Feel a holiday coming on? The AboutSeniors travel pages provide you with extensive information and links to a variety of travel options: cruises, house swaps, housesitting, road trips, train travel and international travel. Plus there’s a page on travel insurance and answers to all our subscribers’ travel-related questions.
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Travel
Free kids
Give yourself a well earned break in the New Year and take the grandchildren with you, they stay free anyway!
Travel.com.au have two great deals for holidays in Australia, offering free nights and free child places. Taking the grandchildren on holiday has never been more attractive!
Heron Island – from $764 per person
Stay six nights and pay for only four.
Children under 12 stay and eat free
Full buffet breakfast daily
Island activities included
Valid for sale and travel, within specified periods, until 31 March 2009
Visit Travel.com.au for more details
Dunk Island – from $1409 per person
Return economy airfares to Cairns with Virgin Blue
Return charter flight transfers Cairns Airport Dunk Island
Stay seven nights and pay for only five
Children under 12 stay and eat free
Full buffet breakfast daily
Island activities and kids club
Valid for sale and travel, within specified periods, until 31 March 2009
Visit Travel.com.au for more details
Frequent flyer bonus
As more people watch their spending, tourist travel is on the downturn. This has lead to airlines increasing the number of frequent flyer flights available in a bid to fill their planes and stimulate the travel industry.
Qantas has doubled its allocation of frequent flyer flights over the summer months to 1.5 million, the airline usually only releases 3 million over a year, and more airlines will follow suit. Jetstar is also releasing extra flights on domestic and international routes, and though not widely advertised, other airlines also have more flights on offer.
For those who have tried, getting the seat you want when spending frequent flyer points is never easy. Hopefully, this is about to change.
For more information, visit Smart Company.
Child friendly holidays
There’s a good chance that your idea of a good holiday and your grandchild’s will be completely different. So how do you make sure compromise is something understood by an eight year old?
Theme parks and endless mind blowing activites may be your ideal of the holiday from hell but in the mind of a child, visits to museums and afternoon siestas are equally as horrifying. Striking the correct balance to please everyone is difficult, and possible a task best undertaken by the experts.
There are specialist travel companies that deal solely in travelling with children and ensuring the right balance of fun and relaxation is met. They can ensure that you have the right accomodation, pre-book trips and tickets, which often saves money, and advise which areas should be avoided at certain times of the year.
For more information on travelling with children, try the three sites listed below.
Travelling with children
Travelling with children is a whole new ball game, no longer can you just pack a bag and head off into the far blue yonder.
Making sure a holiday is enjoyable for children will almost always ensure that it’s fun for you. There is nothing more certain to try a your patience and spoil a holiday, than hearing the “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do” mantra, that every child will undoubtedly repeat over and over again. Clever planning is key to ensuring that holidays with children go without a hitch.
Below are some useful sites to get your planning started.
Games to keep children busy on journeys
Travelling Parents document can be downloaded. Also gives useful tips on papers required, vaccinations, and insurance.
Safe travel in car, airline travel and travel sickness information.
Hard times travel
Times are hard and travel is not high on the list of people’s priorities. But if you do manage a getaway break, make sure you get the best deal for your dollar.
Travelzoo have come up with their Top Ten tips for getting the best holiday deal, some examples are:
· Look for value as well as price and factor in cost saving free inclusions such as breakfast, parking, vouchers, internet access, activities and transfers.
· Be as flexible as possible on dates and travel times. Great deals can be offered for mid week stays and very often the time that is most expensive to have a beach holiday is the best time to book an inland getaway such as a mountain retreat.
· For short getaways remember Sunday night is very often the cheapest night, so instead of taking leave on Friday take it on Monday.
For more information, visit Travelzoo.
Speedy shearers
Kangaroo Island plays host to the speediest shearers from Australia and overseas as they compete in the richest shearing event in the Southern Hempisphere.
With top prizes on offer, the competition will be fierce and around 80 shearers, including some from the Uk, are expected to participate. Thanks to generous sponsors, the event at Timber Creek Pine rivals events anywhere in the world, ensuring an action packed time for competitors and spectators alike.
It’s not just shearering sheep that happening, on Friday 21 November, you can pick your own thouroghbred marron and cheer it to victory in the Marron Races at Parndana Hotel. On the same night, the annual Shearers and Shedlands ball takes on a Hawaiian theme and the action come to a head on Saturday, with the actual shearing events. Relax and recover with a free barbeque on the lawns of the Parndana Hotel.
One of the great things about this weekend is that most of the events are free entry, so people don’t have to dig deep to have fun. For more information, visit Tourism Kangaroo Island.
Caught short
Getting caught short miles from the nearest public toilet can be embarrassing, painful and distressing. Be prepared before you go and find the public toilets on your proposed travel routes.
Maybe you need wheelchair access or need to use the toilet frequently, now you can find out where all the suitable toilets are, making your trip more fun and less worrying.
The National Public Toilet Map can help you find toilets with specific features, the opening hours and access arrangements near to where you intend to travel. If you are dependent on being near to a toilet, you can even plan you journey based on where acceptable conveniences are.
To plan your journey or find your nearest public loo, visit the National Toilet Map.
Going solo
Finding the right person to go on holiday with is never easy, and once you find someone you click with, you may have differing views on where to go. Try not to fear travelling on your own, the whole experience will more than like be extremely liberating.
As a solo traveller you can go where you want, do what you want, whenever you want. When you travel on your own, you’re more likely to take notice of different cultures, meet more local people and have the travel experience that you really want. So now you’ve bitten the bullet and decided to go it alone, we have five strategies for first time solo travellers.
Follow your passion
Consider basing your trip on your interests and/or passions – even if you have lonely moments, most of the time you’ll be immersed in something you enjoy. Don’t put yourself on a coach where all that is required is looking out the window and getting your bags to reception on time. Choose instead a cooking class, meditation retreat, hiking tour, fishing trip or canoeing adventure – anything where you can get involved both in an activity or learning experience, and with people who are like-minded.
Lonely hearts
Don’t look for romance – it’s a bonus if it happens, but can be very disappointing when, most of the time, it doesn’t happen.
Chatterbox
Become one. Force yourself to talk to strangers – and practice this before you leave. Expect knock backs and learn to be philosophical about them.
Forget the Ritz
Go for cheaper, share accommodation including backpackers and hostels. Some of the time you may want privacy and your own space, but you are much more likely to find fun company at a hostel and have a better time than in lonely five-star luxury.
Write it out
Keep a journal. It will not only form a wonderful record of different sights and sounds, but can also be a trusted, discrete and non-judgmental friend to whom you can pour out your heart if you have an attack of the blues.
Now you’ve got some top tips to get you on your way, try reading the following book and check out our suggested websites.
Traveling Solo: Advice and Ideas for More Than 250 Great Vacations by Eleanor Berman, The Globe Pequot Press
For single and solo travellers interested in group tours or finding a travel companion – Solo Traveller
Join the Solo Traveller Network as part of the Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia for the opportunity to meet and travel with other singles. – www.cmca.net.au
Flight search made simple
Liz, an AboutSeniors subscriber, has shared with us a site which we think you should all know about as it makes searching for cheap flights easier.
If you love the way Google lets you search for anything just by typing in a few relevant words then how about a site that lets you search for flights in the same way.
Adioso understands that many of us like to travel when it’s cheapest and have developed a website that lets you search flights with as broad a range as you wish. You can search by route, flights leaving your home airport and going anywhere, flights under a certain price, flights in any given month and many more combinations to give you the widest choice possible.
You can be assured that the information given is independent as Adioso is not a booking site, it is purely for information purposes. So if you want to head off somewhere but are not sure when, search for the best flight deals on Adioso.
Step back in time
If you are a car enthusiast then a trip to Monty’s Vintage Garage will be like a trip down memory lane.
Monty’s Garage is a throwback to the 1940s, hosting a collection of 70 restored vehicles, auto memorabilia and a workshop where visitors can view and old car or truck being worked on. Boasting the largest collection of restored vintage vehicles in Queensland, Monty’s can be found at Glenmorgan on the Western Downs and is open daily from 8am-5pm, except Wednesday and Sundays.
For more information on Monty’s Garage, visit Queensland Holidays.
Travel online
Whether you’re researching your travel plans or just enjoy being an armchair traveller, finding travel information on the web just got easier.
The launch of Wego allows travellers to source unbiased information, free of charge, from over one hundred sites, saving time and giving you the full picture.
Wego is not a booking site, which is great as you see the real price at the beginning of your search, rather than waiting until the end of the process, only to be disappointed by the cost. Sites searched include airlines, online travel agents, hotel reservations and car hire, ensuring the most up-to-date and comprehensive information is available.
Before you take off on your next trip, visit Wego.
To infinity and beyond
The age of space travel just got closer with Virgin Galactic unveiling WhiteKnightTwo(WK2), which heralds commercial space travel one step closer.
“Whatever next?”, you may ask yourself in disbelief but this is no joke. Maveric businessman and fearless adventurer Sir Richard Branson and SpaceShipOne designer, Burt Rutan, have unveiled the carrier aircraft which will ferry SpaceShipTwo and its intrepid passengers on the first stage of their space oddissey.
Not only does the aircraft have to withstand the stresses high altitude air travel, positive G force and a heavy lift load but in this green age, it must also do so in an environmentally benign way. The all carbon composite of the aircraft ensure maximum full efficiency whilst being sturdy enough to do the task required, i.e. lfiting a fully-crewed spaceship!
Ground testing of the aircraft is already underway, with its first flight expected in autumn (northern hemisphere) this year. Named Eve, after Branson’s mother and to represent a first and a new beginning, WK2 is like nothing seen before, developed using state of the art technology.
To keep up-to-date with progress in the sub-orbital space programme, visit Virgin Galactic.
Best skiing websites
For your chance to go in a draw to win a Canadian snow holiday to Whistler, click here. Ski Canada Now website is offering this prize to one lucky person (double package), simply by registering your details on the following page!
Best Australia skiing websites
Ski.com.au
Ski.com.au offers a large variety of options for those looking for a ski holiday. With regularly updated camera feeds from all the top Australian ski mountains, this site is alot of fun and you can plan your holiday in minutes
Ski Central
Ski Central offers detailed information on all the major snowfields, showing all the major facilities available in each area and links to accommodation options in each price range.
Best international ski fun
Ski Canada
This site offers information and links for the basic beginners right up to the advanced skiers. With tips, equipment choices, information on learning how to ski and its own snow online e-news, this site is alot of fun!
Ski Japan
Have you ever wanted to go to Japan? What you didn’t know was that Japan has some of the best mountains for skiing in the world. Check out this site if you want to see how beautiful Japan is, covered in white gold, and how you can get there!
Ski NZ
If you want to go overseas to ski, why not check out our neighbour, New Zealand for some of the best slopes and beautiful mountains in the world. This site provides you with beautiful photos of the majestic New Zealand peaks and all the information you need to plan your next trip!
And specific learn to ski courses for baby boomers in Aspen, Colorado
Bumps for Boomers
Learn to Ski! It’s great for your health! This program is tailored towards people aged 50 and over. This is an innovative Aspen-based ski lesson program that quickly teaches aging Baby Boomers how to confidently ski mogul and powder terrain.
Carbon offset
Air travel is becoming more costly, both financially and environmentally. We can do little about rising fuel costs, but offsetting your carbon emissions could let you jet off with a clear conscious.
Air travel is still a luxury, even though its common place these days to jet off for the weekend. The environmental impact of increased emissions to due increased flight traffic is great, and consideration should be given to the environmental cost of a holiday or trip away.
Many airlines offer you the option to purchase carbon offsets when you are booking your flight, a one-way trip from Melbourne to Sydney costing as little as $1.20. With the money collected, the airline support projects that tackle the issue of climate change, many will plant native trees, or implement water-recycling projects, all money goes to the projects, and none is kept by the airline.
So they next time you fly, consider the environment and check out what each domestic airline offers with it carbon offset program.
Relax and recharge
Sometimes it all just gets too much for even the strongest amongst us. Combining a well-earned break with a one-on-one mental and emotional wellness retreat may just be the ticket to a happier, healthier you.
Health Retreat Australia offers you the chance to spend time with a dedicated practitioner to combat anxiety, depression, mood swings or mental fatigue by concentrating on your diet, exercise, relaxation and counselling. Set in the natural surrounds of Crystal Waters Eco-Village, on the Sunshine Coast, the Retreat offers a holistic yet practical approach to relieving every day stresses from today’s hectic lifestyles.
Working with your practitioner, the fully inclusive programs can be tailored to meet personal requirements and durations and include:
• Private, one-on-one individual guidance and facilitation
• Daily yoga and meditation
• Naturopathic consultation and assessment
• 5 relaxation massages
• 2 counselling session
• Tailored exercise program
• 5 nights accommodation
• Fresh, living foods cuisine and cleansing juices
For more information on how Health Retreat Australia can get your mental health back on track, or to find out about the other programs on offer, click here.
Access Victoria
VisitVictoria have made it easier if you’re travelling with a disability or need attendant care in Victoria.
If you have a disability or need care, travelling can be difficult. VisitVictoria understand that disabled people enjoy travel just as much as those more able-bodied. They have a section on their website detailing organisations that provide attendant care and equipment hire.
For all that Victoria has to offer and how you can access support services, visit www.visitvictoria.com.au.
Motorsport legend remembered
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and if you’re a fan of Australian motorsport, then maybe one of yours is Peter Brock.
The collection spans 15 years and the museum has been five years in the making. Now, two years after his tragic death, the Champions Brock Experience has opened in Yeppon, Queensland. As part of the collection there is a vast array of personal and profession Peter Brock memorabilia, along with 38 vehicles in a unique setting.
The museum is open from Thursday to Monday and entry is by pre-booked guided tours. Visitors can also enjoy a light and sound show, which plays once a day and features previously unseen footage of the legend.
For more information, click here.
Travel with a conscience
There are many areas of Australia and the world struggling to cope with climate change and the downside of economic growth. You can give a little back while seeing the world.
Conservation Volunteers has been helping projects throughout Australia and all over the world for over 25 years and offer the chance to be more than just a tourist in your chosen destination. Whatever your area of interest, be it native plants and animals, tropical birds and trees or helping remote villages achieve a sustainable lifestyle, there’s something to suits your requirements.
Information sessions are held on the first Tuesday of every month, throughout Australia, where you can find out about the organisation, the projects they are part of and how you can help.
Projects overseas run for two to five weeks and for most, you’ll be part of a group. The program price includes project related costs such as meals, accommodation and program transportation but does not include, flights, travel insurance, vaccinations, etc. For more information on the projects available and what’s involved, click here.
Dirty weekend
The last thing you want to encounter of your travels is someone else’s dirt and debris in you hotel room. Make sure you give these hotels a miss!
If you’re planning on travelling to the US or UK this year be sure to check out Tripadvisor’s list of the top 10 dirtiest hotels for each country, and book somewhere else!
Only, not lonely!
Are you a woman who likes travelling on her own, happy to go where you please rather than try to fit around others?
Many women travel alone these days, whether it’s simply because that’s the way they prefer it, or that having no-one to travel with won’t stop them getting out and seeing the world.
There are many travel companies and websites that cater for women only and we’ve listed some of the more useful ones below.
www.journeywoman.com – offers a whole host of information for women travelling alone and even gives details of travel guides around the world
www.smartraveller.com.au – a government site that offers travel tips to all travellers but has a section specifically on women travelling alone and offers a booklet on travel tip for women.
www.valentinetravel.com – offers walking tours in Europe for women
www.tuscanyundertheskin.com – offer tours of Tuscany, sampling truly local food, wine and culture
If holidays on your own are not your thing and your looking for a travel partner, why not check out our personal ads, or place one of your own?
Webmaster Drew’s Adventure
Recently, I holiday around the world to celebrate my freedom from the University system after graduating, before getting locked into the grind of the 9 to 5 lifestyle. I am pleased to share three photos with you from Moscow, Russia and San Francisco, America.
Dead interesting
If the thought of going on a cemetery tour makes the hairs on the back on your neck stand on end, think again, they’re some of the most interesting places in the world.
If you’re lucky enough to be travelling overseas, you could visit the graves of the stars at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, or how about Eva Peron at La Cemetery Recoleta and Paris is almost as famous for its Pere Lachaise cemetery as it is for the Eiffel Tower!
If you’re more interested in local icons, many Australian cemeteries offer tours and it’s amazing what you can find out about your local history by the people who have lived and died there. Most major Australian cities offer weekly tours of their most famous cemeteries and you can find out more details by clicking on the links below.
Sydney
Brisbane
Melbourne
Adelaide
However, it’s often the more rural venues that unearth hidden gems. Contact your local church or cemetery for more details.
Celebrity hideaways
We all dream of the celebrity lifestyle, jetting off around the world at a moment’s notice but where do our favourite stars go to get away?
With the private jet on standby choosing where to go on holiday must be difficult for celebrities but it seems they are creatures if habit and once they find their favourite holiday hotspot, they like to keep it to themselves. Well now their secrets are out and whether it’s eating fresh seafood by the harbour in Ile de Re, France or Australia’s very own Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas, you too can enjoy the destinations of the rich and famous, budget permitting! To share the fantasy, click here.
Compare air prices
Fed up with trawling different sites to get the best deal on your flights? Make one visit and compare prices at a glance with Webjet.
Webjet will search for and list all flights that meet your requirements in an easy to read table that makes comparing fares and flights times simple. Keep the cost down by travelling on a Tuesday or Wednesday if you can, these are the cheapest days to travel. Webjet can be accessed direct from @boutSeniors, to find a flight, click here.
Volunteer abroad
Looking for travel with a purpose? Global Vision International (GVI) offers conservation and research expeditions to over 30 countries. You get training, support and cultural orientation, so whether you choose Kenya, Patagonia or Thailand (amongst others), you will be well prepared for a true adventure and a satisfying experience.
With GVI, you can volunteer from one week to two years on important conservation and community development programs. If you’re an animal lover, you can choose to work with wildlife, or other options include marine conservation or even teaching overseas. For more information, click here.
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