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Flickr Photo Credit: Ebifry

Before leaving Tucson to drive across the country to Maine, we attended a holiday open house hosted by our Tucson State Farm Insurance agent, Rebecca. In addition to fabulous food and entertaining conversations with her young and energetic staff, David and I also had a lengthy and very interesting travel conversation with another couple who was attending the function.

We were discussing various ways to make travel more affordable without sacrificing comfort and simplicity. Here are some of the resources they recommended:

• http://www.elderhostel.org - I found some of the prices here to be a bit higher than I could do them for myself, but they did have some interesting destinations, and their prices are all inclusive. Also, if you are a senior citizen who does not want to do things the rough and tumble way anymore, this service might be just what you’re looking for.
• The Affordable Travel Club, or “ATC” - This is a private club for travelers age 40 years and older. You can check them out at http://www.affordabletravelclub.net . Basically, if you have a house with an extra room and can offer it along with breakfast and an hour of your time to orient the guests when they arrive, then you can join the club and receive the same travel hospitality when you travel. Usually, a twenty dollar gratuity is offered to help defray the costs your host assumes during your visit. The concept is interesting, and if you travel as often as you offer the hospitality, you are basically traveling for free. I believe there is an annual fee. Again, all details are available on the web site provided above.
• The Evergreen Club - This is a network of bed and breakfast homestays for couples over 50 where you can go and stay with a host for under $25 a day per couple. This service appears to have an annual fee as well, although it is nominal. The annual fee plus one day’s accommodation would still be very inexpensive. You can check them out at http://www.evergreenclub.com .

I’m quite certain there are more resources out there, and would LOVE for folks to share them. Please post any useful on-topic links you know of below. Thanks, everyone.

Posted on January 6th, 2007 by Myscha Theriault
Filed under: Carving Out the Cash