Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Members of
AARP
(formerly
known as the American Association of
Retired Persons), 601 E St. NW,
Washington, DC 20049 (
&
888/
687-2277;
www.aarp.org), get dis-
counts on hotels, airfares, and car
rentals. AARP offers members a wide
range of benefits, including
AARP:
The Magazine
and a monthly newslet-
ter. Anyone over 50 can join.
Many reliable agencies and organi-
zations target the 50-plus market.
Elderhostel
(
&
877/426-8056;
www.
elderhostel.org) arranges study pro-
grams for those ages 55 and over (and
a spouse or companion of any age).
Most courses last 5 to 7 days in the
U.S. and many include airfare, accom-
modations in university dormitories
or modest inns, meals, and tuition.
Recommended publications offer-
ing travel resources and discounts for
seniors include: the quarterly maga-
zine
Travel 50 & Beyond
(www.travel
50andbeyond.com);
Travel Unlim-
ited: Uncommon Adventures for the
Mature Traveler
(Avalon);
101 Tips
for Mature Travelers,
available from
Grand Circle Travel (
&
800/221-
2610
or 617/350-7500; www.gct.
com);
The 50+ Traveler's Guidebook
(St. Martin's Press); and
Unbelievably
Good Deals and Great Adventures
That You Absolutely Can't Get
Unless You're Over 50
(McGraw-
Hill), by Joann Rattner Heilman.
FAMILY TRAVEL
If you have enough trouble getting
your kids out of the house in the
morning, dragging them thousands of
miles away may seem like an insur-
mountable challenge. But family
travel can be immensely rewarding,
giving you new ways of seeing the
world through smaller pairs of eyes.
Chicago is full of sightseeing
opportunities and special activities
geared toward children. To locate
those accommodations, restaurants,
and attractions that are particularly
kid friendly, refer to the “Kids” icon
throughout this guide. Also see “Kid
Stuff,” in chapter 8, for information
on family-oriented attractions. Chap-
ter 6 includes a list of the best hotel
deals for families, and chapter 7 lists
kid-friendly restaurants. For informa-
tion on finding a babysitter, see “Fast
Facts: Chicago,” in chapter 5. The
guidebook
Frommer's Chicago with
Kids
(Wiley Publishing, Inc.) high-
lights the many family-friendly activi-
ties available in the city.
Familyhostel
(
&
800/733-9753;
www.learn.unh.edu/familyhostel)
takes the whole family, including kids
ages 8 to 15, on moderately priced
domestic and international learning
vacations. Lectures, field trips, and
sightseeing tours are guided by a team
of academics.
Recommended family-travel Inter-
net sites include
Family Travel Forum
(www.familytravelforum.com), a com-
prehensive site that offers customized
trip planning;
Family Travel Network
(www.familytravelnetwork.com), an
award-winning site that offers travel
features, deals, and tips;
Traveling
Internationally with Your Kids
(www.travelwithyourkids.com), a com-
prehensive site offering sound advice
for long-distance and international
travel with children; and
Family Travel
Files
(www.thefamilytravelfiles.com),
which offers an online magazine and a
directory of off-the-beaten-path tours
and tour operators for families.
MULTICULTURAL TRAVELERS
Chicago is a very cosmopolitan city,
with a population that is about 36%
African American, 30% white, and
26% Latino (Chicago now has the sec-
ond-largest Mexican population in the
U.S., after Los Angeles). Visitors of all
racial and ethnic groups shouldn't
expect to encounter any discrimina-
tion, especially in the downtown area.
We're used to welcoming tourists and
businesspeople from around the world.
