Home > Travelwatch

What's on the Travel News Menu for YOU Today?
Senior travel nature vacations, cruise and barging vacations, volunteer vacations worldwide & more!

1. Christmas holiday planning in the summer? You bet! Why not consider Christmas in Europe with four great escorted tours that focus on Christmas markets and winter celebrations in Britain, Paris, a Rhine/Main river cruise and Germany/Switzerland/Austria.
2. Here is a new chance to explore more of the Adriatic coast and the Balkans with an expanded version of a perennially popular tour for active 50+ travelers to Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro.
3. What will the airlines try charging clients for next? You will enjoy these humorous and not so funny answers from people like you polled in seven countries. Oxygen? Sick bags? Using the toilet? Check it out.
4. Combine a horseback riding adventure in northeast India with a well-respected, meaningful volunteer experience in one of the country's scenic, remote and economically poor regions.
5. Should seniors, disadvantaged youth and the disabled have subsidized holidays? The European Union is piloting a three year program to see whether this is feasible and measure the health and social benefits.

See more fast-breaking Travel News!

Yes, It's Time to Consider Christmas Vacations!

An English Christmas offers an 8-day vacation that explores beautifully illuminated Holiday England. Visit London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath and Stonehenge. Eat hot chestnuts from street vendors, listen to carolers singing in Covent Garden, visit the house where Shakespeare was born, experience Christmas in the ancient city of Bath, and feel the timelessness of Stonehenge. The tour begins and ends in London, so there is time for last minute shopping.

What could be more magical than Christmas in Paris? This 9-day tour (available with Moderate or Superior accommodation options) highlights the sights of Paris, made even more magnificent at this special time of year. Stroll the Champs Elysees, marvel at Notre Dame Cathedral, view dazzling Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and on a day at leisure, take advantage of fewer crowds this time of year and visit the Louvre or take in a show at the Moulin Rouge. This tour includes a visit to the lavishly opulent Palace of Versailles.

Trafalgar's 9-day Christmas Markets of Austria, Germany and Switzerland highlights the places where many Christmas traditions were born. This escorted tour begins in Vienna where sightseeing with a local guide includes a drive along the Ringstrasse and a visit to the captivating fairytale markets with their traditional handicrafts and delicious local gingerbread. Other festive sights include the Christmas Markets in Mozart's Salzburg, Zurich, Oberammergau, Liechtenstein, Lucerne and more.

Trafalgar's newest holiday vacation, Rhine-Main Holiday Markets offers an 11-day relaxing cruise tour along the River Rhine at Christmas time. Visit all of those coveted festive destinations and only unpack once aboard your ship! Experience the joyful atmosphere of ancient, bustling cities such as Bamberg, Nuremberg, Rothenburg, and Cologne which, in addition to their year-round historic beauty, are now filled with markets decked out in festive Christmas trim with hand-made local crafts and delicious regional fare. This vacation features complimentary transfers on arrival and departure days, 7 nights in a river view stateroom, all meals and entertainment onboard, wine with dinner, included shore excursions and more.

For over 60 years Trafalgar Tours has been using its knowledge and expertise to design unforgettable vacations that include First Class hotel accommodations; luxury transportation by motor coach, rail or cruise ship; outstanding cuisine; daily sightseeing and optional excursions with expert local guides; and the personal concierge services of the most professional and knowledgeable Tour Directors in the travel industry.
Images courtesy of Trafalgar Tours.

ElderTreks Expands Popular Balkans Tour to Include Bosnia and Montenegro

ElderTreks' long-time "Slovenia and Croatia" exploration tour has been a perennial mainstay in the itineraries of this respected 50+ active adventure tour operator for almost a decade, visiting an impressive collection of cultural heritage highlights and some of the most unique natural parks in the world. I know from personal experience and plenty of feedback from others that it is one of those itineraries for which it is impossible to identify highlights because there are so many! Readers may fully appreciate why this tour has remained popular by reading a richly-illustrated feature article about the experience in our own Travel with a Challenge collection.

That tour just got even more memorable with the ElderTreks announcement that the newly-named "Adriatic Adventure" will have an expanded 19-day itinerary with a fascinating taste of southern Bosnia and Herzegovina and an introduction to Montenegro, two less-visited countries of the Former Yugoslavia. For those readers who don't mind packing their suitcase on short notice, there are a few spaces left on the September 3, 2010 departure. For those who like to plan ahead, the next departure is April 22, 2011.

A maximum of 16 seniors will visit seven UNESCO National Heritage Sites and eight National Parks from Slovenia to Montenegro, interwoven with well-paced visits to ancient Roman and impressively-preserved medieval European towns and cities that fringe the turquoise, island-dotted Adriatic Sea. An additional cultural highlight is an inland visit to Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that showcases the region's exotic 700 year Ottoman Empire heritage in dramatic fashion. This trip is rated as moderately difficult because there are some not-to-be-missed hikes of two to three hours in the national parks.

ElderTreks, www.eldertreks.com, is the world's first adventure travel company designed exclusively for people 50 and over. Celebrating 25 years in 2011, it offers active, off-the-beaten-path, small-group adventures by both land and sea in over 100 countries. ElderTreks itineraries include wildlife and tribal African safaris, active hiking trips to the Rockies, Himalayas and Andes, expeditions by icebreakers to the Arctic and Antarctic and cultural journeys throughout Asia, South America and much of the world.

2009 was the year of unbundled fares, peak-travel supplements and more and more fees. Now, with baggage fees back in the news, passengers are once again wondering what they'll pay for next. Cheapflights Canada, www.cheapflights.ca, an international flight price search and comparison website recently decided to find out by asking its web visitors across the globe what they think airlines will be tempted to charge for in the future.

"Last year, Cheapflights Canada took an amusing walk down memory 'aisle' and created a list of things that used to be standard on flights and now ... are not," Mo Bullbrook, Head of International Development commented. "Due to the phenomenal response we received, we decided to have some more fun with this and take it global to see what our users around the world think is coming next? It was interesting to see the similarities in responses from North America, Europe and Australia and definitely fun to see the differences."

The question was asked in seven different markets -- Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Australia, Canada and the U.S. Over 40% of respondents thought that carriers would charge for using the toilet. It made the top of the list for all countries except Italy, where being charged for talking to the crew and sleeping ranked higher.

Also making the list was looking out the window where 9% believed they would be charged for this privilege followed by 8% speculating that they would have to pay to recline their chairs. Additional responses included speaking with cabin crew, sleeping, sick bags, oxygen, safety jackets and using the emergency exit.

Cheapflights Canada is an excellent place to find cheap airfares and up-to-date travel information. It is part of Cheapflights Media, a global Internet media network that has been delivering great deals since 1996. Cheapflights does not sell travel products; it publishes one of the largest selections of airfare deals available online. These are advertised by a huge range of flight providers from each of its national sites' home countries.

Travelers may search for flight deals from both traditional and low-cost airlines, as well as smaller specialty-travel providers. There are also travel deals and flight offers exclusive to cheapflights.ca. The Flight & Travel Info sections are packed with more than 500 destination travel guides and travel tips. Sign up for a newsletter or follow Twitter for hot travel deals, helpful tips and destination guides.

An Inspirational India Volunteer Ride Into 2011!

Starting with an unlikely idea in 2003 through seven years of meaningful experiences for global volunteers, medical personnel and villagers in beautiful but impoverished parts of western India, Relief Riders International, www.reliefridersinternational.com completed its ninth and tenth relief missions early in 2010. If you love to ride horses, have a sense of adventure and a passion for volunteering, any of the next three scheduled rides could be the most memorable way imaginable to celebrate your next New Year. Check out the amazing slideshow on RRI's 2010 rides, and you will instantly understand.

These humanitarian missions, limited to 12 volunteers each, includes days riding magnificent indigenous Marwari horses through Rajasthan's cinematic desert landscapes with overnights in ancient forts and beautiful camps and opportunities to join villagers in festival celebrations. Underpinning all this adventure is serious volunteer initiatives that offer free dental and medical camps, children's health programs, and support for schools. They also support self-reliance for rural families.

In 2010 alone, 43 goats were distributed to below poverty level families through RRI's Give a Goat program. And the pediatric program -- always a highlight of RRI rides -- took volunteers to 11 rural schools with an opportunity to meet and treat 2,300 students. 2010's dental camp was a first for RRI, allowing dental treatments by professionals to be delivered to 500 people, many of whom had never seen a dentist before. In all these initiatives, volunteers have a heartwarming and essential role to play.

Left: The Give a Goat program encourages self-reliance for poor families.



Right: Donations of school supplies make a big difference to students in rural schools.

Encouraged by their most recent success, RRI has decided to celebrate the new decade with three rides in December 2010, January and February 2011. There are still a few spaces left on each ride, but sign up quickly! You don't have to be an expert horse person, but horse experience is an expectation. If you feel you are lacking that ingredient, don't be discouraged, as RRI also operates Relief Workers International, www.reliefworkersinternational.com, which offers similarly inspiring humanitarian tours into the same region, but with four wheels instead of horses.
Images courtesy of Relief Riders International.

Subsidized Holidays for Seniors, Disadvantaged Youth and the Disabled?

Recognizing that not everyone can afford the luxury of traveling and discovering the charms of the continent, he is suggesting a new subsidy scheme to support certain groups. Individuals over age 65, young people between 18 and 25, and families facing financial or personal difficulties should have the right to claim subsidies. The disabled should also be a part of the scheme with inclusion of one person to accompany them if necessary.

This enlightened idea is that Europeans may take the opportunity to discover diverse parts of their historic continent as well as its natural assets. Depending upon need, the EU will contribute as much as 30% of the cost of the holiday. As the program has been introduced, it will be piloted for three years until 2013. If successful, it will be put into full operation at that time.

Obviously, the down side is the cost of such a scheme which should not only create good will among the citizens of its 27 member countries but also encourage tourism development, particularly outside main cities. Possibly restricting subsidies to travel in shoulder seasons would extend tourism seasons in many regions. The first priority must be to establish fair and efficient systems to ensure that the subsidies are not abused.

If this seems like an enlightened model for one developed continent, maybe the governments of Canada, the US, even Australia, should also look at such a revolutionary idea as a win/win that could pay unexpected dividends to their countries both socially and financially.

Travel Guard
Travel Guard is travel insurance and assistance that travels with you. Purchase online for immediate coverage.

This senior travel newsletter is part of the path-breaking Travel with a Challenge website, a travel magazine hosting timely articles and advice about educational adventure travel, and unique destinations for planning stimulating journeys worldwide. Explore the website via the navigation menu below. See our Privacy Policy.
Copyright© 2010 Travel with a Challenge All rights reserved New material added monthly Page updated: 1 August 2010				Contacts: Editor: alison@travelwithachallenge.com Advertising: advertising@travelwithachallenge.com Webmaster: webmaster@travelwithachallenge.com
Senior Travel Magazine | Senior Travel Newsletter | Travel Advertiser Directory | Travel Article Library Travel Advertising Options | Alternative Travel Themes | Alternative Travel Consulting