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Show Sun.Lv Vilum ; tours go beyond sightseeing SpseiaS-intere- st By MARCIA SCHNEDLER Universal find square dancers, mah-jong- g players, university alumni and wine tasters boarding luxury liners together to participate in Press Syndicate KANSAS CITY, Mo. - At first, it seemed unlikely that a St. Louis housewife, a Toronto veterinarian, a New Orleans heart surgeon and a retired research chemist from rural Massachusetts would have much in common on a bird watching trip to Chile. Yet they and a wealthy matron from Gainesville, Fla., a, retired FBI agent and his wife from Tampa and a others with similarly diverse backgrounds found plenty to talk about from the moment they met at the Miami airport for their flight to Santiago. Talk about birds led to stories and the discovery of other mutual interests. They: built a rapport faster than travelers do on traditional sightseeing tours. Almost half the group's members most over 50 were traveling solo, and any fears they had about feeling left out or lonely were quickly laid to rest. Most travelers couldn't imagine spending an entire vacation searching for birds. No matter what avocation or hobby you may have, you're ljkely to find a tour or cruise that caters to it. Many senior travelers have already discovered that indulging in their special interest on vacation increase the likelihood they will come home feeling their time and money were well spent. That's because on a themed tour, you're not just visiting standard sightseeing attractions through the bus window. . Instead, your trip has a point of "T ...... r special events, tournaments and lectures. Nature lovers longing for a safari can choose from a host of programs offered by traditional tour operators. Traveling alone, you may find with vacationing is when easier strangers you or . know you will have a special interest in common. In addi- tion to traveling half-doze-n non-birdin- f 'm '- Baseball addicts have many choices, Whether they prefer to participate in or cheer on the action. Some baseball tours take you to regular-seasoor but games, others let you play ball yourself at fantasy camps staffed e play- by retired n g major-leagu- with Vs.. traditional -- tour or cruise because of what you see and learn. Often, a tour or a cruise a with particular focus includes leadership or lectures by experts, meetings with local people and other highlights geared to your interest. Some tour operators and to cruise lines travel agents and tourists offer occasional themed trips, hut you may want to look elsewhere to find them. Nonprofit organizations such as museums, zoos, clubs and churches offer travel programs. The Smithsonian Associates markets seminars, study trips and research expeditious keyed to a wide variety 1 well-know- .TS. H . special-intere- .iff HOB (.A1NKS nnciNal I You'll find cruises featuring basketball stars and golf pros. Walking tours range from rigorous treks to easygoing saunters. Some people vacation at golf schools and tennis camps. You can even combine bicycling and beer on a bike tour. You'll find scuba diving, snowmobiling, dog sledding, canoeing, river rafting and focusyoga as low-co- b senior-vacatio- n es. Theater buffs can go to London on packages led by a theater critic or professor featuring a play o two a day. Art lovers visit great museums and private collections. Other tours focus on everything form visits to hehind-the-scen- e mal for- gardens in England to exhibitions in India, wild mushroom hunting in Michigan, wood carving in Switzerland, folk dancing in South America, and gem collecting, genealogy, gastronomy and volcanoes. stamp-collectin- g Special-intere- abound on cruises, st public-gardens- When you do match your vacation to your avocation, chances are you'll make lasting friendships with people as you expand your own like-minde- groups st st Elderhostel links seniors to a educagrand buffet or tional courses and volunteer programs. You do need to ask questions about the tour or cruise itinerary, and about the expertise of the company and of the trip's leaders, though. A horticulture magazine once offered a garden tour to Britain that was nothing more than a standard sightseeing tour that . happened to visit two day-to-da- y ers. n of topics. Press Svrnlicuti- Sheer force: While clinging to a rock in Joshua Tree National Park, routine stress of life seems to melt away for many climbers. pub-to-pu- like-minde- d people, you will find a themed vacation can be a more stimulating experience than a g view. spring-trainin- ... too. You may d horizons. ' Illl I'M" ) M n lull HI KM I) l'i I'jcrir Crime-saw- y pointers may keep some home Newsletter offers travel tips, warnings Ciudad Acua was dangerous, she told me. recounting a story of a friend who was robbed during a recent visit. If I crossed the border. I would be taking my life into my hands. I ignored her and saw the town anyway. Heart in my throat, I walked across the Rio LARKY BI.KIBEK(i B kniiiht-Ridii- Newspapers a It's a scary world out there. People will attack you. pick your pockets, take your car and steal your ATM password. You can be mugged, swindled and even killed. All these cheerful reminders come from the special "Foiling Pickpockets'' issue of the newsletter. Travel Companions. The publication covers all the standard scams waiting for travelers and some new inventive ones. There's the female flasher who so distracts men they don't notice their luggage is being stolen. Or the cute baby that gets a tourist's attention while the toddler's accomplice picks his or her pocket. Another trick is the locker helper: a friendly stranger who n graciously helps with a luggage locker. Once the luggage is stowed, the stranger gives a locker key to the traveler. Only later does the tourist learn that the key is actually to another, empty locker. "Don't let anybody help you," the newsletter finally implores. After reading 20 densely typed pages of misdeeds, I was scared to walk through my employer's parking lot, let alone leave town. The newsletter means well. Crime does happen out there, and travelers who may not speak the language or know local customs are especially Grande bridge eyeing every Mexican man. woman and child with suspicion. When I finally relaxed, I noticed that I was actually in a der town. authentic enough that several vendors would not take my U.S. currency, hut insisted on pesos. Only later did the acquaintance tell me that her friend who had encountered trouble in Acua had been drinking most of an afternoon and evening, and he was accosted when he stumbled into his truck. Travelers sometimes forget that careless and dangerous behavior is just as bad an idea abroad as at home. Be it Delhi, Dallas or The Dalles, Ore., rail-statio- vulnerable. But the problem with such warnings is that they can frighten potential travelers into never taking a trip. It's important not to overreact to these reports. Earlier this year, an acquaintance almost talked me out of visiting what ended up being a pleasant Mexican bor- town, charming there are areas where it's unsafe for anyone to take an evening stroll alone. Yes, there is crime out there. But that doesn't mean you should cancel your trip or view every foreigner with suspicion. As guidebook writer and television host Rick Steves so aptly states, if travelers are prepared, they have nothing to fear. "In fact, having a street thief's hand in your pocket becomes just one more interesting cultural experience." ' you promise not to let it keep you home, here's how to receive a copy of Foiling Pickpockets & Bag Snatchers and Other Travel Related Crimes I Scams: Send a check for $.1.95 to Travel Companion Exchange, Pickpocket Reprint, Box 833, Amityville, N.Y. 11701. ating that discombobulating elevator sensation. ARCADE Continued from D6 Once the flight e begins, riders use a controller to shoot at flying aliens that zoom toward the ship. Whoever kills the most aliens wins. In reality, the car containing the riders bucks and sways. In virtual reality, the ship veers left and right, changes speed and gains and loses altitude. Is that seasickness real or simulated? The arcade claims to draw an average of 5,000 visitors a day. The place is a zoo on Friday and Saturday nights, with lines forming for the virtual-realit- y rides. The arcade is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to midnight. With all its multicolored neon, Segaworld would mesh nicely with The Strip in Las Vegas. In fact, plans are in the works to open a Segaworld there within a year. steering-wheel-styl- alien creatures. The game-rid- e begins in a small command center, where the "pilots" are briefed about their upcoming mission. A commander then escorts the would-b- e Luke SkywaEkers into an adjacent room and seats them in one of several rolleiHCoaater-styi- e cars. They don a "mega visor display a headset that puts the video screen within an inch of their eyes. Welcome to the electronic universe. You find yourself in a futuristic hangar, getting ready for launch. Turn your head right and the view changes, as if you were looking through the viewfinder of a video camera. Look up, look down. It's neat. But the effect is unsettling because your view lags a split second behind your glance, cre EUH PE FARES CHANGE 7 NIGHTS CARIBBEAN 3 NIGHTS BAJA MEXICO from L3JJ f K io-- ' 5 '- -i 2 nights CANAL ii ppdbl $560 Paris $615 from lncludes 5 PANAMA I V NKSHTS FAR EAST will CLIMB night, rental car and food, and total costs might come to $175 a Continued from D6 - . Port f7S lW from ikeNo Vacation On Ruth: and Include port charges. art per person, double occuptney, cniie only for select tailings are extra. Air Inclusive rates are Governmental departure taxes and customs fees alto available. Certain restrictions apply. Ships of Norwegian and Liberian Registry. Prices TOURS AIR & PACKAGE PH.CINC FROM LAS VEGAS Los Cabos Round Trip Air Only from fr0m$348 3 Night Package - Fiesta Inn Puerto VaSlarta s. ' Tree-styl- pro- - expense, either. Typical ' ' grams' prices is $285 for a four-dabasic, rockcraft course conducted by Vertical Adventures. The course is designed to take students from neophyte to reading to practice her won. Joshua or is .cUlnbingth Rock Climbing School has ojie-da- y group lessons for $75. y, i . :opy Individual climbers can have an instructorguide's undivided a day. attention for Joshua Tree's park headquarters has a list of all schools and companies licensed to teach and guide climbers in the park. Another good start to the research is to contact the American Mountain Guides Association, which has a list of accredited rock climbing guides. In climbing, as in all outdoor sports, improvement adds to the entertainment. Guides are good $150-$20- 0 OAHU 4 NIGHTS I- PPdbl from - MU iK LJ. X.jf'f ' nights Outrigger Maile Sky Court Round trip air SLC to Honolulu Round trip van transfers 6 days5 nights from S513 ppdbl 4 Round Trip Air Only.. But the ultimate company, for Short, is Joshua Tree. He says he plans to keep going there for the rest of his life. When he's beyond climbing, he says hell walk the trails, watching desert sunsets and listening to the coyotes a dawn. $298 368 3 Night Package - Playa Los Arcos tax & Transfers and Rales are valid lor travel completed by Oct. 15. 1997. Rates are midweek Departure taxes Seating is limited and service tees are additional Packages are per person based on doubie occupancy prices are subiect to change without notice. Other restrictions may apply. JHIM 4MB-- - 5 niuht hotel May at Outrigger Maile Sky Court, incl. hotel ta Welcome "Aloha" lueaklaM lei greeting upon arrival Round-tri- ORLANDO Dream Vacations; A. Delta Air line airfare on Delia Air Lines from SIX" to Honolulu Round-tri- Price Includes Prices per person, based on double occupancy. Subject to availability. taxes and fees. Valid WVM1 wr. wk oui oaiei no airport transfers p Valid for travel September 10 - October 28. 1997. AVAILABILITY IS LIMITED. WedThurs departures dates, only Price is pet person, based on double occupancy and may be restricted to specific flights, davs ol travel, hotel and room categories Includes Airline Ticket Excise Tax Gratuities require direct fours operated by Certified Victims payment oy passenger Service tee is not included P "ZXZJ ppdbl from 4 days3 nights Quality Round trip air from SLC via Delta Economy rental car Disneyland Flex Passport 7 Valid departure 5 days4 nights Quality Inn Plaza Round trip air from SLC via Delta Economy rental car hopper Bonus Pass Disney Four-Oa7 Valid departures n ubr Uto Of and bMvd wi doubli oociBancy (wwn cwanwte mi be nartcM w dew and mm caaportw tonM cm ma taw ntttaom lay epp Rjan Inclvdt Mrlm Tan tptrmt GnMM nw M pannt r Run an tarn S t oM Ticket Excwt 225-760- 0 Provo 2520 N. University 373-202- 1 Spanish Fork 644N 800E 798-737- 1 All U INCLUDES Ei y .J round trip Atft from SLC Eastern Taxes. Selected Fall & Winter sailing dates available! passcngCr AirSea from only 599 per 7 RIGHTS 3 Office Open I to i ' Selected Office Open Sat from & Western dine. tMi. Orem 218 N State U tM 5 RIICKT PACKAGE: federal ANAHEIM i..m-:-- Irom Delta Air lines 7 pre-tri- p company, too. $278 Ws day. in averafe physical condition, there's no need for a special program." training ' ' "This branch of climbing is worlds away from expeditionary mountaineering like that on Mount Everest and ether celebrated climber-killer" e . Joshua climbing does not Involve high altitude, ; extreme cold or the sheer exhaustion brought n by multi-wee- k slogs to distant summits. involve Everest-eiz- e doesn't' ; ft apply Town & Country PACKAGES INCLUDE: Air, Hotel incl. Ad the price of a room, which ranges from about $30 to $65 a 30. IO-- II ppdbl I March 30. 1998 Nov TO PAPER ON JULY $625 Madrid Frankfurt ...$655 Seating is limited Holiday blackout dates Subiect to change without notice. Int'l taxes & services tees not included nJ i W I FARES WERE VALID WHEN SUBMITTED DAILY. London Valid ppdbl ROUND TRIP FROM SLC 10 to 2 4.1. 2w(lJ pa-so- ocaanc H1 al the lime f'1 olbookinq Pfl R snbiecl 1o avulabaity capacity control! and is .rpon f acikh tees, and service Iw are additional lei al ouests nol combmat with any other oflet Port Service RftiMrv itvra 8 Panama VaM tor NrB(nlina', Only Other restrictions mav apply K - 4Ufifi IS rn'm HlWe available l ahins |
