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Ways for retirees to travel for less

 
Marie and John Koski, in Freeport, Maine, in July, prefer volunteer and adventure vacations to cut costs.
Marie and John Koski, in Freeport, Maine, in July, prefer volunteer and adventure vacations to cut costs.
Published Aug. 31, 2015

When Marie Koski of Springfield, Mass., was in Tuscany, cleaning pottery and bronze items that were more than 2,000 years old, she knew she was on the right trip for the right price.

Koski, 61, a special-education teacher who retired in September, and her husband, John, 62, who is still working, spent seven days at what once was an Etruscan fort, helping an archaeologist excavate the site in the Italian seaside city of Populonia.

They arranged their trip through Earthwatch Institute, an international environmental organization that allows travelers to assist scientific researchers. Participants pay to be part of an expedition, but the contribution is tax-deductible. "That helped our taxes quite a bit," Marie Koski said.

They spent $1,600 each, and airfare, to participate and stayed in a three-bedroom apartment in a gated community, sharing a bathroom with another couple.

There are many ways for older Americans to travel for less.

Some retired people find jobs aboard cruise ships. MSC Cruises, for example, hires retired and semiretired people as guest lecturers, port lecturers, language teachers and art and crafts instructors, according to Gary Glading, head of entertainment and guest experience for MSC Cruises.

Mary Lichty, 59, worked as a sales representative in direct mail marketing for 34 years. She always wanted to travel, and while still working began taking wine courses at Napa Valley College, and in 2012 she began working part time at Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena, Calif., as a tasting room associate. Through that job, she met Jeffrey Maltzman, the founder of Blend Craft Wines' winery at sea programs. She now works as a wine educator on the MSC Divina, which sails in the Caribbean.

"I'm cruising, and they're paying me for it," Lichty said. Her husband, Peter, 60, who recently retired, travels with her. "It's not a lot of money," she said, but the cabin and food are included. The ship has the option to assign them to the crew's quarters, but that has not happened during their several cruises.

You can also work at sites run by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service or even the Army Corps of Engineers.

Grand Portage National Monument, for example, is offering an opportunity next summer to be a living history volunteer, interpreting North American fur trade history and Ojibwe culture in three eight-hour shifts a week. When not dressed in period costumes to depict the year 1797, participants will have time to hike, canoe and kayak in and near Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota.

Here are ideas from experts on how older Americans can get the most value from their travel dollars:

• Figure the approximate cost of the entire trip before you go. "Look at the final price," said Anne Scully, president of McCabe World Travel in McLean, Va., including "what you pay when you leave the hotel or the ship." Cruises and all-inclusive trips can make it easier to calculate the final cost before you travel.

• Look for loyalty programs for air and hotels, two-for-one offers and last-minute bargains, which are often easier for retirees to take advantage of than people employed full time.

• Consider home exchanges. John Adams of Anacortes, Wash., a retired publisher, 64, and his wife, Martha, 63, began using home exchanges in 2013. "No money exchanges hands," Adams said. "They're going to take care of my house like I'm going to take care of yours." Among home exchange sites are myplaceforyours.com, homeexchange.com and homeforexchange.com.

• "Protect yourself and your travel investment," Scully said. Will your health insurance cover you while traveling? Medicare generally doesn't pay for health care or supplies received outside the United States. But Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans often help pay for emergency care overseas. Even with those, it is advisable to buy travel insurance with emergency health coverage and trip interruption protection.

• Consider renting an apartment for longer stays. A site like onefinestay.com helps travelers find a place with a kitchen and a washer and dryer.

• Use a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees for purchases made while traveling internationally.