Senior Discounts On Travel Options
By Hazel M. Freeman

It seems everywhere you turn these days it’s more bad news about the economy. We all seem to be cutting back in one way or another. If your travel budget isn’t as big as it once was, it’s time to take advantage of any, and every, discount you can find. Many vacation destinations, tourist attractions, and entertainment venues, are offering discounts to draw visitors in. In this slowing economy the travel industry is begging for your attention by lowering their prices. Shopping around before you travel this year is well worth the time and effort.

Most states offer some kind of discount card for their senior residents. Here in Ohio we have the Golden Buckeye Card. The Golden Buckeye Card is honored at over 20,000 businesses statewide. Ohioans age 60 or older are eligible for the free card. State sponsored cards will often get you a discount at parks, hotels, museums, and a wide variety of other travel and leisure oriented locations. To find out if your state has a similar card contact your states Department of Aging.

If you’re not already a member of AARP you may want to consider joining. Annual membership is just $12.50 a year. Pulling out your AARP card can save you some bucks on plenty of travel items. The following discounts are available with an AARP card: Hotels and Resorts - from 5% to 15% off, car rentals - from 5% to 30% off, cruises – from $100.00 to $150.00 off per cabin, or towards onboard credit. You can find many discounts available for tours, shops, spas, and entertainment with the AARP card. AARP now has an online Travel Center where you can book airline flights, cruises, and reserve car rentals, hotel rooms and more without a booking fee. Visit AARP.com for more information.

Hotels are dangling significant deals in front of traveler’s noses to get them to bite. From dropping room rates, giving room upgrades, free nights, free meals and other perks. Look for all-inclusive package deals when making your travel plans. Knowing how much you’re going to spend up front, and getting some extras thrown in for free, will help to keep you on budget.

If you enjoy golfing than you’ll want to check out the Golf Card. For about $50.00 per person, per year, you can find savings at almost 3,000 golf courses in North America. Some courses (around 600) offer free green fees (limit two per year at participating courses with a cart). The remaining 2,400 courses offer up to 50% off cart and green fees (two rounds per year). Other advantages to the card are: no seasonal restrictions, weekend play discounts at many courses, savings at over 100 Stay & Play resorts, a subscription to Golf Traveler magazine, an annual directory of participating courses, and rental car discounts through Alamo and National Car Rental. It’s worth checking out if you like to play golf during your travels. Visit www.golfcard.com for more information.

Though senior discounts are a great thing don’t assume that they will always get you the cheapest price. It’s best to ask for the lowest price on whatever travel or leisure item you’re shopping for, and then ask if the senior discount is a better deal.