Category: Adventurous retirement
October 20, 2022 -- Our retired friend EZ loves a great train trip, and hates everything about flying. He resents getting to the airport hours early, parking in a remote lot, shuffling through security lines, worrying that some delay will make him miss the flight - all to have the airline delay or cancel it anyway. So when he visits his grandchildren in Colorado, he takes the EZ way. That means the Shoreline Express to New Haven, where he switches to the Acela to Washington. From there it's the Capitol Limited (with roomette) to Chicago. There he pickes up the California Zephyr. He enjoyes everything about that train trip too - resting in his roomette, eating in the dining car, chatting up interesting passengers, and enjoying the view from the observation cars. It takes a little longer, but is so much more pleasurable. BTW, his wife flies out to Colorado separately!
Many people in retirement are looking for an adventure, and a train ride makes for an exciting one. From around the world, here are 10 of the best train rides you might want to try in retirement. Some are fairly short and not that expensive, while others can go for days and can be quite costly. One advantage that most train rides offer is that you can get off and spend a day or more at as many stops as you would like.
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Published on October 19, 2022
Comments 10
Category: Travel
Sept 30, 2022 — If you are a fan of Scotland and/or love fiddles, we have a great armchair visit in store for you, complete with short videos of mini-concerts on scene. Mrs. Topretirements, aka Lucy Burdette, set up this tour for us and 5 friends last month with one…
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Published on September 30, 2022
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Category: Adventurous retirement
September 21, 2022 -- Swept up in the desire to stay healthy and armed with plenty of time in retirement, millions of baby boomers are enjoying hiking as a fun pastime. Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong. According to hikersdaily.com, almost 5,000 hikers are injured every year, with most of those coming from slips and falls, with the ankle most often affected. There are an estimated 15,000 rescue operations in an average year on public lands. The most tricky of those are helicopter rescues, which typically cost around $12,000.
We would like to make sure one of these mishaps doesn't happen to you. And to make your hike more fun, we are including some great tips from our friend Tom Cretella, one of the most experienced hikers we know. These are his tips.
Top 10 Mistakes You Don't Want to Make Hiking
Not enough water. Running out of water is never a pleasant experience. I always carry at least 2 liters of water for a day hike. Hint, Don’t wait till you are thirty to drink; then it’s too late to fight off dehydration. Try to drink often during the hike. Good hydration keeps your muscles from cramping and your reflexes sharp. Tip: Water is heavy so I carry an extra liter of Water and stash it about 1/2 way to my destination, and retrieve on the way back. It can be a life saver.
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Published on September 21, 2022
Comments 5
Category: Travel
August , 2022 -- Airlines can't keep up with demand this summer. Even London's Heathrow Airport told carriers not to schedule any more flights until the fall. Retirees and others are taking cruises, travelling by train, and taking trips in the car. This surge in demand has caused new problems for travelers, not the least from demon Covid, which shows no signs of going away.
This article will explore some of the pros and cons of traveling in the age of Covid. We also hope to get input on your travel plans and experiences. We've also included a few photos for a little armchair experience of our current travels in northern Scotland.
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Published on August 11, 2022
Comments 19
Category: Travel
March 22, 2021 -- Covid has caused so many terrible tragedies. One that is not so serious, but nevertheless painful, has been the effect on the many snowbirds who were not able to come south this winter. That includes many people from the U.S., and especially the almost 1 million Canadians who normally migrate south to places like Arizona, Florida, or Mexico for some of the winter months. It also affects the U.S. economy, as snowbirds are important contributors to warm weather economies.
Fly Yes, Drive No
Canadian citizens can fly to the U.S., if they have a negative Covid-19 viral test within three days of their departure, or documentation that they have recovered from Covid-19 within the last 90 days. Land crossings, however, are banned for non-essential travel. “Non-essential” travel includes travel that is considered tourism or recreational in nature, which would cover snowbirds. Additionally, some states require or recommend people coming in from other states or countries to quarantine for up to two weeks. Since many Canadians travel either in motor homes or RVs, the non-essential restriction meant they didn't go south this year. Others who like to drive south so they can take more of their belongings with them, stayed home too (although it is possible to fly to the U.S. and have your car shipped separately).
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Published on March 22, 2021
Comments 1
Category: Travel
December 30, 2020 - A new survey from SnowbirdAdvisor.ca estimates that only 31% of Canadian snowbirds will make the trip south this winter. Problems crossing the U.S. border for non-essential travel, quarantines, and concerns about catching Covid are some of the reasons. Besides the impact on Canadians who will have to spend a winter in the cold, the communities that rely on them to support their winter economies will also suffer. According to the website about 1 million Canadians ordinarily spend the winter in the U.S. or some other warm climate.
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Published on December 29, 2020
Comments 3
Category: Travel
December 2, 2020 -- While up north there has already been plenty of snow and ice, that doesn't mean that all the snowbirds have taken flight to warmer climes. The Covid pandemic seems to have clipped the wings of a significant number of people in the northeast, midwest, and Canada, as reported in the South Florida Sentinel, which recently published an article interviewing officials in communities and the tourist industry. Although precise figures are hard to come by, it is clear that not everyone is going to come south. The article's conclusions line up with results from the Topretirements Blog article on snowbirding this winter, which generated 29 comments.
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Published on December 1, 2020
Comments 6
Category: Travel
October 6, 2020 -- Tens of thousands of retirement-age Americans will be migrant laborers next year, even if the economy recovers quickly. Laid off from their jobs before they wanted to, bored, or finding that their meager savings plus Social Security aren't providing enough for a comfortable retirement, many are hitting the road, driven by economic necessity and wanderlust.
Workcampers (also workampers and workvampers), as these nomads are often called, represent a growing niche of the retirement world. They have even spawned an industry, van customizers, who can't keep up with the demand for converting delivery vans and the like into rolling homes with every necessity included. In addition to making a living, devotees of the lifestyle enjoy the freedom and flexibility that comes with living on the road.
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Published on October 5, 2020
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Category: Travel
September 9, 2020 - Bermuda is one of those countries where it is really hard to live for a period longer than a brief vacation stay. But the pandemic has changed that, at least temporarily. Now, if you are still working, you can live there for one year for just a $263 application fee. The move is one to bolster the tourist based economy, which has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
Courtesy of Mike Oropeza in public domain
According to the Work from Bermuda website, the program is for people who are currently employed and working from home or enrolled in tertiary education and studying remotely. Instead of working or studying remotely in your home country, you can work or study remotely from Bermuda.
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Published on September 9, 2020
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Category: Travel
August 11, 2020 - Someday this whole wretched Covid experience is going to be behind us. Just when - nobody knows - dependent on when we start to take it seriously, get an effective vaccine, a cure, or heaven help us, herd immunity. So when that happy day comes, we want to know - where are you going to go on your first trip!
Perhaps it will be family related. Your editor is going to get on a plane and visit his grandchildren in California. After that, it might be somewhere far away that is high on our bucket list. New Zealand, Scandinavia, Ireland - they are all possibilities. A cruise - probably not right away.
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Published on August 10, 2020
Comments 14
