By Phyllis Stoller, NABBW’s Group Travel Associate Who do you think were the first to begin to travel post-Pandemic? Based on our experience as tour operators, is was Boomer Women. Why? Older folks were the first with access to the Covid vaccine. We were also the most enthusiastic to get it. Not to forget that we were the most obedient abut safety protocols. And finally, who amongst the 70+ crowd didn’t have a ‘now or never’ gut feel when travel opened? As travel slowly started again, this is what we tour operators experienced. Women wanted to go, more enthusiastically than... Read More

By Phyllis Stoller, NABBW’s Group Travel Associate You might be safer overseas than in the US or Canada. I just returned from 3 trips: one to Paris, one to Tuscany and London and an October one to Dubai/Abu Dhabi and Oman. Here is what I witnessed and what made me relax about Covid. And I am ready to take more groups to Europe beginning in May and to Mexico in a few weeks. Overseas masking is mandatory. In airports, on flights and in most places you as a tourist will visit.  Masking on a flight also means you no longer catch the cold of the guy in row whatever. Nor do you get snored... Read More

Masks Are Mandatory Inside Airports and On the Plane  Which means you really need to bring along more than one mask. This is important, in case you drop yours or sniffle into it. You need to be aware that even in “no mask” states, federal law requires masks at airports and on the airplane.  (Once you are outside the airport –  hailing a taxi, for example – local laws prevail.) You’ll also find free sanitizer dispensers in airports and elsewhere. These days there seems to be a lot of free sanitizer available. Use plenty of it on your hands, even if you wash them... Read More

By Phyllis Stoller, NABBW’s Group Travel Associate Most Boomers are being told we cannot travel during this time of COVID, as we are in an especially dangerous situation: our age. Of course, by the time we’ve reached our current ages, almost all of us have at least one pre-existing condition, but as you know, many of these are controllable. We now live for years with conditions that used to be death sentences for our parents. Age 70, as we compare it to our mothers, is the new 50 We regularly work out at gyms More than 50% of us are still working We are always on the hunt for opportunities... Read More

By Phyllis Stoller, NABBW’s Group Travel Associate What is unique about Boomer Travel? Only the critical things that make a trip successful: our wants, needs and expectations. You read about Boomer Travel all the time; however, not all articles are as frank and insightful as we require, at our age and stage. Wants: We want to hear a human voice tell us about travel, not be limited to an email or text message. For example: today some women called, asking about our upcoming Kenya trip, and specifically wondering how many game parks we would visit. We answered their specific question: there... Read More

By Phyllis Stoller, NABBW’s Group Travel Associate This summer is anticipated to be a hot one! Overseas hotels are not always air conditioned; however they are often described as  ‘climate controlled’. The latter is not always our expectation of continual cool air flow. So this year, why not plan a trip to a place where it is naturally cool? If you are OK with altitude, choose high places. Altitude plays as much a part in temperature as does location; remember that when you look for an escape from the heat.  (The “altitude rule,” also called the lapse rate, says that if... Read More

By Phyllis Stoller, NABBW’s Group Travel Associate As we travel these days, some of us are wary of being identified as American.  We often forget that we can be ambassadors as well as tourists. Whether or not you agree with the Trump Administration and the current state of US politics in general, you — yes, you — can contribute to our image abroad in many ways. Remember, we are the Peace Corps generation, the people who –  in our youth –  journeyed to Europe on rickety old ships we used to call “student ships,” then lived “off the land,”... Read More

By Phyllis Stoller, NABBW’s Group Travel Associate If you’ve previously traveled to Mexico for the beaches, you’ve missed out on a lot of the pleasures of this country, which is an inexpensive trip from the US that’s both a real destination – and not too far away. No doubt that’s why the Tourism Authority in Mexico has been successfully promoting Mexico’s colonial and historic sites in recent years. And why so many more Americans have begun visiting Mexico’s non-beach locales. The Rivera Maya, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Cancun are great trips,... Read More

By Phyllis Stoller, NABBW’s Group Travel Associate We all have a travel bucket list, but as we get older our list changes. This is due to physical restrictions, changing diets, an altered tolerance for long flights,  and the fact that while we age our wanderlust likely does not abate, but many of us begin looking for easier ways to travel.  The Women’s Travel Group has found that one of the best ways to travel if you have any restrictions is by river cruise. They offer several departures with special single and double rates.  Here are some facts to consider: River cruises allow you... Read More

By Phyllis Stoller, NABBW’s Group Travel Associate Several weeks ago, I took connecting flights. On the first intra-Europe, the door to the pilot’s cockpit was open. At the second check in, I was grilled about why I was traveling, who I worked for, how long, what was the job description and more. So which airline was safer? Stats are that they both were! Here are a few items to investigate: Charters? ~ NO Most insurance companies will not cover you on either a charter or private plane. Code Shares: ~ YES  Code sharing airlines with US carriers are vetted by the FAA and the US... Read More