It used to be that finding a place to vacation required flipping though a brochure, book or encyclopedia, writing to a department of tourism or chamber of commerce or visiting a travel agency.
Today, with the Internet’s vast resources, senior citizens and their church group leaders need only sit down at an online computer to visit Web sites, some with specialized travel sections and others devoted solely to travel. Some of them are www.travel.yahoo.com, www.travel.roughguides.com, www.about.com and www.travelosity.com.
These and other Web sites offer updated information on local attractions, lodging and restaurants. Some address security concerns, transportation, history, culture and climate. Potential travelers may find lists of venues with addresses, phone numbers, show times and admission prices and links to the venues’ Web sites. Some sites even offer a virtual tour of your potential travel destination on your computer screen. A virtual tour is usually a video or a 3-D still image that you can move around in to see it from different views.
But much more than a mouse click is required to make a senior citizens’ group’s dream destination a booked itinerary.
The Internet has significantly affected the way individuals make travel arrangements, but this is not the case for large groups, according to tour operator Sam Satterfield, owner of Satterfield Cruises and Tours, based in Franklin, Tenn.
“It works very well for information, but you can’t arrange a group tour very easily on the Internet,” he said. Church groups should work with somebody who has professional training and credentials to provide tickets and other information, he noted.
He explained that usually a small group of eight to 10 people can make travel reservations through some Web sites. Airlines will book only eight to nine people before they refer a person to their group departments, and those departments prefer to work with tour operators or travel agents. Tour operators can often find lower prices, saving the group some money.
Satterfield has been planning tours and special events through his company for about 20 years. He said 80 percent of the travel programs and events that his independent company does are for church or humanitarian groups. He has planned cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean and tours to Switzerland and other countries.
While working at the Southern Baptist Sunday School Board until the entity’s reorganization into LifeWay Christian Resources about eight years ago, one of his responsibilities was special events planning.
Based on his many years of professional experience, Satterfield said to select a travel agency that has a group specialist. He said not to cut any corners while finding a credible travel agency, especially when planning an international trip since flight connections, visas and countries’ laws can be complicated to decipher.
“You can’t make any mistakes when you are traveling. You have to foresee every problem and solve it before it happens,” he said.
Ken and Linda Smith, who are president and vice president, respectively, of Goodtime Travel and Tours of Florence, said that a tour operator can usually offer more to groups traveling than a travel agent can.
A travel agent is better equipped to contract or book transportation, hotels, airline tickets, etc. for individuals or families. Though some travel agents may book a package deal for a group, a tour operator specializes in putting together a custom-made package for groups.
Ken Smith said that when searching for a business to handle travel, church groups should look for those that belong to multiple organizations, including the National Tour Association, the American Bus Association and the Better Business Bureau. Convention and visitors bureaus may be aware of some of the more efficient tour operators in their areas.
Charles P. Wood, retired senior adult minister at Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, said there are practical things a staff person can do to ensure finding a highly competent travel agent.
He suggested securing a list of references for a particular agent and making contact with several churches that have used the agent before. He also said to carefully read all paperwork the agency requires, double check the fine print to avoid hidden charges and ask a lot of questions.
Cottage Hill Baptist seniors are active travelers who had a positive and memorable group travel experience with Satterfield to Switzerland in June, Wood said.
Where a group goes is an important part of the success of a trip. Boredom may surface if many in the group have been to the same place or event too often.
Satterfield suggested that church leaders take surveys to find out where seniors would like to go.
Church leaders should decide on the price each person pays for the trip long before any advertisement of the trip.
“Know up front exactly what they’ll be doing and what it costs, and get it in writing,” Satterfield said.
Though summer dominates the seasons for travel, many seniors take trips in the fall and spring to find tolerable weather conditions and lower prices.
Satterfield said airfare for passengers traveling mid-September through mid-June is less expensive than the rest of the year.
Popular sites attract senior adult groups
Senior citizens travel as much as anyone else, and even more so in many cases.
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) caters to people 50 and older and offers travel discounts through membership in AARP.
Ronnie McCarson, minister of senior adults at Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, said the most popular domestic destinations for seniors are Branson, Mo., Nashville and the Amish Country of Lancaster, Pa.
Lancaster County is home to the Amish, working groups of people creating agricultural communities.
“That’s popular because of the wholesomeness of the area and its history,” said Linda Smith, vice president of Goodtime Travel Tours of Florence. Goodtime is a Christian-owned company.
“You’ve also got the New Millennium Sight and Sound Theater at Stasburg, Pa. The play ‘Noah’ is finishing this year and ‘Daniel’ begins next year,” Smith said.
Smith said Branson’s “good, clean, wholesome entertainment for the family, good value for the money and Ozark hospitality” make it a top destination.
Pigeon Forge, Tenn., near Gatlinburg and Sevierville, is home of the Dollywood theme park. The Pigeon Forge Chamber of Commerce estimates that 11 million tourists a year visit the town en route to Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains.
“Pigeon Forge has the same quality of shows — just not as many — that Branson has, and it’s much closer,” she said. “You can have a good three-day tour.”
Smith’s husband, Ken, president of Goodtime Travel Tours, said popular sites for seniors to tour in Alabama are the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Muscle Shoals and the Point Clear area of Baldwin County, with accommodations at the historic Grand Hotel. The bayside beauty of Point Clear is immediately appealing as is the charm of nearby Fairhope.
Double Springs in north Alabama offers an outdoor drama, Looney’s, as well as restaurants, shopping and a dinner cruise.
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