Travel Q&A

Seniors Travel Q and A Do you have a question that hasn't already been answered?

YOURLifeChoices is happy to answer any of your senior travel related questions. Send an email to questions@yourlifechoices.com.au and we shall get back to you as soon as possible.

Affordable travel experiences

1. Q. I’m one of the lucky ones with time to spare. I want to enjoy an extended motoring holiday interstate. But which state? How do I get my planning started?
A. This is a BIG question about our BIG country so this link will take you to a list of all our state and territory tourism websites as well as each state’s major motoring association.

2. Q. My inbox is choked with deals of the day, but the deals I really want are low-priced hotels aroundAustralia. How can I find such deals easily?
A. There is a plethora of deals and discounts bombarding all of us, but there is one site which seems to consistently come up with great hotel deals, and that’s TravelZoo. You can sign up for free enews updates or simply visit the site when you need to find a room.

3. Q. I can’t afford hotel accommodation on an Age Pension but am not prepared to give up on the dream of travel. Where can I stay that is really inexpensive?
A. A few short decades ago the Youth Hostel Association only wanted young onions. Well that’s all changed – now there is no age limit whatsoever and it has the best accommodation and a bucket load of deals for all travellers seeking new experiences both in Australia and around the world. It may be time to revisit your youth and stay at one of its hostels.

4. Q. I travel quite a lot both within my own state and visiting friends and relatives on the eastern seaboard. But I often seem to suffer undue distress trying to locate public toilets. Are these becoming endangered or disappearing entirely like the Tasmanian Tiger?
A. The Federal Government has created an Australian Public Toilet map which is also an app. Totally brilliant – it means you can plan your stops using your computer at home – or simply agree to using your location on a smartphone and be told the three or four closest loos in the blink of an eye.

5. Q. My partner and I are longing to become grey nomads. But where to go, how to get started, and can we work along the way? Help!!!
A. It doesn’t have to be that hard. We like the one-stop shop website, Outback Now. It lists what’s on, where to go and where to stay, and suggests itineraries and even has a jobs board for those hoping to pick up work along the way.

6. Q. I plan to travel toEuropeduring the next few months and want to ensure I get the best possible seat on the plane in the economy section. Is there a website that assists with this?
A. There’s a website for everything and certainly SeatGuru is a ripper for helping you learn more about seat configuration on different aircraft and how to get the best seating on different airlines before you fly.

7. Q. I am no longer able to get out much so I have become a great armchair traveller. Someone told me about a site which allows you to record all the different countries you have visited. How do I find this?
A. Easy – just visit the Interactive Maps website. There are a few versions of this map, but we like this one as you can also record states as well as countries and you can colour the map yourself. There are 196 countries in the world so there is always a LOT of exploring to do, either in person, or by reading great books and viewing great movies.

8. Q. I have been taking blood-thinning medication for some time, but apart from this my health is good. At 76, however, I seem to find fewer and fewer insurance companies offering user-friendly travel insurance. I am too nervous, however, to travel overseas without it. Any thoughts?
A. YOURLifeChoices is pleased to offer the best travel insurance we could find for our subscribers.

9. Q. I am not looking for cheap hotels – I can’t even afford those. So how can I travel overseas and keep accommodation costs to a minimum when I don’t have a cousin in every town?
A. Nine million references can’t be all wrong! That’s how many people have endorsed the Couchsurfing site. This site services millions of members in more than 230 countries and territories worldwide. It offers contacts for locals who are happy to have you stay, travellers seeking companions and lots of low cost or free events. It’s a community benefit site and we highly recommend you check it out.

10. Q. I am in the rather happy position of having recently scored a windfall gain. I think life is short so I am determined to spend some of this money on a travel splurge in New York City. Where can I stay at the top end of the town?
A. With money to burn, we think the ‘bottom end’, Central Parkto be precise, is the way to go. Why not try the very luxurious Mandarin Oriental at 80 Columbus Circleat 60th Street. Here you can stay high above the park and watch native New Yorkers running, jogging and walking to work as you tuck in to a delicious buffet in The Lobby Lounge restaurant? Other great New York hotels include the Algonquin, the Pierre and the Plaza.