By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com
You’ve got to love New England winters. The 2017-18 season’s see-saw snow-to-melt-to snow–to-whatever just hammers home the irony of my favorite saying, attributed to Mark Twain:
“If you don't like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes.”
This year, that’s never been truer.
If all this tumult has you thinking about a quick – or long-awaited – escape, you’re not alone. Vacation planning season is heating up, and according to Sandra Marsian, vice president of Membership, Travel and Marketing for AAA Pioneer Valley, there are plenty of dream trip ideas to tempt boomer and mature vacationers – and some considerations that these travelers need to keep in mind.
Top travel picks
When it comes to choosing a destination for that much-needed getaway, the options keep expanding, Marsian said. It all depends on what you are looking for in a vacation.
“Over the past year and continuing into this year, river cruising is definitely a popular cruise vacation,” Marsian said, adding that this increasingly popular way to see the world “is almost like the new version of the multi-day motor coach tour.”
Like those traditional bus trips, Marsian said this new cruise option “goes from port to port but obviously because it is on a river, you get a really beautiful, small route.”
And unlike traditional cruises, where today’s large ships often have to park in ports some distance from the cities and towns visitors want to experience, a river cruise “gives you a more intimate experience – you pretty much step off [the ship] and get into the hubbub of the town.”
Marsian said these trips have a broad age appeal, but are especially popular with middle age and older travelers, who appreciate not only the slower pace but also the idea that, in most cases, shore excursions are included in the cost of the cruise.
An excursion to experience the Canadian Rockies is another area where Marsian said AAA has seen an increase in interest.
“There’s so many ways to do it, and so much to see,” she said. For example, Marsian said this spring AAA is offering a land-sea excursion that includes a Pacific coastal cruise and a trip through the mountains onboard the Rocky Mountaineer.
America’s national parks are another popular escape, Marsian said, especially for travelers planning late spring and summer getaways, as are cruises to Bermuda departing from either Boston or New Jersey. Boston departures for a new breed of New England and Canadian cruises are also an increasingly popular and affordable option for regionally based travelers.
When it comes to traditional style cruising with its big ships and whirlwind activities, Marsian said it’s the newer itineraries that seem to be drawing vacationers attention.
“Cruising through the Norwegian fjords, we’ve seen an upswing in that, and Iceland [where] people hope to get a glimpse of the aurora borealis,” she said.
However, if you’re talking about late winter and early spring escapes, Marsian said cruises to the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal are always big sellers.
And, any time of the year, there’s always interest in trips to Las Vegas, Hawaii, Orlando and the theme parks, Alaska, France, Italy, and Europe in general.
“What changes is how people want to see those places, and the mode of travel they choose,” Marsian said.
Be sure you’re covered
In addition to increased interest in different vacation destinations, Marsian said AAA has seen a recent uptick in vacationers purchasing travel insurance plans.
“I think it’s an awareness,” she said. “We’ve had a pretty dynamic travel climate – everything from storms to incidents abroad – and I think people are aware [that] ‘I need to protect myself’ or “I have an issue and I need to be covered.’ People are more sophisticated about it.”
There’s also an economic consideration – for many people their vacation is among their biggest expenses for the year and “just as you do for your homeowners insurance or car insurance, [travel insurance] protects your investment.”
When it comes to the nuts and bolts of choosing travel insurance, Marsian said there are several options including trip cancellation, trip medical and plans that offer a combination of various parts of both.
For example, she said depending on the trip cancellation policy you purchase, that insurance can cover more than just illness.
“It depends on the type of [trip cancellation], you purchase but different circumstances are allowed” under different plans, Marsian said. “For instance, whether it’s a medical emergency or you lose your job or if there were to be a terrorist incident somewhere and someone were to say, ‘I don’t know if I want to go now,’ you could be covered.”
When it comes to choosing a medical plan, both Marsian and the website TravelInsurance.com said this decision is more important, especially if you are retirement age.
According to TravelInsurance.com, it’s important to remember “Medicare doesn’t provide coverage outside the United States,” and health care services in foreign countries can be questionable, expensive, or spotty.
“For the most part you are on your own once you leave the country,” Marsian echoed. “If you want to be MedEvaced out, and you don’t want to have the procedure done [where you are], our insurance here at home doesn’t cover that.”
If you have a pre-existing condition, Travelinsurance.com said it is even more important to purchase your travel medical plan early, and look for one that has a pre-existing condition exclusion waiver.
“We highly recommend travelers speak to a licensed agent to see if they qualify for a Pre-Existing Condition Waiver or read full coverage details prior to buying,” TravelInsurance.com said in a recent release about the subject. Pre-existing conditions, the release states, are generally defined as any illness or injury that has required treatment within six to 12 months of policy purchase date.
Marsian said in addition to cancellation and health plans, there are travel insurance policies cover such things as lost luggage, trip interruption – where, for instance a cancelled flight makes you miss a cruise ship – and other trip-related inconveniences.
For those individuals that travel frequently throughout the year, she said there are even annual plans available that cover most travel-related issues for a one-time – rather than trip-by-trip – cost.
“Here at AAA and on our website at AAA.com we have information on all types of travel insurance that [clients] can research and even purchase online. You can even file a claim online, but we can do it in person as well in our offices,” she said.
If travelers want to get a sense of what travel insurance plans might cost, Marsian said they could go through the application process online but not finalize the transaction.
“Or they can call AAA and a travel agent will help them research cancellation or medical travel plans,” she said.
