Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
small-group tours to off-the-beaten-
path or adventure-travel locations,
restricted to travelers 50 and older.
Recommended publications offer-
ing travel resources and discounts for
seniors include: the quarterly maga-
zine
Travel 50 & Beyond
(www.
travel50andbeyond.com);
Tra v e l
Unlimited: Uncommon Adventures
for the Mature Traveler
(Avalon);
101 Tips for Mature Travelers,
avail-
able 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.
STUDENT TRAVEL
If you're planning to travel outside the
U.S., you'd be wise to arm yourself
with an
International Student Iden-
tity Card (ISIC),
which offers sub-
stantial savings on rail passes, plane
tickets, and entrance fees. It also pro-
vides you with basic health and life
insurance and a 24-hour help line.
The card is available for $22 from
STA Travel
(
&
800/781-4040
in
North America; www.sta.com or
www.statravel.com), the biggest stu-
dent travel agency in the world. If
you're no longer a student but are still
under 26, you can get a
International
Youth Travel Card (IYTC)
for the
same price from the same people,
which entitles you to some discounts
(but not on museum admissions).
(
Note:
In 2002 STA Travel bought
competitors
Council Travel
and
USIT Campus
after they went bank-
rupt. It's still operating some offices
under the Council name, but it's
owned by STA.)
Travel CUTS
(
&
800/667-2887
or 416/614-2887;
www.travelcuts.com) offers similar
services for both Canadians and U.S.
residents. Irish students may prefer to
turn to
USIT
(
&
01/602-1600;
www.usitnow.ie), an Ireland-based
specialist in student, youth, and inde-
pendent travel.
FAMILY TRAVEL
The family vacation is a rite of passage
for many households, one that in a
split second can devolve into a
National Lampoon
farce. But as any
veteran family vacationer will assure
you, a family trip can be among the
most pleasurable and rewarding times
of your life.
Most Norwegian hoteliers will let
children 12 and under stay in a room
with their parents for free; others do
not. Sometimes this requires a little
negotiation at the reception desk.
Norwegians like kids but don't offer
a lot of special amenities for them. For
example, a kiddies' menu in a restau-
rant is a rarity. You can, however,
order a half portion, and most waiters
will oblige. At attractions—even if it
People to People: Reaching Out
Established in 1971,
Friends Overseas
matches American visitors and
Norwegians with similar interests and backgrounds. For more infor-
mation, write to Friends Overseas, 68-04 Dartmouth St., Forest Hills,
NY 11375 (
&
718/544-5660
after 5pm Eastern Standard Time;
www.friendsoverseas.org). To enroll, send a self-addressed, stamped,
business-size envelope to Friends Overseas, and include your age, occu-
pation or occupational goals, approximate dates of your visit, and
names of your traveling companions. The fee is $30.
