Let's hear it for generous older travelers who roam the globe

Here are three things you should know about older travelers:

* There are a lot of them. Between Jan.1 and Dec. 31of this year, more than 7,000 of the nearly 78 million American baby boomers, born 1946-1964,  will turn 65 every day.  Those statistics come from AARP.

* They are traveling and spending. More boomers are turning to travel as a top leisure activity and they     are outspending their younger counterparts by an average of 74 percent on their vacations. That's the word from suddenlysenior.com.

* They are a generous lot. The Grand Circle Foundation  is  working with an organization that serves orphaned children in earthquake-ravaged Japan. The foundation sent an e-mail to travelers one night this week between 7-11 p.m. and as of yesterday at 5 p.m., $62,853 in donations had come in from 615 donors -- which, combined with the $25,000 match by Grand Circle Foundation, brought the donation at that point to $87,853.  Donors are Grand Circle and Overseas Adventure travelers, associates in Boston and around the world, as well as trip leaders and program directors.

Grand Circle Travel, along with sister group Overseas Adventure Travel,  is a favorite of older travelers. (The fellow in the accompanying Grand Circle photo is meeting the terra-cotta warriors in Xian, China.) So it's no surprise that this week more than 1,000 seniors are participating in Boston meetings to talk about, and hear about, overseas travel.  As we indicated, there are a lot of older globetrotters out there ...  and I'm proud to be one of them.

Search Amazon.com for senior travel

Trivial question

 The lily is the symbol of which country? (Answer somewhere below.)

Stay at these hotels and get your airline baggage fees back

InterContinental Hotels Group will be extending its Check It Free promotion through April 30. Guests can now get back up to $100 in checked baggage fees for each round-trip flight with a two-night weekend stay at any of InterContinental’s 4,500 hotels worldwide including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

Worth quoting 

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” -- Aldous Huxley

Take 10% more off Nantucket inn's sale rates

People who stay at the Jared Coffin House on Nantucket now through May 18 will get an additional 10 percent off the inn's Hot Dates, Cool Rates sale. Those cool rates start at $125. 

Fascinating fact

The Himalayas have 19 of the 25 highest mountains in the world (but don't ask us to name them from memory). 

Royal Caribbean rolling out an alcohol-buying package
USA Today reports that Royal Caribbean Line is beginning to offer a package rate on buying alcoholic beverage. The offers range from a Beer and Wine Package for  $29 per person per day for all beers, house wine by the glass and a 25% discount on all other wines and liquors, to a Premium Package, at $49 per person per day for a whole lot more, including cocktails. Ah, but the offer will first be available only on selected ships that cater mostly to European customers.The full story is here.

So who says gasoline is getting expensive anyhow?

 Last-chance spring special in N.H. for $99

Snowy Owl Inn & Resort in Waterville Valley, N.H., has this offer for the first 100 bookings only: a $99 inclusive rate from now until the end of April for almost any room in the house. Book online using promo code JUST99 at www.snowyowlinn.com; the phone number is 800-766-9969. That price includes taxes, there are 10 room types to choose from, and the offer is even valid Easter weekend.

Trivial answer

The lily is the symbol of France.

 

Without $4 gas, Americans will keep hitting the road

A year ago, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.07. Today, according to AAA, the average is $2.69. Everybody say, "Whoopee!"

Lower gas prices, of course, mean more affordable summer travel for many. If last year's $4 prices had been repeated, a new survey finds that more than 67 percent of the people questioned would cut their summer travel plans, sometimes drastically. But the news is good, and BedandBreakfast.com, which conducted the survey of 3,300 travelers,  found that nearly 80 percent  plan to take as many or more trips this summer as they did last year and are evenly split between staying closer to home for “staycations”  and traveling farther away. Here are the survey results:

* 70.5% say they'll take two to four trips this summer. 

* 78.6% say they'll take as many or more trips this summer as last.

*  Respondents are evenly tied between staycations and "go-cations" to distant destinations.

* Although the recession has affected  travel plans for 6 out of 10 respondents, they're still anticipating summer vacations. A total of 51.2% of survey respondents said they would change their plans and spend less each day, while 43.4% said they would vacation for fewer days.

* 76% said good deals on lodging would encourage them to travel more, while nearly half said  the simple need to get away was the biggest motivator for travel. 
* Relaxation was the most popular anticipated activity for vacations (65%), followed by visiting with friends and family (56%) and swimming at beaches and lakes (47%). 

Inns that belong to BedandBreakfast.com have crafted more than 125 reward offers to help guests with their gasoline and other costs. Visit  www.bedandbreakfast.com and click the fuel gauge graphic in the center of the screen. The group also has an offer  to save an extra $50 on a three-night sunny destination vacation when booked online  by June 30. click here,  type in a destination and travel dates, look for the Book It button, and use the promo code BBSUN50.

And speaking of driving ... 

Clark Howard, money expert for the HLN network, says driving can cost you about 50 cents a mile because of wear and tear, so you might actually save by renting a car, thus putting the wear on someone else's vehicle.

Visit cnn.com/clarkhoward.

Fascinating fact

Seoul is Korean for "capital city," which of course is what Seoul is.

A room in San Diego for $19?

From Aug. 16-31, the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego will discount its $219 room rate drastically if you are willing to give up some amenities. Here's how it goes: $199 without breakfast,  $179 without honor bar,  $159 without air conditioning or heat,  $139 without pillows, $109 without sheets,  $89 without lights,  $59 without linens, $39 without toiletries and $19 without bed. After all, there's nothing like a good snooze on the floor.

Click here or call 877-517-9340

There's no accounting for taste

According to a survey by USA Today and TripAdvisor.com, America's favorite roadside store is that temple of tackiness, South of the Border in Dillon, S.C.,  picked by  33 percent of  those surveyed. My favorite, Wall Drug Store in Wall, S.D., came in a close second with 31 percent.

Begorrah, but it's germy

The aforementioned TripAdvisor has named Ireland's Blarney Stone the would's germiest tourist attraction. The stone is kissed by 400,000 people a year.

Travel tip

From From Sally Qu Yi, a program director for Grand Circle Travel: "If you are a market person, the first place you should go in Beijng is the Silk Market. The Chinese silk products ... are cheap but good quality... but there are also lots of cashmere  garments, down jackets, leather goods, shoes, hats, watches and some handcrafts and trinkets."

Travelocity sale

Travelocity is holding a Summer to the Rescue Sale, in which you can save up to one-third if you book by June 30 and travel by July 31.

Visit www.travelocity.com/sale.