground floor, across the entrance and there was a statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, over it.

The scrolls of the manuscripts were kept in cupboards in niches on the walls. There were double walls behind the bookcases to protect from the extremes of temperature and humidity. The capacity of the two-story library was more than 12,000 hand-written scrolls. It was the third richest library in ancient times after Alexandra and Pergamum.

The facade of the library has two-stories, with Corinthian style columns on the ground floor and three entrances to the building. Senior visitors will discover that the Library of Celsus was remarkable not only for its size and its beauty, but also for its clever and efficient design. jeb

Seniors Amazed By Malta

Malta, a southern European country in the Mediterranean Sea, is 80 km south of Sicily and 333 km north of Libya. Seniors find Malta to be one of the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries. There is history galore in Malta… it is in the heart of the Mediterranean and a melting pot of civilizations with a history stretching back thousands of years.

The country has been inhabited since around 5200 BC and a significant prehistoric civilization existed on the islands prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians who named the main island Malat, meaning safe haven. The capital city,  Valletta, a piece of living history, was founded in 1565 by the Order of St John as a refuge for soldiers returning from the Crusades.

Valletta is named for Jean Parisot de la Valette, a French nobleman who was Grand Master of the Order of St. John and leader of the defenders during the Turkish siege of Malta in 1565. Valletta, with an unsurpassed collection of original Baroque architecture and fortified city walls overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the massive number of historical buildings found in a tiny space. That says to jeb come on over and visit.

Senior Historians Delight in Malta

Saint Julian’s is a popular senior vacation spot on the coast of Malta. The small town successfully blends its fishing village charm with its tourist center. Latin architecture, such as Spinola Palace, built in 1688, and the Old Parish Church are popular historical sites. TripAdvisor has an interesting array of choices for seniors to check out on Malta. 

The Hypogeum of Paola is said to be the oldest burial site in the world dating back to the Middle Bronze Age. In fact, it’s around 3000 years old and only a dozen people are allowed inside it every day so, you do feel like a very important person when visiting the Hypogeum.

Three famous monuments are the Co-Cathedral of St. John, the Upper Baracca Gardens and what is called The Three CIties. With 7000 years of history and only 3 hours flight from the UK, the Maltese islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino offer the perfect backdrop for a holiday escape.

So seniors, come and discover the heart of the Mediterranean in Malta. It is a fascinating place and on my travel bucket list. The azure waters around Malta are just unbelievable.  jeb

 

 

World’s Most Sacred Places

We know of Notre-Dame de Paris and Machu Picchu as well as the Sistine Chapel in Rome, and senior travelers enjoy visiting these plus a host of other sacred places.  I recall a friend who had traveled the world.  When I asked him the neatest places he had personally visited he replied that he dearly loved Jordan, but that “Hawaii was paradise.”  If you have been to there, you know why Andy chose Hawaii.  But what did he find so neat in Jordan?  Well, Petra is there.  It is a renown site and is a sacred place for many senior visitors.

Senior Visitors Discover Petra

Petra is one of the most sacred places in the Mideast. Petra means “stone” in Arabic and when you arrive on site you will learn why.  There you will see the famous rock-cut architecture as well as a water conduit system.And what a world wonder it is. A treasure of the ancient world, hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains and boasting incomparable scenes that make it a majestic and imposing site, Petra remains almost untouched by centuries of visitors. It was named a World Heritage Site in 1985. So ready your eyes on Petra via YouTube.

Angkor Wat

Located in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Angkor Wat is a site that senior friends have found to be one of the highlights of their world tour.  Here you’ll find a place of peace and power.It’s a Hindu temple complex and the largest religious monument in the entire world. Angkor Wat (meaning: “Capital Temple”) is an ancient temple complex (originally Hindu but later becoming Buddhist) dating from the twelfth century C.E. It’s located about 200 miles from the capital of Phnom Pehn in Cambodia. So join the walk through the temple grounds.

Japan’s Sacred Mountain

Mount Fuji in Japan is a national symbol.  You can easily see it from Tokyo, only 60 miles away.  It is the tallest peak in the country and the “most sacred mountain” in Japan.  It is said that climbing Mount Fuji can make for lifelong memories. Plan your hike in July or August, a time usually free of snow and relatively mild. Mount Fuji is actually one of Japan’s “Three Holy Mountains.”

And The Parthenon…

In Athens, senior travelers will find the most famous surviving building of Ancient Greece and one of the most famous buildings in the world.  Neolithic remains discovered on the slopes of the Acropolis indicate a continuous settlement on the hill from at least 2800 BC. The temple was dedicated to the maiden goddess Athena.

So there you have four of the top ten to visit.  The others include Tikal, the Sistine Chapel, The Great Pyramid, St Peters Basilica and the Temple Explatori de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.  You can research each of them on Google or Wikipedia.

Enjoy your sacred journeys.  jeb

 

 

 Seniors Travel to Exotic UR  (Part 2)

Senior friends, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy an excursion to Iraq with me, by our computers.  There’s this big excavation going on there that I mentioned a couple of days ago and I want to finish that journey.  It will be done in the comfort of our own homes because tourism visas are not being granted for Iraq right now.

Archaeologists found a big surprise in the area of the biblical Abraham’shome. The complex just unearthed on a dig is said to be about the size of a football field. Senior citizens, perhaps you saw the details shared by Fox News on April 4. It is believed to be Abraham’s Lost City approximately 4,000 years old.

Ur was an ancient Sumerian city that is thought to have been settled in the late sixth millennium, during the Ubaid Period. By about 3000 B.C., the area of Ur was about 37 acres. During the Early Dynastic Period [see Ur kings timeline], Ur reached its maximum area of 124 acres and was one of the richest of the southern cities thanks to trade, facilitated by its harbor on the Persian Gulf.

Perhaps no excavation in the more than 150 years of archaeological work in Mesopotamia has excited as much public attention as C. Leonard Woolley’s work at ancient Ur in the 1920s and early 1930s. Ur was fabled as the city of the Sumerian moon god Nanna and the traditional home of the biblical patriarch Abraham (Gen. 12:4-5).

In the thirteen years of excavations, newspapers around the world printed countless articles. The Illustrated London News, reported the results of Woolley’s discoveries at Ur in some thirty features, at least two with color illustrations. The Royal Cemetery at Ur yielded many valuable artifacts.

Ur Attracts Senior Historians

Ancient history alright and full of history, Ur was a major city, and later the capital, of the Sumerian Empire in southern Mesopotamia. Its location near the sea made it a center of commerce and trade routes. Between 2030-1980 BC Ur was the world’s largest city, boasting about 65,000 inhabitants within its walls.

The city featured many glorious temples and tombs. Today, the site is recognizable for its well-preserved remains of the Great Ziggurat. Its ruins are approximately midway between the modern city of Baghdad, Iraq, and the head of the Persian Gulf,  south of the Euphrates River, on the edge of the Al ajarah Desert.

The site of Ur is known today as Tall al Muqayyar, Iraq. In antiquity the Euphrates River flowed near the city walls. We can’t go to Iraq but we can enjoy the discovery…  jeb

Seniors Voyage To Exotic Mesopotamia (Part I)

Ur has long been an ancient site that has attracted philosophers, archeologists and senior travelers over the centuries. Researchers have  recently unearthed a centuries-old city in southern Iraq, that was the home of biblical Abraham. I refer to Ur, a site that years ago my philosophy prof at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, IA  (1960) had visited.  He often brought up the names of other ancient cities like Nineveh, Ashur and Nipur. He lived the history and was full of biblical archeology and transferred it well to my class called “The Nature of Values.”

Babylon and Ur go back a long ways into history and culture. I refer to an ancient site in Babylon that had been a political and spiritual capital of southern Mesopotamia way back when Hammurabi ruled in 1792-1550 BC. My prof often spoke of this site and he knew of it’s historical and biblical importance.

He spoke of the ancient Tells in the region. The Ziggurat of Ur dates back to the early bronze age and is worth a visit. I discovered this neat video that will take you on a visual tour of the area. The To Next Place arrow will take you to other fascinating and ancient civilization sites. 

New Archeological Discovery Intrigues Seniors

A British archaeologist says he and his colleagues have unearthed a huge, rare complex near the ancient city of Ur in southern Iraq, home of the biblical Abraham.  It’s an exciting new discovery and archeologists are taking note. It goes back about 4,000 years, around the time Abraham would have lived there. It’s believed to be an administrative center for Ur and loaded with treasures. The dig is led by Stuart Campbell from the Manchester University’s Archaeology Department, and he says finds like this are quite rare.

The complex includes a number of artifacts including a plaque, and the building surrounds a courtyard. The compound is near the site of the partially reconstructed Ziggurat, or Sumerian temple, said Campbell. British Archaeologists are very excited about the new find.

Wikipedia will tell interested senior historians about UR and its ancient history. So where is ancient Ur?  About.com notes that the Mesopotamian city of Ur, known as Tell al-Muqayyar, was an important Sumerian city state between about 2025-1738 BC. Located near the modern town of Nasiriya in far southern Iraq, on a now-abandoned channel of the Euphrates River, Ur covered about 60 acres, surrounded by a city wall.

When Woolley excavated in the 1920s and 1930s, the city was a tell, a great artificial hill over seven meters high composed of centuries of building and rebuilding mud brick structures, one stacked on top of another. This senior citizen finds it really cool. The Royal Tombs at UR are now famous and well known. See Part 2 that follows…there’s simply too much here for one blog.  jeb

 

 

Seniors Enjoy The Finest: Oberoi Hotels

Some of my blogs are ‘dream material only’…for most of us seniors that is.  And so they have become good Just For Sunday, over a cup of coffee, reading material. The The Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, said to be the “finest in luxury” throughout the world, fit this category, in my wife’s opinion, at least.

An ad in my Travel & Leisure Magazine caught my eye and so I wanted to investigate a bit so see why these hotels are so special. Their website gives us a glimpse, from the many cities where senior travelers could stay and enjoy, to the many world-class sites nearby. There are Oberoi Hotels in India followed by Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the EAU. Just that fact alone might give seniors some idea of what to expect.

Seniors Visit India

I found a beauty for you to explore in New Delphi. It’s ideally located in the city center near government offices, shopping, financial and business districts. The hotel is a 30 minutes drive from the airport and within a few minutes distance from the international exhibition grounds of Pragati Maidan and many Embassies. And what a beauty. Take a look at eleven others, each with charming characteristics and royal luxury.

This map (touch the MAP icon) will take you to six countries where you’ll find Oberoi.  Your mouse will take you right to the site. Note how they are sprinkled all around India. You will note that there are only three in Egypt and one in Saudi Arabia.  Tiny Mauritius will accommodate you very well and look at those thatched roofs. Oberoi is also into cruises each being very special and catering to discerning clientele.

Special Offers and Holiday Packages

Oberoi Hotels & Resorts invite senior citizens on a journey of discovery. Escape to destinations where spectacular landscapes, historical wonders, magnificent beaches and wild adventure promise to create memories for a lifetime. Luxurious settings, impeccable service, international cuisine and pampering spa treatments come together to create the perfect holiday.

This one in Udaipur caught my eye in Travel & Leisure. It’s very ultra. Look into the Oberoi Advantage Program designed to reward you with a complimentary stay.  That would be terrific in any and all of their hotels. Their Business Travel Plan caters to professionals all over the world.

Enjoy your exotic vacation with Oberoi.  jeb

 

 

Senior Travelers Can’t Do Without Them…

There has to be a multitude of gadgets and travel gear that seniors who travel a lot say  they just could not get along without.  I know from my own travel experiences that I could make up a pretty long list myself. I would start off with putting in a plug for both Magellan’s and Travelsmith.  They have dozens of supplies that I have found to be extremely useful.

Magellan’s microfiber pants are the finest pair of travel pants I have ever owned. They have to be nearly twenty years old and still look new. The stretch waistband and a zipper pocket to protect a wallet are excellent. My Travelsmith shirt (60% cotton and %40 polyester) is also the finest travel shirt I’ve ever owned. Lightweight and easily washed and a neutral color. I still prefer to wear both when traveling.

Travel & Leisure Magazine Lists the Best Travel Gear

If you are searching for some super designs that have won awards, then read on, senior travelers. The Best Watch choice was the Timex Weekender Slip Through with a changeable strap, for $45.  Good start I’d say.  The Best Luggage, and it should be for only $2,690, is a Porche Design leather trolley and the best travel bag is a Dror for Tumi convertible nylon backpack. It came in at just $595 and is a real beauty.

The Best Camera was relatively inexpensive considering that you can pay thousands for a camera today. They selected a Pentax-Q10 for $600. For the Best Travel Accessory, a pair of sunglasses won out.  They are called Gotti Switzerland fold-flat model for $310.

For senior men, Luigi Blanchi Mantova lightweight field jacket was tops at $890. It looks nice, kind of wrinkled, but of highest quality. Here are some additional specs on the jacket. FYI it’s made with Loro Piana Storm System fabric, the jacket is waterproof, windproof, and wicks away heat and moisture to keep you dry and comfortable. Senior women, the Best Women’s Travel Clothing Terra New York Polyurethane Trench won the prize for $320.

Gadling (that’s a new one for me) has their list of Best Gear and the website shows a whole pile of gear ready to go. Amazon too has their own best gear choices. Then there is Walkabout and REI who carry great travel accessories. Look over Fodor’s Best New Travel Gear. For the Best Adventure Gear how about a BioLite CampStove.  About.com has helpful information and great apparel.

The Bobble is all about portable filtration, and the people behind it have a mission: to change people’s drinking habits by slowing the mass consumption of single-serve water bottles. You always need to be aware of drinking only good potable water.

Enjoy thumbing through Travel & Leisure’s gadgets and travel gear and you might find something for your next adventure. jeb