Getting Better Acquainted With the U.S.S.R.

The top two foreign destinations preferred by American travelers age 60 and over are Australia and the Soviet Union, according to a survey conducted by Saga International Holidays, a major tour operator catering to mature travelers.

Australia led the vote in the past two surveys, and while the U.S.S.R. was a distant 11th place choice a year ago, it has moved up to second place.

The December meeting between President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and the latter’s policy of glasnost are credited with the upsurge of interest in the Soviet Union.

A wide selection of tours in the Soviet Union is offered by tour operators who specialize in travel for seniors. Saga International has a 17-night trip, the Trans-Siberian Express, which may seem arduous but is one of its most popular. It involves a flight from the United States to London for a two-day visit, then a flight to Yalta on the Black Sea to start the Soviet adventure.

Spanning Siberia

After two nights in Yalta you fly to Moscow for two days of sightseeing. Then you fly to Irkutsk in eastern Siberia for a two-night stay before boarding the Trans-Siberian Express for a three-day, two-night trip by rail to Khabarovsk in the Soviet far east.

Aboard the train you are accommodated in compartments for four persons. After visiting Khabarovsk you take an overnight flight to Leningrad, the U.S.S.R.’s most popular city with Westerners. You return home from Leningrad with an overnight stop in London.

The price for the trip is $2,419 to $2,579 per person, including all meals and sightseeing in the Soviet Union, with two meals daily in London. The price differential depends on city and date of departure.

A less demanding Soviet itinerary arranged by Saga begins with a flight to London, then to Leningrad, Moscow and Yalta. This 17-day trip provides longer visits in each city, with leisurely sightseeing in all of them. The all-inclusive price from Los Angeles is $1,969 to $2,129 per person, depending on the departure date.

For more information, write to Saga International Holidays, 120 Boylston St., Boston, Mass. 02116. Call toll-free (800) 366-7242.

Exposure to the Arts

Another respected tour operator for mature Americans is Grand Circle Tours, offering a travel adventure to Russia for 18 days, with air transportation via Finland’s national carrier, Finnair. Your first destination is Moscow and the trip includes visits to Tashkent, Tbilisi, Yalta, Erevan and Leningrad, with a bonus two-day stopover in Helsinki, Finland.

Among other things, you’ll get a welcome dinner in Moscow, the Bolshoi Ballet or the opera, a hydrofoil ride on the Volga, the Hermitage Museum and the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad.

This package includes first-class hotels and all meals in the Soviet Union, breakfasts and a farewell dinner in Helsinki; all guided tours with admissions and English-speaking guides, and all transfers between hotels and airports, including tips.

The 18-day package costs from $2,545 per person from New York City. Price may vary depending on date of departure; add $213 for round-trip air fare from Los Angeles. A choice of departure dates is available May 20 to Oct. 19.

For more information, write to Grand Circle Tours, 347 Congress St., Boston, Mass. 02210. Call toll-free (800) 221-2610.

‘Heart of Russia’

An alternative itinerary is offered by the American Assn. of Retired Persons (AARP) travel service with a 14-day “Heart of Russia” escorted tour. It takes you first to Moscow and then to Volgograd, where you board a sleek cruise liner, the Alexander Pushkin, which travels the Volga River for six days to Kazan.

The Pushkin is an air-conditioned vessel with all outside staterooms and private baths. Daily programs are presented aboard ship by experts in culture, Russian history and current affairs. The ship makes several stops for shore excursions along the Volga, including an island barbecue.

The tour includes comprehensive sightseeing in Moscow, Leningrad, Volgograd, Togliatti, Ulyanovsk and Kazan. Evening activities may include the ballet, opera, symphony or the circus. Return to the United States from Leningrad is via Aer Lingus.

Prices begin at $2,498 from New York City and may run to $2,998, depending on the location of your cabin aboard ship. Air fare from Los Angeles to New York is not included in the price, although AARP’s travel service will negotiate the lowest possible fare available at time of departure from other cities.

One of two departure dates in August is sold out but space is available for Aug. 26 on this itinerary. For more information, write to AARP Travel Service, 5855 Green Valley Circle, Culver City 90230. Or call toll-free (800) 227-7737.