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Will Medicare Cover Me When I Travel Domestically?

July 2nd, 2019

By Linda Ballou NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Many retirees can’t wait to hit the open road as soon as they have been freed from their 9 to 5 job. This means new retirees are often traveling while they’re still new to Medicare.  Therefore, knowing how Medicare covers you while you travel is something you should learn sooner rather than later. Medicare covers its beneficiaries differently depending on where you travel and how you elect to receive your coverage. Below, I share a conversation I had recently with Danielle K. Roberts, co-founder of Boomer Benefits in which we... Read More

Kathy Marris Sheds Light on ‘Down Under’ Adventure Travel

May 17th, 2019

By Linda Ballou NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Kathy Marris is my counterpart ‘Down Under.’ She is the author of 50 Shades of Age, a lighthearted collection of stories on being 50 something.  A top blogger for the mature travelers she shares insider tips for travelers in OZ, and favorite holiday spots in striking distance – like Bali. Australia is on my radar for 2020, so she seemed a perfect source for tips to make my trip more meaningful and less hectic. So, many tour companies have you spending a lot of time in airports zipping around a large country with extremely... Read More

Castles in the Sky: Mother Nature’s Best Handiwork

April 23rd, 2019

By Linda Ballou NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate It seems everyone I know has been to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks in the Red Rock Country of Utah. It was high time for me to experience the soaring ramparts with majestic views, the splendor of sculptured slot canyons, and the magic of hoodoos millions of years in the making. I chose mid-April for my visit to cash in on wildflowers, cool temps, and waterfalls that are fed by melting snowfields and dry up in the heat of summer. Zion and Bryce are located on the western edge of the Colorado Plateau in the four corners of Utah, Arizona,... Read More

Hot Tips for Savvy Travelers

March 11th, 2019

By Linda Ballou NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Each year I attend the Los Angeles Adventure Travel show to get news about travel trends.  Here is what is hot and what is not according to travel gurus like Rick Steves who spoke about broadening your global prospective through travel, and Pauline Frommer who shared lots of money saving tips. All of the speakers at the event want you to use an anonymous computer when searching for flights, hotels, and car rentals. Sneaky algorithms pick up what you have searched in the past indicating what you are willing to spend. The computer selects... Read More

Linda Ballou’s Newest Book, “Lost Angel in Paradise,” is Downloadable via a Free App, So You Can Pack Her Along With You When You Set Out on Her Highly Recommended Outdoor Days Along the California Coast

January 28th, 2019

By Linda Ballou NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate “I go to the forest to lose my mind and find my soul” ~~ John Muir It is my extreme pleasure to share outdoor days that have helped me achieve balance in my life.  So many friends ask me to take them hiking, but part of my pleasure is hiking solo. Being alone allows me to absorb the beauty of my wanderings and to take time to listen to birdsong and the chatter of the creatures great and small. Which is why I take great pleasure in inviting you to use my newest book, “Lost Angel in Paradise: Great Outdoor Days From Los Angeles... Read More

Russian River Road – Excerpt from Linda Ballou’s New Book, “Lost Angel in Paradise”

January 7th, 2019

By Linda Ballou NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate To start the New Year off with a bang, I am publishing a collection of my favorite outdoor days along the California Coast. It is my extreme pleasure to have visited all of these beautiful places and to share them with you in Lost Angel in Paradise. I cap off each day with a suggestion for an eatery nearby the trail head, or beach walk. I have also created a new website www.LostAngelAdventures.com spotlighting my travel books, articles. This post, “Day on the Russian River Road” is a sample of what you will find in my newest... Read More

Travel-Related Books Make Great Gifts for Friends with a Wandering Eye

November 19th, 2018

By Linda Ballou NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate I love travel narratives.  These are a few of my favorite travel books sure to whet your wanderlust. These are not typical guidebooks, they represent well-written travel literature. Travels in a Thin Country by Sara Wheeler Sara travels in a way that I would love to do, but just don’t have the stamina. From soggy sleeping bags, to elaborate dinners at elegant haciendas she shares the highs and lows of Chili—a country of extremes. Home to some of the highest volcanoes in the world, vast expanse of desert and tropical forests and... Read More

Healing Lessons from the People of Old Hawai’i

October 7th, 2018

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate No matter what your relationship with the person who brought you into this world—be it good, bad, or indifferent—it is always complicated. My mother’s passing left me with my energies low, immune system weakened, and spirits sagging. The Hawaiian Islands have always been a source of solace and sustenance for me. Memories of crescent white sand beaches wrapping azure seas would not let me go. I went back to the Islands in search of a healing kumu (teacher) who could help me through this difficult time. I found Kumu Dane Silva who practices... Read More

Dose of the Wilderness- RX for “Urbanitis”

August 25th, 2018

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate Ever want to turn off the city and just run? Urbanitis is a common condition in the City of Angels that causes me to dodge crowds, noise pollution, and the constant insistence of my cell phone. When these symptoms occur, I feel the need for a dose of wilderness. In July I answered the Call of the Wild by taking a horse pack trip hosted by the McLean family at their Tyslos Park Lodge in supernatural British Columbia, Canada. A heart-thumping flight from Vancouver over the vast snow-packed expanses of the Coast Mountain Range delivered me... Read More

Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Island National Park: Power-packed outdoor days restore the soul, rejuvenate the body, and clear the mind.

June 13th, 2018

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate About an hour north of Los Angeles a spectacular day trip to the Island of Santa Cruz awaits you. Turn up at the Island Packer dock in Ventura Harbor about 9 AM with a lunch in your backpack and leave your worries behind. After an hour-long cruise across the channel, passengers are dropped off at Scorpion Anchorage and admonished to be back by 4 PM, or plan on spending the night on the island. Some choose to do exactly that, but most fan out on separate day hikes. Santa Cruz, the largest of all the Channel Islands, offers the most varied... Read More