Senior Voice -

Travel agents are coming back

Many of you in your senior years still avoid the use of computers. This is both good and bad. Good because it makes you comfortable not having to wrestle with the never-ending new applications and websites, but bad because you could shop for vacation bargains online.

Travel disruptions in recent years due to the pandemic, lack of trained pilots and extreme weather, look to be a permanent consideration in your vacation plans.

That's where travel agents come in and can save you time and deflect any problems that come your way.

Triple A says there are seven good reasons to use one:

1. They save you time

2. They take the stress out of traveling

3. Travelers themselves, they offer expert recommendations

4. Been there, done that and learned not to do it again

5. They will handle the unexpected

6. Help with getting through changing travel conditions

7. Will show you the world picture of where you are

Road Scholar sees rise in solo women travelers

Road Scholar, the company for older travelers, released a report in November on trends they've identified from a survey of 600 customers, and a dominant theme was traveling solo. According to the report, 85 percent of Road Scholar's 80-100,000 annual travelers are women and of those, 20 to 30 percent travel alone, with the number rising. Of the 600 surveyed women who have taken Road Scholar trips, 60 percent have gone alone at least once. Why? 26 percent say it makes it easier to meet new people and make friends when solo; 22 percent like having the autonomy to make their own decisions and spend time as they wish; 21 percent like having their own space (i.e. hotel room); 15 percent want to be able to choose the travel destination or the trip they're most interested in; 9 percent like having alone time at the end of the day to process what they've learned and reboot; 7 percent love how solo travel makes them feel liberated and empowered; 6 percent have no partner to travel with and so go solo; and, 6 percent say they can travel when they want and don't have to coordinate with others' schedules. And while trends like higher female longevity and high senior divorce rates play into the solo travel trend, 60 percent of the solo travelers were married.

Check the report out at https://www.roadscholar.org

Kodiak named to World's Best Places to Travel in 2024

Online travel advisory site Travel Lemming ranks Kodiak as No. 8 on its annual list of the World's 50 Best Travel Destinations.

Travel Lemming is an online travel guide with more than 10 million annual readers.

While Alaska is a popular tourist destination, few people visit Kodiak Island, a truly hidden gem. With so many activities, there's certain to be one outdoor lovers remember for the rest of their lives, like scenic hikes, fishing, and bear-viewing tours, as Kodiak is home to a subspecies of brown bears that dwarf other brownies on an average of 1.5 to 2 times in size. 

Travel Lemming writer Matthew Reppond commented, "Leave the crowded tourist traps behind. Venture off the beaten path to this often-overlooked corner of the country and explore black sand beaches, verdant forests, and mist-clad mountains. There's also a rich local history that combines Native Alaskan, Eastern European, Scandinavian, and Pacific Islander cultures."

And Kodiak has, for such a small population, a wealth of museums-Kodiak History Museum, The Alutiiq Museum, the Kodiak Maritime Museum, and Kodiak Military History Museum.

Travel Lemming's full list of top 10 places to travel in 2024 are: 1. Yucatan, Mexico; 2. Gizo, Solomon Islands; 3. Stavanger, Norway; 4. Antiqua, Guatemala; 5. Memphis, Tennessee; 6. Phú Quô´c, Vietnam; 7. St. John's, Canada; 8. Kodiak, Alaska; 9. Guatapé, Colombia; 10. Eureka Springs, Arkansas.