AARP | Boomer 55+ Places to Live and Retire

AARP Travel, Vacations and Tours are Popular

AARP Travel, Vacations, Tours are Popular

The nonprofit membership organization AARP (for individuals 50+ years of age) has long offered senior group travel and tour options for its members – and now it has improved its offerings even further with the launch of AARP Travel. This great new travel website has detailed destination information, special offers, and even an interactive Trip Finder to help prospective adventurers age 50 and older choose an exciting (or relaxing) tour or travel destination.

Baby boomers, the largest age demographic in the country, are moving into the age of retirement – and are seeking new experiences and social interactions to enjoy.

Boomers want experiences, not more stuff at this stage of their lives.

AARP-organized vacations, travel packages, and tours are ready-made senior-friendly travel options that can meet those needs while specifically catering to the desires of 50+ travelers.

Through relationships with Liberty Travel and Expedia, among other travel industry leaders, AARP can offer its members incredible group deals on some of the most sought-after travel destinations around the world.

Some of the favorite domestic AARP member vacations include Las Vegas packages, Hawaiian getaways, Washington, D.C. stays and tours, and New Orleans Jazz Festival experiences, and other offerings in major cities such as New York, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, San Antonio, and Portland.

For those looking to travel farther afield, there are a wide range of international travel options. You may enjoy tours of Paris museums, explorations of Barcelona and Rome, rail tours in the UK, cruises among the Galapagos Islands, and guided trips of Hong Kong, among many other destinations.

Available choices include fully escorted tours and small ship cruises, or independent travel with a planned itinerary and access to customer service support.

If you are looking for the right tour or travel package, even without a destination in mind, the interactive Trip Finder application on the AARP Travel website can help guide you toward some of the organization’s many offerings with “visual questions,” using photography to represent the geography, styles of travel, and activities offered by various packages.

The AARP also has a new travel relationship with Liberty Travel, offering personalized travel agent expertise, as well as discounts and exclusive benefits for AARP members. Many more travel companies and services are listed on the AARP Travel site.

The Boomer List

While at LifeAT50+ in Boston Mary Ann and I stood in front of a green screen for a photo and then was handed this photo. It was kink of interesting, but what is “THE BOOMER LIST”.

Several of our friends were asking about THE BOOMER LIST also so I contacted Jen Reeves with AARP and received a press release about THE BOOMER LIST which explains everything.

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — 2014 marks an important shift in American culture, as the last of the baby boom generation will turn age 50 by the year’s end. To mark this momentous occasion, AARP today announced it is partnering with renowned American documentary filmmaker and photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders to present The Boomer List, a comprehensive look at 19 iconic boomers—one born each year of the baby boom from 1946-1964. The Boomer List will come to life later this year as an American Masters documentary film on PBS, a companion book, and an exhibit at Washington, D.C.’s Newseum, a museum that blends news history with up-to-the-second technology and is one of the city’s top attractions.

OK so it’s a documentary movie, thus the movie poster overlay on our photo above. What a great way to advertise a movie – give people a movie poster with them in it, to share with the world like I am doing here. Wow, very cleaver. Good move AARP!

The Boomer List documentary will highlight notable figures including music legend Billy Joel and novelist Amy Tan, author of “The Joy Luck Club,” and will debut in fall 2014 on PBS’s award-winning American Masters series. Viewers will gain insight into the Boomer generation through intimate interviews and portraits by Greenfield-Sanders that focus on exceptional achievement, struggle and identity, telling the story of extraordinary Americans and the history they lived through and often created. Film subjects will illuminate the important movements and changes that shaped the world during the baby boom years. Topics will include the environment; arts and entertainment; science; civil, LGBT and women’s rights; law; politics; public service; sports; the military and technology.

Well this could be interesting, but celebrities are not the only ones who lived through what we lived through. I guess they couldn’t interview each one of us Boomers could they. That would take a long time.

Additionally, the 19 large-scale boomer portraits will be part of a nine-month exhibition at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., highlighting newsworthy people from the baby boom generation. “The Boomer List: Photographs by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders” opens Sept. 26, 2014, and will be on display through June 2015. Throughout the exhibit’s run, the Newseum will host a series of special programs and events that explore how boomers changed the world and the legacy they leave for future generations.

I wonder it their portraits will also have the movie poster overlay?

The Boomer List is the latest initiative announced as part of AARP’s yearlong program, Boomers@50+, which is sponsored by Consumer Cellular and celebrates this influential generation. This multi-platform initiative provides opportunities to reflect on how boomers have changed the world and to ask the question, “What’s next?” AARP will highlight The Boomer List as a central element of the celebration. To find out more about the baby boom generation and the events that shaped boomers’ lives, visit www.aarp.org/boomers.

Lifeat50+ Photo Gallery

Lifeat50+ Photo Gallery

Just returned from my second Lifeat50+, the one in Boston In May 2014 and we had a blast! So did a lot of our fellow baby boomers. We learned, socialized, and got entertained. Here are some photos I took while at Lifeat50+. By the way the next one is in San Diego this Fall 2014 so you should considered joining us!

Friday night concert by The Spinners at Lifeat50+

The Spinners perform at Lifeat50+ in Boston

Mary Wilson, age 70, gets the Boomers partying

Part of Lifeat50+ is touring the host city; Boston's Trinity Church reflection in modern building across street. — Part of Lifeat50+ is touring the host city; Boston’s Trinity Church reflection in modern building across street.

Our AARP Historic Boston tour in Paul Revere square

We had fun learning about tables at the #AARPTEK courses.

Lifeat50+ day of service - volunteers packing food for needy — Lifeat50+ day of service – volunteers packing food for needy

AARP Discounts were plenty including Denny's — AARP Discounts were plenty including Denny’s

Zipcar representatives at Lifeat50+ in Boston

Boomer and travel bloggers get a tour of AARP providers

Plenty of helpful folks all around in case you have a question or need to find something.

Ancestry.com at Lifeat50 — That’s Mary Ann checking her family history at Ancestry.com

TEK stands for Technology, Education and Knowledge.

From our Boston Park Plaza hotel we took a morning walk thru Back Bay Boston

Boomers trying out the massage chairs at lifeat50+ — Boomers trying out the massage chairs. We heard they were great!

Liberty Travel was a fun and informative stop. They are a full personal service travel agent.

All kinds of hats, glasses, beads, fun stuff was given away and worn.

Just look at those faces! You can tell when folks are having fun. When is the last time you had that much fun? Come join us at Lifeat50+ — Just look at those faces! You can tell when folks are having fun. Come join us at Lifeat50+

AARP Theatre had several boomer movies screenings

Next Lifeat50+ is in San Diego
AARP Discounts

Thanks to Josh Chaney at SBC Advertising, to fellow Boomer Bloggers Jennifer at Solo Travel Girl, Chris of Chis Cruises, Christine at Frugal Travel Guy, David & Veronica at The GypsyNester, Donna at My Itchy Travel Feet, Ronna, Mindy and Felice at Better After 50 , Zippy at Champagne Living and Lisa at Grandma’s Briefs and Mary Ann of Retirement Media Inc.

Boomer Travel – Expedia CruiseShipCenters

Well I just booked my third cruise this year and this will be my twenty first cruise altogether. I got a good deal with a different travel agent other that I had been using.

Expedia CruiseShipCenters I had heard about since they are an AARP travel provider. When an office recently opened here in Johns Creek GA (Expedia CruiseShipCenter in Johns Creek) just down the street I went to their open house.

My wife Mary Ann and I met with Vince and even walked out with a $100 grand opening gift certificate. They were personable and not pushy at all. Most of all they were knowledgeable.

So now a few weeks later Mary Ann found a transition cruise on the Princess Royal she wanted to take. I printed the quote from our on line research and headed down to talk with Vince about booking it. It already had a very low Captains Circle special price so I was not expecting any lower price or any extras, except maybe the $100 gift certificate but mostly wanted to give them a try. It would be nice to have a local cruise agent who I could talk with in person.

I gave Vince the on line cruise quote and our Captain Circle numbers. The deal Vince came up with was much better. Very much better than I was expecting.

Besides the future cruise credits, we got another $200 on board credit for the Captains Circle (in addition to the lower Captains Circle price), plus an on board cruise of $100 for Military service plus $100 gift from Expedia CrusieShipCenters. Wow, that’s $500 on board credit for a very low priced transition cruise aboard the Royal Princess.

I have never gotten a better deal than the website quoted price. So I was happy. But wait it gets better, it seems Expedia CruiseShipCenters has a sale going on April 1 through April 18th and we are getting FREE Gratuities! Wow that is worth some money.

So we got a great low price on our cruise, plus $500 on board credit, plus free gratuities. Needless to say, I am very happy to have established this new relationship with our local CruiseShipCenters office and the next time we come in to talk about future cruise bookings, Vince and Dave will have everything on file for us.

If you are in North Fulton County GA, stop by our Johns Creek CruiseShipCenters office located in the Kroger Shopping Center near State Bridge and Jones Bridge and ask for Vince. Their office phone is 678-712-5059.

ExpediaCruiseShipCenters
Retirement Travel

Remembering #Lifeat50+ in Boston

It was only last September that we attended our first AARP Life@50+ Event in Atlanta; now we are planning on attending the next one in historic Boston

The Boston LifeAt50+ event was back in May and was our second. We had a great time and it appealed to us as much this time as the first time we visited this event. Now looking forward to San Diego in September 4-6, 2014. This time it will be actually called IdeasAt50 San Diego. Looking forward to seeing what new ideas and interesting things we can learn. The post below was pre Boston but I am sure allies to San Diego also. Get more info here on IdeasAt50 in San Diego.

Original post here:

It was only last September that we attended our first AARP Life@50+ Event in Atlanta; now we are planning on attending the next one in historic Boston Massachusetts May 8-10, 2014. Life@50+ is a very poplar national event held twice a year, in the Spring and in the Fall. I would expect over 13,000 baby boomers will be joining me in Boston for this event.

Life@50+ National Event & Expo in Boston – Spring 2014

There are several good reasons to head to this Lifeat50 event in Boston.

1. It is in Boston! Boston is a great city to visit. We love walking around Boston especially the Faneuil Hall district and downtown. The Lifeat50 event will be held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, near both. Also there are wonderful restaurants and you will love the seafood! What a great opportunity for a little boomer travel to a great city.
See our Pinterest for Lifeat50 Boston.

2. You will see more than 400+ exhibitors on the huge convention floor, with products and services especially appealing to us baby boomers. Plus you get enough freebies to fill a shopping cart. You get to learn about the AARP discounts and deals only available to AARP members. I had no idea about many of them. You can ask questions and try out products with no sales pressure at all. These vendors are there to educate you about their products and services. Many AARP vendors have informative presentations and these gather a crowd quite quickly. 50+ AARP perks are everywhere!

3. AARP Travel Center– The next generation web site to help you anticipate and plan your travel. I previewed this and it should be ready soon, in the meantime the current site is a handy place to begin.

Samantha Brown AARP’s travel ambassador usually attends the Lifeat50+ events and speaks a few times about her favorite subject: travel.

4. Well over a hundred live presentations to see. Three or four stages set up for various presentations going on all during the day. You will want to keep your AARP Pocket Guide handy for the time and places of those which interests you. Every hour there are technology workshops in the Exhibit Hall at the AARP TEK Pavilion about how to use technology to connect with friends, family and new discoveries. Subjects like new smartphones, tablets and apps, new social media sites and the like are popular. Technological advances in healthcare presentation by companies who are developing new products to help us age well. More than 50 lifestyle presentations and workshops are planned and will be well attended.

5. Entertainment is another reason you will like Life@50+ event in Boston. The Moody Blues is booked for Saturday, May 10, 2014 at the convention. Hear Justin Hayward sing “Tuesday Afternoon” and “Your Wildest Dreams”. Baby boomers always have a wonderful party at these shows.

6. Life@50+ Dance Party – The Spinners and Mary Wilson of The Supremes will have the groove going and a large dance floor will be provided for a very energetic baby boomer dance party!!

Then you have the several general sessions with more than a few national celebrities and dynamic speakers. I heard Whoopi Goldberg interview Tyler Perry at the last event.

This just in: At Boston Whoopi will be talking with Jay Leno on stage. Also on stage will be Linda Ronstadt, Captain Richard Phillips and HGTV stars of Kitchen Cousins Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri.

Laura Bush and her daughter Barbara Pierce Bush will be speaking in Boston among others.

Check out and track this event at Lifeat50+ Boston on Pinterest.
On Twitter track using hashtag #lifeat50 and @AARPEvents

For more information and to keep up with current news, click here for Life@50+ in Boston. Member registration is unbelievably only $25 for this three day event. Time to check out the registration and hotels. See you there!

Pinterest Lifeat50+ Boston
Our category for Life@50+

IDEAS@50+ San Diego – Sept 4-6, 2014

IdeasAt50+ San Diego – Sept 4-6, 2014

Each year AARP hosts two national LifeAt50+ events and the next one will be called IDEAS@50+ and is in San Diego California Sept 4-6, 2014.

AARP has set up a page for the San Diego event. This will give those living in California and the Western US an opportunity to attend a Ideas@50+ event without traveling too far.

This San Diego Ideasat50+ event is expect to draw 15,000 plus attendees to the three day event to experience the live presentations, vendors, seminars, workshops, the latest in technology and great entertainment.

John Mellencamp with special guests Los Lobos and Mavis Staples will close out Ideas@50+, live in the San Diego Convention Center.

10 Good Reason To Attend the IdeasAt50+ Event in San Diego

To book travel for Ideas@50+.

#IdeasAt50+

Some of the companies exhibiting at IdeasAt50 are:

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