Planning a Trip That’s By the Book

A number of tour operators who cater to the seniors market offer free copies of handsomely illustrated brochures. Some of them include the following:

Cruise Line Inc. offers a Seniors Guide to Cruising brochure that gives information on how to select the right cruise for your needs, where to go and for how long, budgets, shore excursions, medical facilities, travel insurance, special diets, and tips on finding reduced rates and other cruise discounts. Call (800) 777-0707, Ext. 613.

Grand Circle Travel offers an updated Travel Planner that lists 19 tours in the United States, South America, Europe, the British Isles, Turkey, Mexico, Africa and the Middle East. All tour descriptions include a list of cities visited, basic costs, available tour dates and other information. Call (800) 248-3737.

A second brochure Grand Circle offers is called 101 Tips for Mature Travelers, designed for those planning an overseas trip. With more than 50 pages in a handy booklet size, it answers often-asked questions on trip preparation, home security, packing, converting money, shopping, tipping, transportation, photography, communications, customs regulations and more. Call (800) 248-3737.

Saga Holidays’ Travel Planner has 90 pages of information, color illustrations, route maps for each tour, a wide choice of departure dates for each destination and ratings for hotels. A sampling of destinations for Saga tours includes the United States, Mexico and Canada, Great Britain and Ireland, the Middle East, Latin America, almost every country in Europe and a special section on Christmas tours to destinations in Israel, Prague, Scandinavia, Scotland, Jerusalem, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Christmas tours are also available in the United States and Canadian cities, including Williamsburg, Va.; Banff, Canada; New Orleans; and San Antonio. Call (800) 343-0273.

Saga Holidays’ World of Cruising lists cruises on most major lines, including Costa, Celebrity, Orient, Princess, Cunard, Silversea and Royal Caribbean. A chart for each cruise line shows the passenger capacity, number of crew and staff, health club and swimming facilities, and other features such as casino, disco, library, boutiques and beauty salon, dining facilities, bars and entertainment lounges. Call (800) 952-9590.

For tours for the adventurous traveler, Saga Holidays also offers a brochure called Spirit of Discovery. Destinations include 21 days in China, Tibet and a cruise on the Yangtze River; a nine-day visit to Beijing; Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore; Borneo; Thailand; Costa Rica; Peru; Australia and New Zealand; India; Israel; Jordan; Egypt and the Nile; Kenya, and South Africa. Call (800) 432-1432.