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In all, I found thousands of sailings offered by most major cruise lines through mid-2025. While AARP is focused on people over 50, there is no minimum age to join. Anyone of any age can take advantage of the travel offers and the discounts on a lot of other products.
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And, to ensure you’re not missing the cultural side of cuisine, skip the big-box grocery stores. “Street food or bodegas can be a great way to try the local flavors while not splurging on expensive meals,” Luna says. Several airlines offer stopover programs that let you experience a city for a few days while en route to your final destination.
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In addition to the anytime deals, there are other targeted sales of travel products. For example, if a car rental company is having a sale open to the general public on SUVs, there may be an added offer exclusive to AARP members. Hotel savings for AARP members are between 5% and 10% off the best available rate. Some hotels offer additional perks, too, such as a late checkout at 2 p.m., when available. The ongoing travel discounts are clearly spelled out on the AARP travel benefits website. Members have access to discounts and member-specific deals at more than 10 hotel chains and their brands.
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Both the agility required for train travel and the cost of the four-day rail tour are something to consider when weighing the value of a 5% discount. For example, the eight-day Enchanting Danube itinerary in March and April 2024 aboard S.S. Maria Theresa starts at $3,299 per person, the same as on Uniworld's website. A $100 per person discount if booked with Grand European Travel. I remember feeling insulted when right before my 50th birthday I received an invitation by mail to join AARP.
What You Need to Know About Taking a Mystery Trip
10 New Cruise Ships for 2022 - AARP
10 New Cruise Ships for 2022.
Posted: Mon, 13 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Plus -- and this is a little-known fact -- the group now welcomes members at any age, so travelers younger than 50 can sign up and benefit from member discounts. “One day appeals to people because many don’t want to pay for a multiday surprise trip because it’s a little risky,” says Off, whose 2019 Christmas gift to her parents inspired her to start Guess Where Trips a year later. Vacationers 50-plus comprise a large share of mystery travelers, some companies say. Pack Up + Go notes 33 percent of participants are 50-plus, including empty nesters, people too busy to plan a trip and those celebrating a milestone. If you’ve built up miles with a specific airline, use them, says Ewen.
Cruisers who prefer Holland America also have plenty of choices. They can, for example, book a seven-night Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale in early March 2024 aboard Nieuw Statendam that visits Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Cozumel; and Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. An inside cabin was priced at $614 per person (comparable to what HAL offers on its website) and came with a $50 onboard credit. All were similar to what's available on the cruise lines' websites, but with AARP qualified for an onboard credit of $50.
6 Changes Coming to Cruising in 2023 and Beyond - AARP
6 Changes Coming to Cruising in 2023 and Beyond.
Posted: Mon, 27 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
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Members save up to $100 in addition to any promotional savings on all-inclusive luxury river cruises. You can sail the rivers of the world including the waterways of Europe to the Nile in Egypt, India’s Ganges and the Mekong in Vietnam. If you want to see a new destination but can’t splurge on a private guide, consider joining a “free” guided walking tour, offered through numerous services, such as Free Tour, Free Tours by Foot and GuruWalk.
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For a more DIY budget-friendly sightseeing option, look to podcasts or audio tours. Well-known travel gurus like Rick Steves offer self-guided walking tours that use narration to immerse you in a new destination, while the app SmartGuide runs digital tours with audio guides, city maps and insider tips. The website VoiceMap also features hundreds of on-your-own audio walks, bike rides and drives, helping you see the highlights without needing to join a group or in-person guided tour. Another savings opportunity is $50 off per person on Collette cruisetours.
Recently, Grand European Travel was giving members a $100 per person discount on Uniworld river cruises. Collette, which runs European river cruises, was offering $50 off per person. Holland America Line’s fleet of 11 ships offers more than five hundred sailings a year visiting all 7 continents, including cruises in Alaska, the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe. AARP members receive up to $200 in onboard credit per stateroom, based on the length of the cruise and the stateroom chosen. Some guided tours are 12 days, with four days of rail travel and hotel stays in advance of a seven-night cruise. Reviews, however, mention the hassle of getting luggage on and off trains by yourself (there are no porters).
She also uses a cell plan that comes with international data and texting, which you can inquire about with your carrier pre-trip. And, if you know you’ll need faster data service, Holden recommends buying a local eSIM card. In many cities, using public transportation instead of a rental car or rideshare service can keep money in your pocketbook. Katie Holden of the blog Katie’s Travel Tricks suggests using an app, such as Google Maps, to navigate safely. “Just toggle over to the public transportation icon after you enter in your destination,” Holden says.
Cruise options here are more limited and are mostly on Amadeus River Cruises ships on the Rhine and Danube, plus some small-ship coastal cruising in Croatia and tours in Egypt featuring a four-night cruise. You do need to be age 50 or older to reap full benefits, but Americans ages 18 to 49 can also join AARP. Folks under 50 can receive most member benefits, aside from those restricted by law or contract, such as certain insurance products. The savings are 5% or more off stays at Best Western Hotels & Resorts and up to 10% off Choice Hotels, whether booked through the AARP Expedia portal or directly with the brands.
Many cards offer travel credits, complimentary companion passes and other lifestyle perks. “Credit card issuers rely on people to not be informed; that way they can offer a perk that [would] cost them money, but they’re not actually going to have to fork that money over,” he says. To keep tabs on your card’s perks, which include everything from rideshare and TV subscription credits to grocery discounts, Ewen suggests checking your account every month and creating a spreadsheet of all available offers.
These several-hundred-dollar annual fees come with a variety of perks, such as the opportunity to bring one or several guests free of charge. To determine if lounge membership fees are worth it, Ewen suggests crunching the numbers to see how often you plan to travel and how much you and your potential airport lounge guests could save on amenities. Additionally, if you do decide to obtain lounge membership, make sure your home or go-to airport has that specific airline lounge, he says. Sure, hotels are great — and can come with great deals if booked using credit card points, says Holden — but alternative options like rental homes, hostels (many offer private rooms) and even couch surfing can help you save. “We’ve used the website Couch Surfing to stay with strangers for free,” Holden says. For any sites, especially couch-surfing ones, be sure to read plenty of reviews.
If you want to double-check the miles-to-money conversion before booking, try online calculators that tabulate this equation, including NerdWallet, Omni Calculator and The Point Calculator. A search for river cruises in Asia in 2024 and 2025 turned up more than 300 sailings on AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways and Uniworld, most 12 to 14 nights in length with prices ranging from $6,999 to $8,399 per person. AARP members can also book expedition cruises, such as 12-night Antarctic Explorer itineraries on Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, via the AARP Travel Center. These are priced at $11,995 per person (the same price as on Viking's website) with just a $25 deposit.
Pack Up + Go’s pre-trip survey includes a checklist of about 35 interests. Because of that, “no two trips are the same,” says Lillian Rafson, who founded Pack Up + Go in 2016. A recent Booking.com survey found that 52 percent of global travelers want to book trips where the destination remains a mystery until arrival. Save on one-way trips from Arizona with Budget rentals starting at $30.99/day. Members get exclusive deals, seasonal offers and special savings when they book through the AARP Travel Center Powered by Expedia.
