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Worldwide Adventure with Saga Holidays

Recent research conducted by Saga Holidays reveals that two thirds (63 percent) of over 50s didn’t travel abroad on holiday until they were adults. 82 percent of respondents over 65 believe they have made up for it in later life, whilst 50-64 year olds are doing everything possible to explore new and exciting destinations.

Australia’s dramatic scenery and historical Commonwealth ties make it the most popular desired destination, with 44 percent of respondents saying they would like to explore the country. Of those who would consider releasing equity from their homes, 36 percent said they would use it to travel the world.

Gap years, once the sole domain of adventurous university students, are being taken to the next level by their parents and grandparents who continue to show they have huge amounts of energy by trekking through the old hippy trails of Nepal, clambering through jungle excursions in Borneo, and delving into the rain-forests of Costa Rica. The traditional backpacking destinations of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina are no longer reserved just for the young.

One third (30 percent) of children and grandchildren are envious of the travelling their parents and grandparents are doing. This is particularly clear for mothers and grandmothers who have just reached the age of retirement, and on average are taking nearly 2.5 holidays abroad each year. Films and books influence women in their travel decisions and aspirations with 40 percent naming literature (31 percent for men) and 26 percent naming movies (20 percent for men) as important factors, which may indicate why nearly all (91 percent) name scenery and three quarters (72 percent) name history as the main attraction of a place to visit.

There is little doubt the adventurous programme Saga Holidays offers is hitting the right spot. 80 percent of all respondents take two or more holidays per year and the company reports substantial increases in requests for special interest wildlife, music and art appreciation holidays.

Nearly all respondents (97 percent) have already visited the European mainland, and whilst only a small number has visited Antarctica (one percent), it is high on the list of places to visit (21 percent), along with South America (31 percent).

When asked if an annual event would influence them to travel to a destination, music played a large part; however at opposite ends of the spectrum, 50 year olds were more likely to choose the Rio Carnival in Brazil (19 percent), whilst 65 and over named opera festivals (15 percent).

Only six percent of all respondents to the survey, carried out by Populus, were worried their newly found freedom to travel would impact on how much they passed onto their families, preferring instead to ensure they travelled and tasted the ever changing face of travel for the over 50s.

For further details on Saga Holidays please call 0800 056 5880 or visit www.saga.co.uk/travelshop

Cruise West Extends Panama, Costa Rica Season

Cruise West announced two additional spring departures and six themed cruises to its 2008 and 2009 “Between Two Seas” itinerary.

Additionally, one enhanced and two new land tours are offered as add-ons. Guests may choose from two holiday cruises, two Pentax photography cruises or the option to travel in the company of a Panama Canal expert on two departures.

The nine-night “Between Two Seas” voyages sail on the 100-guest Pacific Explorer and visit the San Blas Islands and Portobelo and traverse the entire Panama Canal. Guests continue to Emberá Village in the Darién Jungle, Coiba National Park, Golfo Dulce, Caletas Beach and Manuel Antonio National Park. Costa Rican and Panamanian holiday activities and traditional cuisine complement the Dec. 20 departure.

Guests will ring in 2009 on the Dec. 29 New Year’s sailing with a New Year’s party including a midnight toast and late-night buffet. Guests on the two Pentax photography cruises, offered Dec. 2 and March 2, can attend onboard workshops with instruction by professional Pentax photographer Kerrick James.

A Panama Canal guru will share knowledge about the history and future expansion of the canal on the Dec. 11 and April 7 departures. The two new land tours include a two-night visit to Monteverde Cloud Forest or a four-night stay in Tortuguero National Park. Prices start at $3,799 per person, based on double occupancy.

Early-booking incentives of up to $175 per person are offered to those who pay in full by Sept. 5, 2008, for departures January through May 2009. Or, they can receive savings of $350 per person when booking the cruise and paying in full by March 27, 2009, for departures October through December 2009.

For more information, call 800-689-1783 or visit www.cruisewest.com

Religious Travel Year of Faith Tourism

The World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) designated 2009 as The Year of Faith Tourism.

The year-long celebrations and activities will: Highlight the New Era of Faith Tourism; Increase the awareness of the personal and communal benefits of Faith Tourism;

and contribute to the overall growth and health of the global economy, travel industry, and individual travel providers.

The official host of The Year of Faith Tourism is the World Religious Travel Association, the leading organization dedicated to the $18 billion faith-based travel, tourism, and hospitality industry.

As part of its kick-off for The Year of Faith Tourism, the World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) is hosting this fall the World Religious Travel Expo & Educational Conference in Orlando from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, 2008.

To learn more about The Year of Faith Tourism, visit the official website at www.faithtourism2009.com.

For more information about the World Religious Travel Association or the World Religious Travel Expo, call 800-657-1288 or visit www.religioustravelassociation.com

and www.religioustravelexpo.com

MSC Cruises Shipboard Credits

MSC Cruises is offering shipboard credit of up to $200 per stateroom to guests who book a stateroom on select Caribbean sailings by Aug. 31. The amount of the shipboard credit will be determined by the type of stateroom.

It is $25 per person for an interior stateroom for a maximum of $50 per stateroom, $50 per person for maximum of $100 per stateroom for ocean-view staterooms, and $100 per person for a balcony or suite up to $200 per stateroom.

The shipboard credit offer is valid on the MSC Lirica’s 10-night Deep Caribbean itineraries, sailing roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale on March 4, March 24 and April 13. Rates begin at $899 per person, double occupancy. It’s also valid on MSC Orchestra’s seven-night Western Caribbean itinerary, roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale March 7.

Rates begin at $549 per person. Children under the age of 17 sail free on all sailings when sharing a stateroom with two full-fare-paying adults. Guests need only place a deposit of $100 per person.

For more information, visit www.msccruisesusa.com

Carnival Cruises Online Store

Carnival Cruise Lines launched a new online store, www.carnivalfunshop.com, offering a wide variety of “Fun Ship”-branded merchandise.

Designed as a way to leverage the recognizable Carnival brand, the new site provides consumers and cruise enthusiasts with a one-stop shop for purchasing items that were previously only available in the shipboard gift shops.

The site offers items emblazoned with Carnival’s name and logo, including hats, polo and T-shirts, travel gear, tote bags, backpacks, toys and the Fun Ship Freddy toy. There’s also an “Island Music” section where visitors can purchase CDs featuring steel drum and calypso bands.

Online gift certificates valid for a future purchase at www.carnivalfunshop.com  are also available.

Crystal Ships New Fitness System

Crystal Cruises is debuting Kinesis fitness equipment aboard the Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity in July.

The equipment uses cable resistance and simultaneously incorporates several areas of fitness: strength, flexibility and balance. Kinesis equipment comprises a series of panels, grips, weight stacks and cables that enable 360-degree movement, allowing for more than 250 possible exercises, with benefits.

Designed for individual use with a personal trainer, the one-hour Kinesis personal training sessions are $100 or $254 for three sessions. Crystal’s fitness directors report a 77 percent increase in personal training on Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity from 2006 to 2007.

For more information, call 800-446-6620 or visit www.crystalcruises.com

Holland America Cruises New Pan-Asian Restaurant

Holland America Line’s new Eurodam features a new Pan-Asian restaurant called Tamarind. The 144-seat restaurant will serve reservations-only lunch and dinner. The complimentary lunch menu will feature dim sum, an assortment of Asian dumplings and fusion sauces for dipping.

Soup and salad, as well as desserts-such as green tea tiramisu and mango sorbet-will also be included on the lunch menu.

For dinner, guests can order Asian-inspired cuisine off of the menu or choose Rijsttafel, a Dutch adaptation of the traditional Indonesia dinner. To complement the traditional offerings at Tamarind, Master Chef Rudi Sodamin has created Asian-inspired entrees.

The Silk Den, a new lounge adjacent to Tamarind, will overlook the magradome, offering guests a view of a new, poolside water feature. A full menu of Asian-themed specialty cocktails including Sakétinis will be served.

Dinner at Tamarind will cost $15 per person with the Rijsttafel costing $20 per person. Lunch is complimentary.

The 2,104-guest Eurodam was christened July 1 in Rotterdam with Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, followed by a maiden voyage in the Baltic region.

The ship will offer its first trans-Atlantic cruise and sail Canada/New England in the fall, followed by Caribbean itineraries for the remainder of 2008.

Lifetree Adventures Voluntourism Programs

Lifetree Adventures, a Christian tour operator based in Loveland, Colo., recently launched tours to meet the growing demand for Christian travel, and is the first of its kind to offer voluntourism specifically from a Christian approach.

Lifetree Adventures is a new travel option that’s part vacation and part Christian service, enabling Christian travelers to put faith into action while exploring the world. Every Lifetree Adventure has two key components:

adventure activities and Christian service projects — packaged into one trip. With tours operating in the fall of 2008, participants can discover exotic destinations while serving the needs of indigenous people through eight trips to four Latin American countries: Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru.

In 2009, Lifetree Adventures will offer 30 trips in 12 countries as well as the U.S.

Lifetree Adventures is a new division of Group Workcamps Foundation, a leading non-profit mission organization offering Christian service trips for youth and adults for over 30 years. Through Group Workcamps, more than 250,000 volunteers have provided more than seven million hours of volunteer service to projects in hundreds of U.S. and international locations.

For more information, call 800-747-2157 or visit www.lifetreeadventures.com

Future Vacations New Price Match Policy

Future Vacations launched a new Price Match policy. Under terms of the new policy that will match any competitor’s price on comparable vacation packages within three hours, ensuring that travelers always receive the best value for their vacation dollar.

Travel agents or consumers who book a Future Vacations package and find a lower price on a comparable package elsewhere can call Future Vacations’ new Price Match Hotline – 800-373-7801 – and speak directly to a Price Match Specialist for immediate service.

Comparable packages must feature the same airline, hotel, room category, travel dates and inclusions (e.g.: rental car, ground transfers, theme park/show tickets, etc.). For the fastest service, calls must be made during the following Price Match business hours: Monday to Saturday 9 am to 7 pm EST and Sunday 10 am to 4 pm EST.

Calls made outside of these hours will receive a return call the following business day. If Future Vacations is unable to match the price of a package, travelers will receive a $25 travel credit for future use.

The Price Match Policy is effective now and until further notice on all packages in the Future Vacations portfolio, which spans the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Hawaii, Mexico, Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East.

For telephone reservations, call 800-456-2323.