Recommendations and reviews, for 40-somethings who travel alone
Lobo de Mar
Of all the thousands of different animals living in the Galapagos, by far, the most interesting to me are the sea lions.
They live in colonies in peace and harmony with all the other animals. They live on every beach, whether it be rocky or sandy, in remote areas as well as areas populated by humans. They have no fear of people and play with swimmers. Anywhere there is water sea lions can be found.
A solo adventure in Ecuador
Eating lemony tasting ants out of a pod, sidling up to a black caiman, and swinging on a vine in the Ecuador Amazon Rainforest definitely took me out of my comfort zone.
Warnings of volcanic eruptions, pirates on the Amazon, stealing, and women advised not to travel alone, created a new question: "Why am I doing this alone...?"
Solo in San Francisco
San Francisco is a city of many dreams. Whether it is the dream of those seeking the Maltese Falcon (the very stuff, after all, that dreams are made of); or those who came here forty years ago to dream up a better world and celebrated their dream with a Summer of Love; or even those who gathered this year for the sports fan's dream that is the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Those are but a few of the dreams that make this city so special.
Going it alone
When I was 17 and about to go to Germany on my own, my friends thought me mad but very brave. For people in their forties, fifties and beyond it's not usually such an overwhelming idea to go it alone... But is it a good one?
Sun, Sand and Cinnamon
'Can you tell me which track the train to Tarragona comes in on?'
I asked the bloke with the cigar behind with glass counter.
'No, but probably track three or four.'
Alone in Amsterdam
I'm a 50+ married woman, so what am I doing alone, walking the streets of Amsterdam - the city of acceptance, legal marijuana, and the famous Red Light District? Well, to be completely candid, I'm having a ball!
Solo Travelling
It's important to establish from the beginning that solo travel is not the same as singles travel. The solo traveller is not looking for a like-minded partner, indeed, he or she may have a partner at home, but chooses to travel alone for many reasons.
President Obama Signs Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 Into Law
President Obama signed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 into law yesterday. This law requires owners of cruise ships that carry more than 250 overnight passengers and depart from or call on U. S. ports to add peep holes in passenger stateroom and crew cabin doors, install 42-inch high guard rails and implement video surveillance systems to monitor passenger safety. The law also requires cruise vessels to train and certify medical personnel to properly respond to cases of shipboard sexual assault and to provide passengers with the means and information they need to contact law enforcement and legal professionals if a crime occurs. My favorite provision, however, is the requirement to establish a national database of crimes reported on cruise vessels. This public database, maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, will allow travelers to review each ship's crime statistics. More About: The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 | How to Avoid Falling Overboard | Pirate Attacks and Cruise VacationsPresident Obama Signs Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 Into Law originally appeared on About.com Senior Travel on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 19:00:32.Permalink | Comment | Email this
Choices
I saw these benches in Ferryland, Newfoundland, Canada (rhymes with "Maryland"). If you visit the Colony of Avalon, which encompasses an archaeological dig, museum and re-enactments of George Calvert, Lord Baltimore's original New World colony, you'll walk by these benches on the way to the dig site. The left hand bench is marked "The Gossip Bench," while the bench on the right is labeled "The Liar's Bench." Side note: Lord Baltimore didn't like Newfoundland's winter weather. His efforts to find a New World location with "shorter and less rigorous" winters in which to settle led him to ask King Charles I of England for a charter farther south. Calvert died before he could emigrate to the New World for a second time, but his heirs went to what is now southern Maryland and established St. Mary's City in 1634. See more About.com Wordless Wednesday photos. Read more about Wordless Wednesday. Photo © Nancy ParodeChoices originally appeared on About.com Senior Travel on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 07:30:58.Permalink | Comment | Email this
Discounts and Deals for the Week of July 24, 2010
This week's senior travel deals include several summer getaway possibilities, including New York City, Turkey and a family package to Colonial Williamsburg - perfect for grandparents and grandchildren. Senior Travel Forum registration is free and easy. You can also get this information sent to you each week by email in our free Senior Travel newsletter. Head over to the Senior Travel Forum and take a look at our senior travel deals and discounts for the week of July 24, 2010.Discounts and Deals for the Week of July 24, 2010 originally appeared on About.com Senior Travel on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 08:49:39.Permalink | Comment | Email this
Inunnguaq
The Inuit people of northern Canada create stone figures, called inunnguaq or inunguat, that resemble a person. Traditionally, inunnguaq were meant to help and encourage travelers by guiding them to a specific trail or showing them where fellow voyagers had passed. Today, you'll see inunnguaq in the most unlikely places, spots where few Inuit live or travel. I found this one atop a picnic table in Flower's Cove, Newfoundland, a place most people visit to see ancient thrombolites. See more About.com Wordless Wednesday photos. Read more about Wordless Wednesday. Photo © Nancy ParodeInunnguaq originally appeared on About.com Senior Travel on Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 at 07:00:28.Permalink | Comment | Email this
UK Tour Operator Goldtrail Ceases Operations, Stranding Travelers
BBC News is reporting that Goldtrail, a UK-based tour operator that specialized in travel to Turkey and Greece, went into administration and ceased operating Friday. According to BBC News, as many as 16,000 vacationers were stranded abroad as a result of this event. Goldtrail customers currently on vacation will need to contact the UK's Civil Aviation Authority to get flights home. Customers who have not yet left on their trips will need to make other arrangements, as their tickets through Goldtrail will not be honored. The UK Civil Aviation Authority will post claims information on its website by Monday, July 19.UK Tour Operator Goldtrail Ceases Operations, Stranding Travelers originally appeared on About.com Senior Travel on Sunday, July 18th, 2010 at 00:21:43.Permalink | Comment | Email this
President Obama signed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 into law yesterday. This law requires owners of cruise ships that carry more than 250 overnight passengers and depart from or call on U. S. ports to add peep holes in passenger stateroom and crew cabin doors, install 42-inch high guard rails and implement video surveillance systems to monitor passenger safety. The law also requires cruise vessels to train and certify medical personnel to properly respond to cases of shipboard sexual assault and to provide passengers with the means and information they need to contact law enforcement and legal professionals if a crime occurs. My favorite provision, however, is the requirement to establish a national database of crimes reported on cruise vessels. This public database, maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, will allow travelers to review each ship's crime statistics. More About: The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 | How to Avoid Falling Overboard | Pirate Attacks and Cruise VacationsPresident Obama Signs Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 Into Law originally appeared on About.com Senior Travel on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 19:00:32.Permalink | Comment | Email this
Choices
I saw these benches in Ferryland, Newfoundland, Canada (rhymes with "Maryland"). If you visit the Colony of Avalon, which encompasses an archaeological dig, museum and re-enactments of George Calvert, Lord Baltimore's original New World colony, you'll walk by these benches on the way to the dig site. The left hand bench is marked "The Gossip Bench," while the bench on the right is labeled "The Liar's Bench." Side note: Lord Baltimore didn't like Newfoundland's winter weather. His efforts to find a New World location with "shorter and less rigorous" winters in which to settle led him to ask King Charles I of England for a charter farther south. Calvert died before he could emigrate to the New World for a second time, but his heirs went to what is now southern Maryland and established St. Mary's City in 1634. See more About.com Wordless Wednesday photos. Read more about Wordless Wednesday. Photo © Nancy ParodeChoices originally appeared on About.com Senior Travel on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 07:30:58.Permalink | Comment | Email this
Discounts and Deals for the Week of July 24, 2010
This week's senior travel deals include several summer getaway possibilities, including New York City, Turkey and a family package to Colonial Williamsburg - perfect for grandparents and grandchildren. Senior Travel Forum registration is free and easy. You can also get this information sent to you each week by email in our free Senior Travel newsletter. Head over to the Senior Travel Forum and take a look at our senior travel deals and discounts for the week of July 24, 2010.Discounts and Deals for the Week of July 24, 2010 originally appeared on About.com Senior Travel on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 08:49:39.Permalink | Comment | Email this
Inunnguaq
The Inuit people of northern Canada create stone figures, called inunnguaq or inunguat, that resemble a person. Traditionally, inunnguaq were meant to help and encourage travelers by guiding them to a specific trail or showing them where fellow voyagers had passed. Today, you'll see inunnguaq in the most unlikely places, spots where few Inuit live or travel. I found this one atop a picnic table in Flower's Cove, Newfoundland, a place most people visit to see ancient thrombolites. See more About.com Wordless Wednesday photos. Read more about Wordless Wednesday. Photo © Nancy ParodeInunnguaq originally appeared on About.com Senior Travel on Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 at 07:00:28.Permalink | Comment | Email this
UK Tour Operator Goldtrail Ceases Operations, Stranding Travelers
BBC News is reporting that Goldtrail, a UK-based tour operator that specialized in travel to Turkey and Greece, went into administration and ceased operating Friday. According to BBC News, as many as 16,000 vacationers were stranded abroad as a result of this event. Goldtrail customers currently on vacation will need to contact the UK's Civil Aviation Authority to get flights home. Customers who have not yet left on their trips will need to make other arrangements, as their tickets through Goldtrail will not be honored. The UK Civil Aviation Authority will post claims information on its website by Monday, July 19.UK Tour Operator Goldtrail Ceases Operations, Stranding Travelers originally appeared on About.com Senior Travel on Sunday, July 18th, 2010 at 00:21:43.Permalink | Comment | Email this
