Removing shoes at and airport security check point has gotten routine for the regular travelers, but remains a hustle for elder travelers. When traveling with an Elder Travel Companion, removing shoes may not be such a big deal as traveling alone.

New shoe scanners may eliminate the need to remove shoes altogether, Yea!

Now your Travel Companion Caregiver can help you with all the other items being searched.

By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

From USA TODAY’s Airport Check-in column: A company vying to sell airport shoe scanners has finished its "trial" at Indianapolis International, collecting results from 3,000 travelers who volunteered to try its machine in the lobby.

Morpho Detection says its data-collection experiment, which ended in late July, showed its scanner can process more than 300 customers an hour. Travelers still had to remove their shoes at the airport’s security checkpoints.

Morpho says it’ll use the data to fine-tune machines and submit it to the Transportation Security Administration.

TSA wants to revive the idea of allowing travelers to keep their shoes on at checkpoints and has announced its plans to buy 100 shoe scanners by next year. About a dozen companies hope to bid for the business. — Roger Yu

When you could use some assistance while traveling, try a Travel Companion from Care-To-Go.  In Home CareGivers are also available from Care-To-Go in the Phoenix area.

Cruises have always been a favorite trip for Seniors. Balmy air, tropical swaying trees, soft steel drum music,; what’s not to like. Aside from the great ambiance in the Caribbean, Bahamas or Mexico, there are several reasons to choose a cruise over other types of vacation for Seniors. First, it is a place totally geared for all the seniors needs including food, activities, housekeeping, medical services and more. It is so nice to unpack once and then watch the world pass by. Other favorite destinations for Cruises are Alaska and the Mediterranean for Greece and Italy etc.

Here is your opportunity to take that great vacation you have always wanted and be totally cared for and safe all the way. Cruise ships provide everything you need including; your room, all your food, lots of activities, a hospital and pharmacy, a concierge, lots of new people to meet or enjoy your solitude.

When you need a little extra assistance along the way, a Personal Travel Companion can escort you to be sure you are well taken care of. Now you can take that dream trip you have always wanted.

We all know that vacation tour prices including Cruises vary greatly. If you book through a travel agent, the Cruise Company, Orbits or a bulk Cruise buyer, the price varies greatly. When using a Travel Companion these prices can be easily compared and you can pick the best deal for you.

Speaking of a Travel Companion, you can now take a personal travel assistant with you to be sure that the trip goes smoothly. Your personal travel companion can travel with you all the way from your door and back again. How nice would it be to have professional assistance through the airport and flight, on the cruise and back again. One company providing Personal Travel Companions can be found at http://Care-To-Go.com

Low bookings for the cruise lines means a shipload of savings for you
Don’t let the storm-tossed economy discourage you from sailing on a cruise. With fewer people booking passage and more (and bigger) cruise ships being launched, cruising has become a buyer’s market. Here’s how to find the lowest fare at the best time.

Look for bulk buyers
Check out cruise consolidators, which buy large blocks of cabins from the cruise lines at a deep discount. Most of the deals don’t include airfare, but the savings are significant, and companies such as CruiseOne.com, CruiseBrothers.com, and Cruise.com feature dozens of discounted cruises around the world every week.

Don’t shrug off "shoulder season"
Rates are lower between peak and off-peak seasons, when fewer people are escaping winter. Try sailing to Alaska in mid-May or early September; to the Caribbean in late April or September and October; to Hawaii in late August, late November, February, or May; or to the Mediterranean in March or November. If you are interested in a long haul, check when the Cruise companies are moving ships for the season between the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, or even the south Pacific. You may get a long trip for a very low price.

Check the school calendar
Avoid any time kids are on vacation, such as spring or summer break. That’s when the supply of empty cabins is usually the lowest—and prices for them are highest. Cruises are wildly affordable right after Labor Day and during the week after Thanksgiving, for example.

Wait…Wait… Okay, now book it!
If you don’t have a specific cruise date in mind, try waiting until the last minute to book online. Almost all cruise lines quietly unload any remaining inventory as the departure date draws closer. Note: "Last minute" doesn’t mean what it used to. Post-9/11 security regulations require cruise lines to close the list of passengers as much as 96 hours before sailing.

Keep That Sail a Sale
Cruise lines don’t make a profit on your cabin, so they try to separate you from your money the second they pull up the gangplank. Here’s how to keep your budget afloat.

Factor in tipping
Some cruise lines automatically add gratuities, while others still rely on passengers to make that decision. One helpful resource is cruisetip.tpkeller.com, which calculates the suggested tip per day for each major cruise line.

Stick with the main dining room
More and more cruise ships have specialty—restaurants to give passengers options beyond the cost—included main dining room and midnight buffet. But eating at one of the ships’ designer restaurants will run you extra: on Royal Caribbean International, for example, dinner at Chops Grille is $25 per guest.

Budget for booze
Don’t expect to bring your own. Most cruise lines frown on this, and some actually employ a "liquor retention team" to seize alcohol not purchased on board (the bottles are returned at the end of the cruise). Carnival now keeps your bags on a dock for several hours where they can search them, Be careful.

Have a fantastic trip!
For assistance in planning your Cruise or any other kind of travel contact Care-To-Go at 800-818-0407 or check the web at www.CareToGoTravel.com.

Cruises have always been a favorite trip for Seniors. Balmy air, tropical swaying trees, soft steel drum music,; what’s not to like. Aside from the great ambiance in the Caribbean, Bahamas or Mexico, there are several reasons to choose a cruise over other types of vacation for Seniors. First, it is a place totally geared for all the seniors needs including food, activities, housekeeping, medical services and more. It is so nice to unpack once and then watch the world pass by. Other favorite destinations for Cruises are Alaska and the Mediterranean for Greece and Italy etc.

Here is your opportunity to take that great vacation you have always wanted and be totally cared for and safe all the way. Cruise ships provide everything you need including; your room, all your food, lots of activities, a hospital and pharmacy, a concierge, lots of new people to meet or enjoy your solitude.

When you need a little extra assistance along the way, a Personal Travel Companion can escort you to be sure you are well taken care of. Now you can take that dream trip you have always wanted.

We all know that vacation tour prices including Cruises vary greatly. If you book through a travel agent, the Cruise Company, Orbits or a bulk Cruise buyer, the price varies greatly. When using a Travel Companion these prices can be easily compared and you can pick the best deal for you.

Speaking of a Travel Companion, you can now take a personal travel assistant with you to be sure that the trip goes smoothly. Your personal travel companion can travel with you all the way from your door and back again. How nice would it be to have professional assistance through the airport and flight, on the cruise and back again. One company providing Personal Travel Companions can be found at http://Care-To-Go.com

Low bookings for the cruise lines means a shipload of savings for you
Don’t let the storm-tossed economy discourage you from sailing on a cruise. With fewer people booking passage and more (and bigger) cruise ships being launched, cruising has become a buyer’s market. Here’s how to find the lowest fare at the best time.

Look for bulk buyers
Check out cruise consolidators, which buy large blocks of cabins from the cruise lines at a deep discount. Most of the deals don’t include airfare, but the savings are significant, and companies such as CruiseOne.com, CruiseBrothers.com, and Cruise.com feature dozens of discounted cruises around the world every week.

Don’t shrug off "shoulder season"
Rates are lower between peak and off-peak seasons, when fewer people are escaping winter. Try sailing to Alaska in mid-May or early September; to the Caribbean in late April or September and October; to Hawaii in late August, late November, February, or May; or to the Mediterranean in March or November. If you are interested in a long haul, check when the Cruise companies are moving ships for the season between the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, or even the south Pacific. You may get a long trip for a very low price.

Check the school calendar
Avoid any time kids are on vacation, such as spring or summer break. That’s when the supply of empty cabins is usually the lowest—and prices for them are highest. Cruises are wildly affordable right after Labor Day and during the week after Thanksgiving, for example.

Wait…Wait… Okay, now book it!
If you don’t have a specific cruise date in mind, try waiting until the last minute to book online. Almost all cruise lines quietly unload any remaining inventory as the departure date draws closer. Note: "Last minute" doesn’t mean what it used to. Post-9/11 security regulations require cruise lines to close the list of passengers as much as 96 hours before sailing.

Keep That Sail a Sale
Cruise lines don’t make a profit on your cabin, so they try to separate you from your money the second they pull up the gangplank. Here’s how to keep your budget afloat.

Factor in tipping
Some cruise lines automatically add gratuities, while others still rely on passengers to make that decision. One helpful resource is cruisetip.tpkeller.com, which calculates the suggested tip per day for each major cruise line.

Stick with the main dining room
More and more cruise ships have specialty—restaurants to give passengers options beyond the cost—included main dining room and midnight buffet. But eating at one of the ships’ designer restaurants will run you extra: on Royal Caribbean International, for example, dinner at Chops Grille is $25 per guest.

Budget for booze
Don’t expect to bring your own. Most cruise lines frown on this, and some actually employ a "liquor retention team" to seize alcohol not purchased on board (the bottles are returned at the end of the cruise). Carnival now keeps your bags on a dock for several hours where they can search them, Be careful.

Have a fantastic trip!
For assistance in planning your Cruise or any other kind of travel contact Care-To-Go at 800-818-0407 or check the web at www.CareToGoTravel.com.

During the Latter Years, a lot of seniors spend their free time by vacationing. It can be

a way to see many of the places that couldn’t be seen because of work and family. But

not all elders are traveling alone. A significant number of elders are traveling with their

grandkids sans mom and dad with them in what has become known as "GrandTravel".

Nearly eighty per cent of elders surveyed said that they enjoyed taking their grandkids

along with them on their vacations while their parents stayed at home. The rise in

popularity of taking grand kids might be credited to many factors. The first is that the

grandparents are able to spend much more time with their grandkids instead of just

seeing them whenever their parents bring them to visit. The second is that the

children’s parents get a much-needed break in order to spend quality time together. The

last is that the grandparents can do what they do best – spoil the grandkids without the

parents there.

Kids Come First
One thing that studies about Grandtravel show is that seniors are often much more

democratic when it comes to decisions with their grand children. They include the kids

in decisions about where to go and what to do on the vacation, and will often do

whatever the grandkids want to do.

Deciding at what age a child should be allowed to go on a trip alone with grandma and

grandpa can be tough and really depends on the maturity of the child. Generally,

studies on Grandtravel have shown that 12 or 13 is the average age for a child to go.

And in cases where there are multiple grandchildren around the same age, many seniors

will opt to take one grandchild each summer so that each kid gets the right amount of

attention, and the grandparents aren’t driven completely crazy.

Where to Go
While there’s no shortage of places to take the grandchildren, some popular choices are

Disney World, Washington D.C., New York City and theme parks. Outdoor activities like

hiking, fishing, or the beach are great choices too.  Places with natural wonders also

rank high like Yellowstone, Yosemite or the Grand Canyon.

Let the Grandchildren Choose The Trip
I heard from a pilot I know that he would let the GrandKids plan their trip every year for

their birthday.  Here is an opportunity to spend months of quality time planning a one

on one trip with each Grand Child.  They can choose a trip to a place that really interests

them, making the trip very special for the GrandKids.

To maintain independence at home in the Phoenix area visit www.Care-To-Go.Com

For a Travel Companion anywhere contact WWW.CareToGoTravel.com

It was a beautiful spring day in April when Evelyn and her paid Travel Companion boarded the airport shuttle going from Burbank CA to John Day OR. This would be a trip to remember. Evelyn 95 was on her way to reunite with her brother Howard 93 in Oregon.

Evelyn and Howard are the only two remaining of five brothers and sisters who grew up on a small farm in Missouri and then migrated to California and Oregon in the 1940s. It had been several years since the two had spent any time together.

The flight to Boise ID went smoothly as the Travel Companion had booked an easy connection and had arranged for a wheel chair and priority boarding for each flight segment. Her Travel Companion Pam easily handled the checked baggage and arranged for transportation from Boise airport to John Day OR, about a 3 hour ride. Once checked into a hotel in John Day, Pam and Evelyn went to the ranch to reunite with Howard.

Gary, Brian, Ron, and Donna had also come to join in the reunion. Howard and Evelyn were so excited to see each other they lost no time in catching up. Ron and Donna prepared dinner “Missouri” style setting the stage for hours of conversation about the old days.

For the next three days, Evelyn and Howard talked for hours, never seeming to run out of stories. They talked, fished in the pond (Evelyn caught the most fish for dinner), looked through scrap books, enjoyed Howard’s birthday party and just relished the time together.

Pam, Evelyn’s Travel Companion not only assisted all along the way making the trip possible, but continually made the extra effort insuring that Evelyn was well attended and cared for. Aside from the travel, Pam helped with meals, baited hooks for fishing, helped organize scrapbooks and took pictures. Pam also stayed with Evelyn in the hotel to be sure she was well taken care of and safe.

When it was time for the flight home, Evelyn and her travel companion boarded Southwest flight 405 to Oakland CA to connect to Burbank CA. The usual wheel chair and priority boarding were arranged and the boarding went well.

After about 30 minutes in the air, the pilot announced that there was a warning light in the cockpit and we were going to return to Boise to have it fixed. When it was discovered that the delay would be lengthly, the airline had everyone get off and wait for another plane. Evelyn was assisted off the plane and the situation explained to her. The Travel Companion again handled everything; explaining the situation to Evelyn, rebooking the connecting flight for Oakland, assuring priority boarding again, and handling snacks and drinks. Thankfully the flights home were uneventful and went smoothly.

We are reminded constantly how precious friends and family are to our well being. Seniors frequently let life close in on them because maintaining contact with loved ones who live far away becomes too difficult. Unfortunately, travel is one of the first things that can drop out of the life of our seniors. Travel Companions are a way for seniors to keep the lifestyle they love and maintain contact with friends and family.

Evelyn and Howard had a few wonderful days together and now have more memories to last a life time. At the last dinner in Oregon, plans were already started to have the next family reunion.

One company specializing in Travel Companions is Care-To-Go. For information on scheduling your Travel Companion visit CareToGoTravel.com

As we age doctors prescribe additional drugs. There are so many kinds, of side effects, limitations and cautions that it will become hard keep organized as well as be safe. Your caregiver professional will be able to lend a hand with forms to keep track. You ought to possess a master list, a list of drugs you take each day, in addition to a different sheet for prescriptions that could have severe side effects or particular directives. Included here are seven Prescription Recommendations to keep it straight.

The Medications List
This form ought to contain your critical information concerning your drugs plus times to be taken it’s color and size. Your information included should include your name, the doctors’ name, the doctors’ telephone and address, the pharmacy telephone and address. The date of birth plus social security number must be here because this is how the pharmacy computer systems detect the patient for refills.

The Medications Side Effects Sheet
This form is just what it says. The patients name, address and telephone ought to be there of course. There should also be a listing of medication names, prescribed amount, frequency, as well as classification. There should be plenty of space for side effects, special instructions and cautions. There may be one drug per page.

Caregivers as advocates
When you need help tracking and understanding your prescriptions, be sure to bring an advocate along with you to the doctors’ office and the pharmacy. Your CareGiver should be at every appointment along with you. As an advocate, your Caregiver professional will ensure all instructions, side effects, and cautions are understood and written down. The CareGiver can then help with the lists you will keep as will as organizing you pillbox for every week.

Click here in order to view entire article

-

When elderly travelers pass through an airport it is  important for them to know all of  the ins and outs of baggage rules, check –in procedures, getting through the TSA security checkpoint and locating the correct departure gate.  This can be very confusing if traveling without assistance.  With the  hearing loss, eyesight loss, and some poor judgment, the airport  can be confusing.

A Travel Companion could assist an elderly traveler from the beginning of a trip, to the destination assuring a smooth and rewarding experience.  Traveling  is supposed to be fun and even exciting.  So, getting through the starting airport and arrival airport easily should be  an important part of the process.

One Travel Companion company starting trips anywhere nationally can be found at CareToGoTravel.com.  Here you will find  experienced travel experts and caregivers to make your trip a success.

To read a complete article on security changes, click here.

When elderly travelers go through the airport it is very important for them to be aware of all the ins and outs of baggage limits, check –in procedures, getting through the security checkpoint and finding the correct gate for departure.  All of which can be very daunting if traveling alone.  With the loss of hearing, eyesight and some judgment, the airport experience can be confusing.

A Travel Companion can assist elderly travelers from start to destination assuring a smooth and rewarding experience.  Traveling after all is supposed to be fun and even exciting.  So, getting through the departure airport and destination airport easily is an important part of the process.

One Travel Companion company operating nationally can be found at CareToGoTravel.com.  Here you will find long time experienced travel experts and caregivers to make your trip a success.

To read article click here

Southern Caribbean Cruise 8-Nights from $299

Here is an opportunity to enjoy a one way cruise ship trip from Panama to Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

From as little as $299 per person — only about $37 a night — you can sail aboard Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas. On April 11, 2010, you’ll depart from Colon, Panama, and visit ports in Costa Rica, Colombia and Aruba. In Puerto Limon you may want to consider booking a rainforest tour –nearly a quarter of the town’s landmass is national park territory, and it houses around 8,000 plant species and 10 percent of the world’s butterflies. Just be sure to keep in mind, you’ll have to book one-way flights into Colon and out of Fort Lauderdale back home.

The airfare will cost, however this looks like a great once-in-a lifetime trip. If you have airline passes or can travel on frequent flyer miles, this trip is a no brainer.

The Enchantment of the Seas has all the normal cruise ship features including:

• Jazzy Bolero’s lounge is one of the most fun hot spots at sea
• Stunning sun deck is one of cruisings most beautiful anywhere
• Features Chop’s Grill alternative restaurant
• Handicap-friendly cabins available in varying categories

If you need assistance along the way, consider a Personal Travel Assistant to help you along the way. You can find a Travel Companion at CareToGoTravel.com.