Seniors Seek Sun And Fun In Trinidad and Tobago

Seniors, get your coffee, we’re headed for the nation of  Trinidad and Tobago, off Venezuela’s coast in the southern Caribbean.

With a Creole culture incorporating African, European, East Indian and Chinese traditions, it’s known for its distinct cuisine, calypso and soca music, and boisterous Carnival celebration.

Home to diverse flora and fauna, including some 400 bird species, the red Chaconia is the national flower of Trinidad and Tobago and thus the red color of their flag. Trinidad & Tobago’s population is around 1,225,225.

 Seniors are invited to experience “the True Caribbean” in Trinidad and Tobago.

 Seniors Find Wealthy Country

Trinidad and Tobago is the third richest country by GDP per capita in the Americas after the United States and Canada. Furthermore, it is recognized as a high income economy by the World Bank.

Unlike most of the English-speaking Caribbean, the country’s economy is primarily industrial with an emphasis on petroleum and petrochemicals. The country’s wealth is attributed to its large reserves and exploitation of oil and natural gas. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas.

Trinidad and Tobago have distinct personalities. Trinidad is the larger of the two, the country’s industrial center and is the location of most of the country’s cities and activity. Tobago is known for tourism, its main industry, and is a popular tourist destination.

 Seniors Find A Place Of Beauty

Both islands have their  share of natural beauty. TripAdvisor suggests that senior travelers not miss the Nylon Pool, an in-sea shallow white ground coral pool, accessible by boat. Its name is derived from its resemblance to a swimming pool. Next is Pigeon Point Beach, often considered Tobago’s most beautiful beach.

Arawak and Carib Indians prospered on the island the Amerindians called Ieri, land of the Humming Bird, until Columbus spotted the island he named for the Holy Trinity.

LonelyPlanet says, “Trinidad and Tobago are an exercise in beautiful contradiction. In Trinidad, pristine mangrove swamps and rain forested hills sit side by side with smoke-belching oil refineries and ugly industrial estates.

Tobago has everything you’d expect from a Caribbean island, with palm trees and white sand aplenty, yet relatively unchanged by the tourist industry. This twin-island republic offers unparalleled bird-watching, first-class diving, drumming and dancing, luxuriant rain forests prime for hiking, waterfall swimming and cycling, and electric nightlife, with the fabulous Carnival easily the biggest and best of the region’s annual blowouts.”

Seniors, set your sail for Trinidad and Tobago and enjoy your visit.  -jeb

Seniors Enjoy Desert Town In California

Senior visitors will find Victorville at the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in the Victor Valley of western San Bernardino County, California. The city is situated 82 miles northeast of Los Angeles, and is surrounded by the nearby communities of Adelanto, Apple Valley, and Hesperia. Its estimated population is around 122,000.

Back in 1885, the community was known simply as Victor. It was named after Jacob Nash Victor, a construction superintendent for the California Southern Railroad (Santa Fe Railroad). Kind of like my hometown back in Iowa that was named after a railroad engineer.

U.S Route 66 connected to the town in 1926, and the army established an air base in 1941. Seniors, have you ever traveled on Route 66?

 Seniors Visit A Route 66 Museum

Senior visitors to the city can take advantage of a wide variety of activities, including mountain skiing, water sports, and access to the vast array of attractions in Southern California and the city of Los Angeles.

Victorville boasts the California Route 66 Museum, a repository of artifacts and photographs chronicling the history of the storied national highway and the communities it served. I visited a Route 66 Museum in Kingman, Arizona that was full of history and souvenirs. A fun visit.

The Fire Museum in Victorville houses a collection of fire fighting equipment and memorabilia including exhibits dating from the 1930s, depicting the history of the Victorville Fire Department.

A celebrated spring event in Victorville is the San Bernardino County Fair, a festival replete with carnival rides, celebrity concerts, livestock competitions, and every other county fair activity.

Arts and entertainment can be found in the city’s Performing Arts Center. Sports fans can root for the High Desert Mavericks, a Class Triple-A minor league baseball team affiliated with Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners.

Seniors Find An Aircraft Graveyard

Where do old jumbo jets go when they die? To the aircraft graveyard in Victorville. Facebook makes suggestions for dining, landmarks and activities you might enjoy.

Victorville offers beautiful views of snow-capped mountains, from its location in the High Desert. The shopping mall is  a big draw not only for the locals but for senior visitors as well.

Toss in the clubs and play a round or two at the Green Tree Golf Course. The High Desert Center for the Arts on 8th Street features a theater for performances and drama workshops, plus an art gallery.

TripAdvisor lists 19 things not to be missed. So seniors, when you are in the area, make a stop at Victorville and explore. -jeb

Seniors Head For Warm St. Barts

Seniors, let’s head for Saint Barthélemy, a French-speaking Caribbean island commonly known as St. Barts, and famous for its white-sand beaches and upscale designer boutiques. St. Barthélemy lies about 35 kilometers southeast of St. Martin and north of St. Kitts.

The capital, Gustavia, encircling a yacht-filled harbor, has many high-end restaurants and historical attractions like the Wall House Museum, whose exhibits highlight the island’s Swedish colonial era. Perched above Gustavia is 17th-century Fort Karl, looking out over popular Shell Beach.

 St. Barts is an arid, volcanic rock of only 8 square miles fully encircled by shallow reefs where senior visitors will discover a variety of iguanas, night-blooming cactus, beaches and luxury yachts, designer boutiques and perhaps even several celebrities.

Seniors Enjoy Caribbean Dreamland

Inhabited primarily by the descendants of the original French settlers and transplanted Europeans, the island has a strong, independent personality. Frequent visitors who know the islands in the region say that St. Barts is the most unique and unusual of the various French West Indies islands.

 As soon as you land at Gustave III Airport, seniors, you’ll find yourself transported into a dreamland, a far-away place without the constraints of everyday life. Both the airport and the island’s main town of Gustavia are named for King Gustav III of Sweden. Excellence, luxury, calmness, peaceful, serenity…the perfect adjectives to describe the island.

The Caribbean’s most elite, most expensive island lives up to its reputation as an adult sandbox, where the rich and famous gather. But St. Barts has charms that make it attractive to regular folk like you and me, from its uncrowded white-sand beaches to its distinctly Gallic flair.

Seniors Enjoy Beautiful Beaches

The tiny capital of Gustavia, with its gingerbread-trimmed cottages and top-notch designer shops, surrounds a yacht-filled harbor.

On the opposite side of the island, near the airport, St.-Jean is a diminutive strip of attractive boutiques and beach bars that some have  compared to St.-Tropez. Imagine that!

The 22 gorgeous, white-sand beaches are the trump card of St. Bart’s. It possesses a definite French vibe.  TripAdvisor has been to St. Barts and has nearly three dozen things to keep you busy, primarily the many beaches starting off with Colombier  Beach. CNN ranked Saline Beach as No. 5 among the top 100 in the world.

Hop on board this plane as we land in St. Barts skipping across the bay to touch down. So seniors, its time for a visit with your travel agent to learn how easily you can  land in this French-speaking paradise.  -jeb

Senior Single Men Seek Travel Tours

USA Today recently wrote that Seniors who love to travel have many options for exploring the world, even by themselves. Several companies offer trips geared toward senior single travelers.

Special features like a slower pace, tours that aren’t too physically taxing, and social gatherings like nightly dinners and dances with other tourists near the same age make the tour attractive to senior single men.

From Mediterranean cruises to escorted treks through South America, travel opportunities for single seniors cover a broad range.

Senior single men, Vacations To Go offers a cruise for singles. Each year, they  select several itineraries in different regions of the world, on various cruise ships, and negotiate an extremely low rate for single customers.

Trained hosts from their headquarters organize get-togethers, cocktail parties, dinner seating and more, allowing individuals or friends to travel as part of a large and fun-loving group of singles.

 Senior Single Men Enjoy Road Scholar

Road Scholar is a premier program with many solo travelers. I have had the pleasure of serving as a Tour Group Leader with this organization and they are first class. They are trusted and well known for offering a warm and welcoming atmosphere for couples and solo participants alike. The atmosphere you’ll find is of learning in the company of a small group of individual friends, rather than traveling with a collection of couples.

 If you are single and over 50, traveling by yourself may seem daunting. If Cancun was the go-to destination when you were 20, it may not be your scene anymore.

At Stitch, they have scoured the globe for the 5 best travel destinations for singles over 50 that will give you the best opportunity to enjoy your travel.

 Tips For Senior Solo Travel

Allianz features 11 Secrets for Successful Senior Singles Travel.  Looking for a travel companion who shares your love of river cruising, fine wine and Paris flea markets? Look in the mirror. Traveling solo might seem daunting, but it’s easier — and more rewarding — than you think. These 11 tips for senior singles travel can help you create the perfect solo vacation.

About Travel has an article called Tours and Cruises for Single Seniors. They list several companies and organizations that provide single seniors tour information. This is one of the best sites I have found that addresses the topic and provides so much help. So “O Solo Mio” and get going.

Lastly, Fodor’s has a link on Single Senior Citizen Travel with comments made by single folks who experienced solo travel. This blog is simply a step in helping you to make some choices on your own.

Talk with your travel agent who is experienced in travel for those who prefer to travel alone, but not be alone on the trip. Enjoy making your plans, and better yet, enjoy your solo adventure wherever you choose to go. -jeb

Senior Women Enjoy Travel Options

We are often asked about programs that feature senior women who can travel with other senior women. Yes there are programs all over the world that cater to solo female travelers. Sorry men, this one is just for the women.

There is often comfort afforded to women who prefer to travel with other women and usually it is of the same age range.  Today we highlight programs that focus on travel for women as the French say “d’un certain age.” That is a nice way of saying “older.”

Journey Woman notes that if you’re an older adventuress, this is an absolutely wonderful time in your life to be traveling. In most cultures, age brings respect. Children will gravitate to you.

Local women will be protective, you’ll suffer less from pesky unsolicited male advances, and your travel budget absolutely expands with all the lovely discounts your age group is offered. The possibilities are endless. Take advantage, ladies. You’ve earned the right.

Senior Women Travel Solo Together

Women Traveling Together was started in 1997 by a 40-year old business woman who desperately wanted to do some vacation traveling, but didn’t want to go alone or travel as a single on a couple’s tour.  Unable to find a ready-made solution that met her needs, Debra Asberry spent seven months interviewing women in order to design a travel company that catered to the needs of women traveling solo.

Women Traveling Together (WTT) has a large and loyal repeat client base that has grown year after year since 1997, making it possible to offer more than 60 trips a year.   “80% of WTT travelers come solo. We really should have named the company “Women Traveling Solo Together” because that’s in a nutshell what we’re all about. Select your tour and be assured that fellow WTT travelers are as interested in and excited about the destination as you are.”

Senior Women’s Travel Days Not Over

Why travel alone when you can connect with like-minded women on a trip led by knowledgeable, local guides? At Rio Grande Travel, senior women can find thoughtful and well-planned vacation packages. Women can choose pre-planned trips alone, a travel group for senior women or perhaps embark on a journey with a bunch of friends!

A while back we featured a travel blog for Senior Women. Please check out the programs on that site and learn about the various opportunities that are available.

 Senior Women’s Travel focuses on trips for 50+ women with a passion for travel. “It was founded on the premise that your travel days are not over.

Senior women — widowed, divorced, or with a mate who no longer wants to travel — should still be able to travel with zest, comfortably and safely. No-hassle travel, everything is done for you. No single supplements, exciting destinations, culture, good food, and interesting companions.”

So take you pick ladies and enjoy the trip. -jeb

Seniors Explore The World

This senior was curious to find out the largest cities in the world by population and the largest countries by surface area. Get your coffee and let me show you what I discovered. I figured that China was the largest both by population and surface area. I was wrong, very wrong. What do you think the two or three top would be? I’ve been to three of the largest five cities.

Tokyo is far above New York Metro with 33,200,000. I remember trying to take a photo of Tokyo and found that it is impossible. NYC came in second with 17,800,000 and Seoul, Korea missed NYC by only 100,000 and Mexico City by 300,000. You can look these up yourself and many are surprising, at least it was to me. Bombay (Mumbai), Calcutta (Kolkata), Delhi and Chennai are huge in India.

Now let’s consider the largest countries by total population. China, right. And who follows by only 100 million? Yes, India. But did you know that the USA ranks third just ahead of Indonesia and Brazil.

Seniors Explore The World Some More

So, how are you doing? Now let’s explore the largest in size by area. Any ideas? China? They came in #4 behind Russia, Canada and the USA. Any idea of #5 or #6? Try Brazil and then Australia. They have a lot of land and like Russia, Canada and China, lots of the area is unused and desolate. Not so with the USA.

Russia encompasses 17,075,200 sq. km. Seniors, do you know how much a kilometer is? Well, it is 0.621371 miles and 1 mile equals 1.60934 kilometers. Voila, there you have it, that really helps a lot, doesn’t it? Canada has about half as much land as Russia with 9,994,670 sq. km. I always wonder who is able to figure out those stats right down to the last kilometer. Just 9.7% of the land of Canada is privately held and of course Russi has Siberia.

 Seniors Explore The World Even More

Well, perhaps you are totally bored with all those figures by now. I will depart today’s blog with one last piece of information for those seniors among you who are still reading this article. Curious what the largest bodies of water in the world are?

As you may already know, the Earth is often referred to as the “blue planet.” This particular nickname was given due to the immense volume of water covering the surface of our planet; more specifically, 70% of the Earth is covered by water, making up  326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons. Now who did that calculation?

The Pacific Ocean is not only the largest body of water, but it is also the oldest. I’ll let you go figure that one out… I had no idea.  See you back at seniorcitizen.travel tomorrow. Ciao. Au revoir. Auf  Weidershehen. Arrivederci. Aloha. Adiós. Sayonara. Shalom. Totsiens. Vale and Zàijiàn. -jeb

Seniors Enjoy Caribbean’s Thrilling Side

Senior travelers, the awards for the Best Caribbean Destinations are in. Saba ranked in the top ten. The Reader’s Choice Awards (10 Best.com) selected the Dominican Republic as #1, but Saba made the list. A panel of experts and a public vote awarded the top choices to ten islands.

Saba, a Caribbean island in the Lesser Antilles chain, is a special municipality of the Netherlands. Measuring just 13 square kilometers, it consists essentially of the top of the dormant Mount Scenery volcano. Its surrounding Saba Marine Park, a renowned dive site, is home to coral formations, dolphins, sharks and turtles.

There are also offshore seamounts, or underwater mountains created by volcanic activity. The Chicago Tribune noted that Saba is “Unspoiled, Underdeveloped and Undeniably Beautiful.”  The WSJ highlights its “Stunning Scenery.” The island is called an “Unspoiled Queen” and a “Tropical Kingdom.”

Seniors Love Underwater Beauty

Senior travelers will find Saba in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, 28 miles southwest of its international hub, the island of St. Maarten. Historically, Saba’s birth was traumatic. Around 500,000 BC the island was formed as the top of a volcano that became active during the middle of the late Pleistocene era. Now a dormant volcano, she has not erupted for about 5,000 years, so no trouble today.

TripAdvisor suggests attractions and things to do that include snorkeling and scuba diving. Lonely Planet adds that dense forest drapes its peaks and valleys, making it look like Ireland, while the traditional red-roofed houses with their green shutters and white gingerbread trim seem plucked from a Brothers’ Grimm fairy tale. Below the waterline, senior divers and snorkelers will discover a colorful kingdom of coral teeming with sharks, turtles and luminous tropical fish.

Seniors Find Garden of Eden

There is no crime, little traffic and a close-knit local community that’s genuinely happy where they are. And happy to see you in their earthly ‘Garden of Eden’. Let’s tour Saba and find out for ourselves the diverse and vibrant ecosystem and the unique diving experience (pinnacle diving, scuba diving, wall diving, etc…).

The population of Saba is 1,991 people spread into four major villages and includes the 200-300 medical students attending the Saba University of Medicine. The medical school houses a hyperbaric chamber, which coincides nicely with Sabas extensive diving draw.

Sugar and rum were Saba’s chief exports through the 18th century, and fishing, particularly lobster fishing, later. Once trade routes became more open, Saban Lace, a derivative of Spanish Lace, became very popular. By 1928 the women of Saba were exporting $15,000 (USD) worth of lace yearly.

Senior visitors will find the people on Saba very friendly. Taxi drivers have been known to pick up hitchers, not charging them for the ride if that’s the direction they’re going anyway. So, put Saba on your travel bucket list and enjoy a unique experience. -jeb

Seniors Find Sun and Fun in San Juan

San Juan, is Puerto Rico’s capital city and as seniors learn, a hot tourist destination. Grab your coffee, my friends, and let’s find out just what makes it so inviting.

Sitting on the island’s Atlantic coast, its widest beach fronts the Isla Verde resort strip, known for its bars, nightclubs and casinos. Cobblestoned Old San Juan features colorful Spanish colonial buildings and 16th-century landmarks including El Morro and La Fortaleza, massive fortresses with sweeping ocean views. Senior visitors can also enjoy the Paseo de la Princesa bayside promenade.

San Juan is known as the Walled City and in Spanish as “la perla”…the pearl. With a population of 390,000, it is the financial and industrial center of the island, and where most cultural events take place. The San Juan Airport and Cruise Port are both Caribbean hubs welcoming millions of tourists every year.

Seniors Enjoy City With Rich History

This modern city is also the second oldest settlement in the Americas.  It is rich in history, treasuring its past, but setting new standards in technology across the Caribbean.

My wife and I always enjoy starting with a visit to the oldest quarter of the city. Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico and the historic colonial section of the city.

The settlement is a National Historic Landmark District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the “Zona Histórica de San Juan” (English: San Juan Historic Site). Bring along some extra memory for your camera and visit  the traditional callejón (alley) in Old San Juan and the Plaza de Armas.

 Seniors Also Enjoy Vibrant Modern City

Fodor’s notes that if you associate Puerto Rico’s capital with the colonial streets of Old San Juan, then you know only part of the picture. San Juan is a major metropolis, radiating out from the bay that was discovered by Juan Ponce de León.

More than a third of the island’s nearly 4 million citizens proudly call themselves sanjuaneros. Locals go about their daily business surrounded by colonial architecture and towering modern structures.

The Island was established back in 1521. The old town was inaugurated almost a century before the Mayflower laid anchor in present-day Massachusetts, and is now a historic wonderland whose historical authenticity pulsates with modern energy.

San Juan is fueled by galleries, superb restaurants for senior gourmets and a bar scene that takes over the streets as the sun goes down. TripAdvisor has listed 183 things for senior visitors to see and do. So get out a pencil and paper and chose several that you would put at the top of your visit list.  Enjoy your trip to Puerto Rico and San Juan. -jeb

Seniors Head For Caribbean’s Thrilling Side

Senior travelers, the awards for the Best Caribbean Destinations are in and Saba ranked in the top ten. The Reader’s Choice Awards (10 Best.com) selected the Dominican Republic as #1, but Saba made the list. A panel of experts and voted on by the public and ten islands were awarded the top choices.

This Caribbean island in the Lesser Antilles chain, is a special municipality of the Netherlands, measuring just 13 square kilometers. Its surrounding Saba Marine Park, a renowned dive site, is home to coral formations, dolphins, sharks and turtles. There are also offshore seamounts, or underwater mountains created by volcanic activity.

The Chicago Tribune noted that Saba is “Unspoiled, Underdeveloped and Undeniably Beautiful.”  WSJ highlights its “Stunning Scenery.” The island is called an “Unspoiled Queen” and a “Tropical Kingdom.”

 Seniors Visit Scenic Volcanic Island

Saba is in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, 28 miles southwest of its international hub the island of St. Maarten. In 2010 Saba became part of a Special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands together with the islands of St. Eustatius and Bonaire.

Saba’s birth was traumatic. Circa 500,000 BC the island was formed as the top of a volcano that became active during the middle of the late Pleistocene era. Now a dormant volcano, she has not erupted for about 5,000 years, so no trouble today.

TripAdvisor has nearly two dozen attractions and things to do that senior travelers will not want to overlook. Dense forest drapes its peaks and valleys, making it look like Ireland, while the traditional red-roofed houses with their green shutters and white gingerbread trim seem plucked from a Brothers’ Grimm fairy tale.

Seniors Find Colorful Underwater Kingdom

Below the waterline lies a colorful kingdom of coral teeming with sharks, turtles and luminous tropical fish. There is no crime, little traffic and a close-knit local community that’s genuinely happy to be in their ‘Garden of Eden’.

The population of Saba is 1,991 people spread into four major villages and includes the 200-300 medical students attending the Saba University of Medicine. The medical school houses a hyperbaric chamber, which coincides nicely with Sabas extensive diving draw.

Sugar and rum were Saba’s chief exports through the 18th century, as well as fishing, particularly lobster fishing, later. Once trade routes became more open, Saban Lace, a derivative of Spanish Lace, became very popular. By 1928 the women of Saba were exporting $15,000 worth of lace yearly.

Saba is a 15 minutes plane ride from St. Maarten’s Juliana International Airport, the region’s largest airport with flights to the US and Europe. Senior visitors will find the people on Saba to be very friendly.

Taxi drivers have even been known to pick up hitchers, not charging them for the ride if that’s the direction they’re going anyway. Seniors, put Saba on your travel bucket list and enjoy a unique experience. -jeb

Seniors Get Good and Wet on Roatán Island

This one just popped up in my Smithsonian Magazine this morning and I want to share Roatán Island with you senior bucketeers.  So get your coffee, get comfortable and lets head off to the island that lies 30 miles off the north coast of Honduras.

It is suggested that if senior adventurers wanted to get good and wet, they can check out the Roatán Institute of Deepsea Exploration.

RIDE is a Honduras-based group that offers folks an opportunity to dive 2,000 feet below the surface of the Caribbean in Isabel, the submarine. Interested?

The Cayman Trench is the deepest part of the Caribbean and you are guaranteed to see sea lilies, glass sponges, pompom anemones and lots of lace coral. If that does not trip your trigger, let’s go and check out the island for a wide variety of excitement.

 Seniors Find Vacation Paradise

Roatán and the Bay Islands are a Caribbean vacation paradise, home to pristine white sandy beaches, amazing tropical jungle-covered hills, a diverse and unique reef system, heartwarming people, unique cultures and authentic Caribbean charm.

Roatán, often called the Caribbean’s best-kept secret, is the largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands. Throughout European colonial times, the Bay of Honduras attracted an array of individual settlers, pirates, traders and military forces.

It is approximately 77 kilometers long, and less than 8 kilometers across at its widest point. Ok, I’ll give it to you… 48 miles long and 5 miles wide. TripAdvisor suggests senior visitors start with Little French Key and then bend over to West Bay Beach.

 Seniors Find Eco-Tourism Destination

The most populous town of the island is Coxen Hole, the capital of Roatán. Located near the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean Sea (second largest worldwide after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef).

Roatán has become an important cruise ship, scuba diving and eco-tourism destination in Honduras. While tourism is its most important economic sector, fishing is also an important source of income for the locals.

The Caracol People are an English-speaking group who have been established in Northern Honduras (specifically, the Bay Islands) since the early 19th century. They are chiefly of European and British-Afro-Caribbean descent.

Reef systems are very delicate and have experienced massive damage and degradation worldwide. At the Roatán Marine Park you can rent snorkel equipment and get up close to some beautiful marine life.

Enjoy your time in Roatán. -jeb