Going Places : Taking Some Time to See a Few Other Corners of the World

I am a railroad man’s daughter. Traveling was simple when I was growing up; limited free travel was a courtesy extended to company employees and their families. When I was ready to choose a university, I knew it had to be located on the New York Central Railroad line. Dollars were tight in those Depression/wartime days, but my rail pass enabled me to shuttle between school and home whenever necessary. There were no side trips, no sightseeing, just serious, school travel.

Things are different today. In every major city airport, students are on the move. And the “Shades of Gray” generation is there, too, traveling among them, not with railroad passes but with low-rate senior flight coupons. Grandparents now visit “the kids” wherever they live. Elder citizens take advantage of free time and reduced rates to explore the world. Our generation’s motto: Have ticket, will travel.

Senior travel is big business. There are numerous books to whet the appetite of the adventurous and encourage the timid; books such as “Travel After Fifty,” “Gypsying After Forty” and “Exploring the Travel/Retirement Option.”

When planning a trip or having one planned, always consider pacing your experiences to allow for free time. It is not unusual, but it is kind of foolish to return from a vacation in need of a vacation. A fast-paced, frenetic tour leaves me, for one, breathless, sleepless and humorless.

There are some of us who arrive at a travel agent’s desk with no idea concerning destination or cost: we just feel like taking a trip--anywhere. It is the professional’s responsibility to make suggestions and assist in creating a comfortable plan. A couple looking for peace and quiet, for example, should not sign on to a cruise ship that caters to a younger generation.

Although there is no charge to the client for travel agency services, there are agents who charge a fee “up-front” before arranging a trip. Legally, that amount must be deducted from the final cost.

Some travel agents really do go the extra mile--providing courtesy limousine service to the airport or meeting clients at their homes to discuss travel plans. If you have special needs, be sure to discuss them with a potential travel agent. Don’t be afraid to use his expertise, and you will both benefit if you give your return business to someone who has given you excellent service.

There can be a myriad of details to untangle in arranging a trip. Gary Wagner, owner of Get-a-way Travel in San Marcos, says that, although discount air fares have enabled seniors to travel extensively, there is more than buying plane tickets to traveling comfortably and efficiently.

Travel agents are sometimes able to save dollars on accommodations and sightseeing tours. Frequently, “bargain prices” are no bargain, though. The lowest-priced package is often sold out before you try to make your reservation. And who knows how many were ever available?

Inexpensive accommodations can be wonderful . . . or awful. Have you ever climbed to the third floor of a boardinghouse to discover that the heat, in December, never gets there? Travel agents often check accommodations by traveling themselves, sharing information with other agents and listening to their clients’ reports. They are prepared to guide us around the pitfalls.

Agents usually advise those who have never been to a distant land to make that first trip with an arranged tour; going on your own is reserved for the experienced. I recall arriving in Turkey with my husband, on our own, at night. No one at the airport spoke English. Our stumbling, mumbling search for misplaced luggage, for a cab and for our hotel was an enormously exhausting exercise in frustration.

Cancellation insurance is a wise purchase, especially on “bargain” trips. We cannot always spot a scam, but we can protect ourselves with insurance. It provides for refunds should the trip be interrupted.

Getting to the airport from North County, if there is no ride from a friend, relative or travel agent, frequently requires a calculator to finalize the decision of “how to go.” Parking fees at the airport and nearby facilities can range from $5 to $12 a day. The cost of a shuttle pick-up at your door is as low as $29 for one person and as high as $42 for two from most North County areas; the rates are one-way. A round-trip arrangement can result in some savings.

The various rates depend on which company you use and where you live. So, whether you drive your own car and leave it at the airport or are transported there depends, primarily, on how long you are going to be gone.

Shuttle drivers are friendly, courteous and, occasionally, too efficient. About two months ago, we arranged with a service to pick us up at 5 a.m. to ensure on-time arrival for a 7 a.m. flight. (Senior coupon travelers have to pick up tickets at departure and there is paper work, so we need extra time at the airport.) At 4:45 a.m. on the day before our scheduled departure, our phone startled us awake with “Hello, this is Mike; are you ready to go. I am in your driveway!” Car phones still boggle my mind--but especially so that morning. I scrambled to confirm the date and thus, the error.

Mike was gracious and apologetic and on time again the next day. Better early than late, of course, but by 24 hours?

I have found that most airline employees are courteous and sensitive to traveling seniors. Recently, I was returning alone from a meeting in Chicago. As I checked in at O’Hare, I was informed that I would not make my connection in Dallas because of a storm there, and, therefore, would not be able to continue to San Diego until morning.

The airline would not arrange a hotel overnight, since I was traveling on economy tickets. It was a senior’s nightmare. I tried to imagine curling up for the night on a bench at the airport. Others do it. I might curl up, but could anyone straighten out a pretzel?

Instead, I was persistent, badgering the agent for help. She demurred. So I tried another agent. This new person, rested and fresh, was sympathetic. She guided me to the proper supervisor, and soon I was on a direct flight to San Diego, via a competitor’s airline, but at no extra cost to me.

Having traveled many miles over many years since my overnight train rides to and from college, I still love the experience--despite the crowds, the delays, even the scams.

It is broadening and challenging and, as Mark Twain wrote in “Innocents Abroad”: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness. . . . Broad, wholesome, charitable views . . . cannot be acquired by vegetating in one’s little corner of Earth.”

Go ahead and make your travel plans now.