Travel for the Over 30s

Harrogate is a picturesque spa town in North Yorkshire, famed for its beautiful award-winning gardens and mineral spring. England in places is one of the most over-touristed countries in Europe - which is saying a lot - but check out somewhere like Harrogate if you want to get off the tourist trail

The town is one of the North of England’s most popular tourist destinations, attracting tens of thousands of families, pensioners and foreign visitors each year.  Harrogate itself is quite small and offers little in the way of entertainment for younger people, however it sits right at the very heart of the Yorkshire Dales which makes it an ideal stop over for extreme sports enthusiasts. The Dales boasts an abundance of mountain bike tracks, climbing centres, kayaking destinations, potholing caves and much more.

Harrogate’s nightlife is surprisingly lively for a town of its size. There are a number of bars in the town centre, all within easy walking distance of each other. Pitcher and Piano, Banyan Bar, Edwards and Restaurant Bar and Grill all serve as restaurants during daylight hours but turn into bars at night. They are all busy without being overcrowded and the atmosphere in each is pleasant, safe and welcoming.  In fact, the same can be said for Harrogate in general.

If eating out is your thing then you’ll be spoilt for choice. Harrogate town centre is littered with fantastic boutique restaurants catering for traditional and more contemporary tastes. The famous William and Victoria restaurant and the imaginatively titled Harrogate Brasserie serve beautifully prepared traditional food that leaves you wanting more every time. The award-winning Orchid specialises in fine oriental cuisine and Harrogate’s latest addition, the Royal Baths Chinese Restaurant, is perhaps the most spectacular. Set inside the old Royal Baths building, it truly is one of the most beautiful restaurants we’ve ever seen. The only problem is you’re likely to spend more time looking around the £1.5m interior than you will eating your magnificently presented meal.

Accommodation in Harrogate varies from quaint friendly B&b’s (of which there are plenty) to stunning boutique hotels like The Hotel du Vin and The Old Swan. If you prefer somewhere a bit more private then perhaps one of the stylish luxury serviced apartments in Harrogate town centre would suit your tastes. These sumptuous contemporary hideaways can be booked through local agent Nightspace. Prices start from £90 per night, per apartment.  

Harrogate sits just 15 miles from Leeds, ons of the UK’s best shopping destinations.  Transport links are excellent, with regular trains and buses getting you to and from in around half an hour. The drive is also very easy between Harrogate and Leeds and takes 25 minutes. It’s the same road all the way so even the worst navigators should have no trouble finding their way.

No I have no plans yet but it may be time to start considering some options. One thing is for sure that as usual the airfares won’t be cheap from mid-December onwards.

Last year we drove the Nullarbor been there, done that -won’t be doing that again! From Perth our options are really to head south to the SW, head north or head overseas.

The vast majority of locals head south to the South-West  Capes , Geographe Bay and the Margaret River wine region.   Which is of course is the issue. Prices are sky-high and accommodation needsto booked far in advance - like NOW! The climate is perfectdown there in the middle of summer though - cooler than Perth (that had a run of 40C plus last Christmas/New Year). Rottnest is another popular destination - but that will be booked solid by now.

I am thinking about heading north again -  I really liked Broome - we may even get a deal because most people think its the Wet in December - but the weather should be fine that early in the season - humid though. Broome has a lot of appeal - its a pretty resort town - but we’d have to fly - it s a very, very long drive.

Our other option might be to head to Asia - Bali, KL, Singapore, Thailand all have cheap flights -but it remains to be seen whether they last past the current 15 Nov cut-off!

Talk about totally annoying! We have a group of hoteliers and other tourism related businesses complaining about the downturn of tourism in Western Australia. We have the government telling us to holiday at home. So I do the right thing - I take the weekend off and go to Augusta for the weekend.

Augusta is on the southwestern-most point of Australia . It has a lighthouse on it - of course - just 7km out of town is Cape Leuwin with the Leuwin Lighthouse on the that cape. An attractive white lighthouse - which I quite liked the look of from a distance - because that is exactly how close I got. You see I am not prepared to pay to approach a lighthouse! I am prepared to pay to enter the lighthouse - I am prepared to pay for a guide, even an audio-tour. But I am not prepared to approach a building on public land!

The good people of Augusta had decided to make more money from their attractive lighthouse and are therefore going to charge $5/head. Well they didn’t get $10 from my partner and I - and they didn’t get $25 from the family behind us who also turned back. Worse none of use even bothered entering the gift shop or the cafe - so we didn’t spend you any money there either - makes you think - well I’d hope it would anyway!

I spend a lot of time online and it takes a great deal for me to be impressed these days - but this little online site TripIT has just blown me away. If you have ever had trouble managing your own online trip itinerary this site is for you.

You may recall in the old days that the most exciting thing was before you left of a big trip you went down the travel agency and they presented you with your pages and pages of travel itinerary - plus usually a spare to leave with your nearest and dearest at home.

Well its been along time since anyone has done that for me and I distinctly remember the last time I organised a 6 week trip to Europe that I ended up with an endlessly updated spreadsheet - which I then had problem priniting out at 3am the night before we left!

TripIT has seen a market need and provides a brilliant solution. Sign up for a free account then when you get those emails confirming your flight and hotel bookings you just forward it to TripIT and they automatically compile them into one, easy to read itinerary.  Automatically and for free! They claim to be able to automatically generate itineraries from over 500 different sources including Airlines, Hotel chains, rental car companies and major online travel consolidators.

But its better than that - TripIT also allows you to edit your itineary and add items in so you can add planned events without actually having to book them. And then you can share your itineary with a number of different emails so everyone stays up to date on your holiday plans.

There is a up sell to the paid version which automatically notifies your mobile if there are flight delays and changes - more use to the frequent business traveller - but check it out whatever your budget - free is good!

We all have to learn better ways to cope with stress, but it can be even more important when it comes to combining it with travel. If you are embarking on a rather stressful trip, it’s important to find proper ways of dealing with it and allowing yourself to be and stay healthy.

1. Drink Plenty of Water: Though this may sound obvious and trivial, it can really help as you travel in general. If you are on a particularly stressful trip and getting on and off airplanes and other modes of transportation, drinking water can help to ensure that you don’t develop blood clots from sitting for too long. It can also help to push out any toxins or potential colds that you may come across in your travels—this is particularly in close quarters such as on an airplane.
2. Practice Deep Breathing: Before you get your stomach in knots or get a headache that won’t go away from the stress and the actual travel itself, learn the fine art of deep breathing. You can practice this anywhere and sometimes taking a moment away from things and breathing in and out deeply for a few moments can not only allow you to gain perspective, but also allow you to get focused and feel more alert.
3. Take Your Vitamins: As you will likely come across people that are sick, taking your vitamins is extremely important when it comes to traveling in generally. This becomes even more important if you add the factor of stress to your trip. Taking your vitamins and any necessary supplements before you leave and throughout your trip can help you to feel better and prevent you from getting sick from the stress.

4. Get Plenty of Sleep: This may not sound like a viable option if you are in the midst of a busy or stressful trip, but it’s a really important step to keeping you healthy. Be sure that you get a restful night of sleep at night so that you’re ready to take on the day and can deal with the stress much better. This is even more important if you are traveling to a different time zone and want to ensure you don’t get jet lag.
5. Exercise Whenever You Can: If you have a gym at your hotel, use it. Even if you get out for a walk or do something that involves a bit of cardio, your body will thank you. Not only is exercise an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but it can also help you to properly fight off stress. This will keep your body running as it should and help you to feel a bit more normal and healthy.
6. Eat Well: Eating a well balanced diet isn’t just good for weight loss, it’s important to keep your mental health in check too. If you are traveling you will likely come in contact with some rather unhealthy meal choices, but it’s important to make the right ones for your health. Add to this the fact that healthy foods can help your body cope with stress in a much more natural way.
7. Avoid Alcohol, Smoking, and Caffeine: Though your first instinct may be to turn to your vices, they are only going to increase the stress that you feel. Whenever possible avoid these three culprits that can weaken your immune system and contribute to you feeling sick as you deal with stress.

Mary Frederick is a blogger and enjoys writing about medical career topics, such as how to go to radiology tech schools online, job and education tips, and more

Parkes, NSW, on the face of it, a unlikely place to drive 360km west of Sydney to see. It is a pleasant enough country town surrounded by wheat fields. Pleasant country towns and wheatfields aren’t on most tourist’s to do lists.

However it was a whole lot different 40 years ago and yes I took the long detour to check out Parkes - well not Parkes itself - but the historic Parkes Radio Telescope which is located down an improbable country road - about 20km out of town. Seriously I’d love to see a tourist’s face who stumbled on the huge dish in the middle of fields by accident!

During the 1969 1969 Apollo moon landing Parkes was a critical  part of the NASA tracking program which transmitted the famous pictures of Armstrong and Aldrin walking on the moon.  Australia being conveniently located “down under” it was one of several used by NASA during the 1960s for both the Gemini and Apollo programs. Unfortunately the other two sites: Carnavon,WA and Honeysuckle Creek near Canberra, have been closed and nothing much remains.

Parkes on the other hand is still a functioning radio telescope with an interesting museum and excellent coffee shop with views over the dish. If you are in the area and have interest in astronomy its definitly worth a detour - kid friendly too.

The story of Parkes and the moon landings was retold in the movie The Dish staring Sam Neil

That’s right on the 5th August Qantas is offering  seats to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane or Adelaide from London for the price of £10! Seats go on sale on the 5 August and are only available for those who hold a valid working holiday visa for Australia. Seats are available on flights departing  between August 15 and September 30 and November 1 to 30 - both traditionally slow times of the year for Qantas.

Is there a catch - yes- there are only 150 seats available for the price and those that want them are recommended to camp out over night to get in first. If they miss out Qantas will offer them a STG679 ($A1,386.56) which is not very good at all compared to prices that Air Asia  X is offering on the route.

Its all a publicity stunt of course. “10 pound Poms” was the term used for assisted English migrants who came to Australia post-War right up to the 1970’s - in an attempt to “keep Australia white” - fortunately it didn’t work out to well!

The original 10 pound Poms had one way tickets in steerage on a boat. The new generation of 10 pound Poms will get a return airfare - as  no one but New Zealanders and Australians are allowed to fly on a one-way ticket to Australia these days. Australia doesn’t want more migrants anymore!

Anyway - if you can bothered camping out overnight its a very good deal - but if you miss out check out other cheap flights such as Air Asia X - that would be a better deal I think

With the economic downturn many people are looking to get extra value for their vacation dollar. They can’t afford a two-week break, an extended weekend may just have to do. If that’s your situation and you live in North America then Panama may be a country to consider.

Panama is considered an eco-destination with much of the country covered in its Word Heritage listed national parks. Even if you are focused on getting up close and personal with nature I would schedule a day or two in the capital. Panama City dates back over 500 years and the atmospheric “Casco Viejo”,the old city, is certainly worth a look. As of course is the fascinating Panama Canal and Miraflores Locks which are only a short drive from the center of town. With 13,000 ships using the canal annually - you’d be unlucky not to see at least one!

Panama has just as much to offer than its better known neighbor, Costa Rica, but is maybe just that little bit off the beaten track. Not that you have to stay in a cheap hostel, or worse, when you get there - though you can if you must. Hotels in Panama cover the full range of cheap and basic to 5-star and luxurious - for my money for a short-break I’d probably consider staying at one of the best Panama hotels : the 5-star luxury casino hotel, Veneto.

The Veneto is the biggest casino in Panama and therefore home to the anything goes gambling culture of Panama and its related nightlife. This place certainly won’t feel like Vegas - it has a rawer, central American edge to it. Nightlife, girls and serious money on the tables is all part of the scene at the Veneto - possibly not family-friendly but definitely edgy and fun for the rest of us!

For your money you will get rooms and suites that are comfortable and offer the normal facilities for a 5-star property. There is a great pool area to chill out in during the day. At night you have several dining options in-house and many more just down the street. But the real action is centered around the casino which offers everything from poker and blackjack tournaments to craps and roulette table games. If losing money isn’t your thing then check out the ever changing entertainment program - and remember to polish up your salsa skills for the local dance floors.

If you need a bit of “me time” then head to the hotel’s spa which includes everything from facials to pedicure, hot stone message to hydrotherapy.

So for me a short break in Panama can be a great combination - you can do a few days at an upmarket hotel and really chill out but there are certainly enough natural and cultural attractions in the country to keep you entertained. Panama boasts a modern infrastructure which will make North American visitors feel right at home. It is of course a Spanish speaking country, but the currency will be familiar - United States dollars are the official currency.

So if you are looking for a mini-break or something longer grab a cheap airfare deal, book a great Panama hotel and pack your best dancing shoes - and welcome to Panama!

Well you have probably all read multiple times - to get the best deal you have to book and pay weeks, if not months in advance. I’ve done it myself - booked as early as August to get flight home for Christmas.

Today I had an interesting experience - I needed to get my partner a ticket from Perth to New Zealand ASAP due to a family emergency. I went online thinking the worst i.e. up to A$1200 each way. After all last year standard peak fares were in the A$800 one way range for Perth/New Zealand. At 10am I wanted a flight that would get him home by tomorrow - I was prepared to pay.

But I didn’t have to -  I got a flight on the midnight special connecting via Melbourne for a 9am flight to New Zealand - total cost (including the credit card fee) from Qantas? A$595! I could have chosen any of the flights tomorrow that connect to NZ - three or four options.

And over the next week every day had at least one flight combo which was less than A$650- extraordinary. Not good for the airline industry but excellent for anyone who needs a flight in a hurry.

Not sure whether to take the all inclusive bus tour which promises 13 countries in 15 days or the tour that is based in one region from where you take a more in depth look of one part of Europe? Want to catch the highlights of Europe without the hassles of driving on one of the world’s most crowded continents?

Then you need to think again - and maybe think specifically about river cruises. Long before the invention of the internal combustion engine and freeways, rivers were the world’s first super highways. Europe’s great cities all share one thing in common - they are  are built on major waterways - think of Paris and the Seine, London and the Thames, Vienna and the Danube. That’s why river cruising is the ideal way to see Europe.

Compared with planning a European bus tour, river cruising has huge advantages. Rivers are the heart of European cities - you can be guaranteed that your floating hotel will be located central to the action - not hours away in the suburbs. There is no requirement to be packed up and ready for the bus at 6am. Rather than having to choose between a leisurely lunch and sightseeing, you combine both on a river cruise where boats usually feature dining rooms with panoramic views. You aren’t going to spend hours of precious vacation time stuck in traffic - well OK you will probably pass the odd lock - but that’s a lot more interesting than being stuck in a Parisian traffic jam (trust me on this).

Compared to ocean cruising, river cruising comes up trumps for anyone who suffers from seasickness- no waves, no getting your “sea legs” required on river boats.  Its also great for singles or those just looking at connecting with others in the group - boats have to fit through the canals and locks of Europe so normally carry only between 100-300 passengers. Tours tend to be all-inclusive including “shore excursions” - which are often walking tours right from the dock. One thing that you won’t want to leave behind are good walking shoes - forget the on-board gym - try walking a few miles on cobblestones - excellent for your legs and cardio-vascular health!

With the collapse of communism European river cruising has expanded east. River cruising is a supremely practical way to visit Russia and Ukraine without having to deal with the notoriously poor quality of local restaurants and hotels. Both St Petersburg and Moscow are river cities - conveniently located about a week’s cruising apart. The truly adventurous can extend their tour all the way to the Crimea and the Black Sea.

A river cruise boat are not the huge floating palaces of their ocean-going counterparts. They do not have the space to offer climbing walls, full-size auditoriums, 21 different restaurant and multiple swimming pools. Instead the focus is on the countries that you are cruising through. Most ships offer a single dining room with free seating and an informal dress code. There is invariably an open deck for the best view and also normally a library and several other lounges. There will also be guest speakers talking about the local countries and cultures that you are traveling through. Ships will often sail at night to ensure that you have the best opportunity to explore ports during the day either with a tour or just by yourself.

The best part of river cruising has to be that you have unpack once scenario. I’ve never met anyone who enjoys the constant packing and unpacking of a typical tour - so on a river cruise you get to do it exactly once. Suites are comfortable and most newer boats offer balconies and opening windows. There is no such thing as an inside cabin on a river boat - they are just too narrow!

I do have one major problem with choosing an European river cruise though - which one to try first - I have the impression they could become extremely addictive!