The Savvy Boomer

Top Five Travel Apps and Services for Boomers

As a recent new owner of a smart phone (Google Nexus 4), I have discovered that the benefits of these devices to boomers are many, mainly because of the fact that those of us who are now retired travel a lot more.  On a recent trip I used 2 of the apps discussed below plus a few others that I'll discuss in upcoming posts.  Be sure to load them up before you start out and make sure you know how they work and you'll find that you can reduce the stress of travel. 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a guest post by Judith Bitterli who is the Senior Vice President of Marketing for AVG, the free antivirus software provider. Judith’s passions include adventure, travel, art, good music, good company, and interesting conversations.

This past year I added fifty two new stamps to my passport and over 250,000 frequent flyer miles. That’s a lot of traveling. And without technology, it would have been unbearable. Using the right tech can alleviate the unexpected, keep me organized and help me find things to do when plans fall through.

If you plan to travel often this year, whether for business or pleasure, here are a few apps that keep me sane while on-the-go. Hopefully they will help others in the boomer crowd like me.

1. My worst experience ever was a long haul between Dallas and London in a coach seat that did not recline and was by the galley and bathroom. Between the odors, the noises and the strained neck I was ready to parachute out. Be smarter than I was. Seat Guru  gives you the scoop on little things like type of seat, power availability, reclining, proximity to the bathroom and galley. Seat selection will make or break your trip.

2. Finding the internet when you’re on the road can sometimes feel like its own treasure hunt. I use free Wi-Fi finder, when I’m desperate and have something which has to go out. However, a word of caution free Wi-Fi can be risky. Download a mobile security app before leaving home to keep you secure online.

3.  Depending on your telephone carrier, texting outside your zone or country might incur a charge. Try Whatsapp,  the app allows you to exchange messages without the fees. I personally would rather spend money on a good glass of wine than my cell bill.

4.  It’s hard to keep up with all the TSA rules. For example did you know you can place in your carry-on bag your tennis racket, roller blades, ice skates or that very special snow globe but not your golf clubs, baseball bat, ski poles or nunchucks. If strip searches are not your thing, check here before traveling in the US.  They also kindly advise not to wear clothing with metals. Clearly this part was written by someone who never had the need for an under wire bra.

5.  A few times I’ve gotten stuck in that unfortunate rut of a plane delay that kept me from making my connection. For those moments when you’re spending the night in a city that wasn’t exactly on your to-do list, check out Hotel Tonight. I have had a couple of great experiences in five star hotels at three star hotel rates.  

I hope your travels are full of adventures and joy! And if you see a red head with a pair of pink headphones on at JFK, DFW, SFO or LHR say hi!

 

Retired life

#dufnering is nothing new to our cat

Charle the cat has been #dufnering for years-glad we can finally label his pose twitter.com/thesavvyboomer…

— The Savvy Boomer (@thesavvyboomer) March 29, 2013

In case you don't know what dufnering is click here

Don't believe all the reviews you read (or don't read) on vacation rental sites

Over the past few years I have become increasingly dissatisfied with vacation rental sites.  These are sites that owners advertise on to rent out their homes or apartments for short vacations.  Initially my experience was always good but in the past couple of years, not so much and I think it's because the sites do everything they can to ensure a constant flow of revenue from their customers who are not the renters but the owners.

After using 3 different sites on a European vacation 2 years ago, I left reviews for 4 different establishments-2 were great, 1 was OK and the last was negative.  To make a long story short,  I sent him an email asking for part of my deposit back he withheld but he refused saying that something I complained about was not his problem.  When I left a negative review on the website, he claimed I had threatened him with a negative review if the money wasn't returned.  That didn't happen but he made the company think it happened by adding words to my email to him and sending it to the company.  I was unaware of this until the company told me what I had allegedly done and when I asked for a copy of the email I saw the bogus addition.  When I pointed it out to them and showed them my initial email they accused me of doctoring it ie: they called me the cheat, not the owner.  So the review was deleted but even worse, there were other reviews on the site that the owner had obviously somehow had submitted as they addressed my review directly.    I haven't mentioned names here because they company made it obvious to me that if I wanted to pursue this that lawyers would get involved. 

This is the tiny balcony with the rusty BBQ and decrepit patio furniture that was actually there and described as "large bbq and patio table and chairs on the large balcony"  2 people were hard pressed to fit, the chairs and table had splinters and the bbq didn't work.

 

Fry pan was typical of the shape the utensils were in.  Would you cook something in this?

Another incident happened when I reserved a condo, paid a deposit and then just before we arrived, the owner said that it had been leased out for a year but not to worry.  Then he tried to rent us something else which we said we wanted to see first but the day before we were supposed to see it, it was no longer available.  We got our deposit back but were left scrambling at the last minute.  The company refused to print a review because we never stayed in the unit so this guy can continue to jack people around with no consequences. 

This method of travel certainly has its benefits but remember to do as much due diligence as possible and if you see nothing but excellent reviews with nothing negative on it, it may be too good to be true.

British Columbia vs. California booze prices

 

One of the many advantages of being a snowbird is that alcohol in California is about 50% cheaper than BC prices.  Why?   Simple-monopoly versus free market. 

B.C. alcohol prices are controlled by the provincial government.  There are all kinds of reasons why but when it comes right down to it, Canadian provincial governments engage in this cash grab because they can.  The infrastructure and administrative bloat along with store clerks who make $20+ an hour not to mention lucrative pensions are all part of the exorbitant prices charged B.C. residents who need to drink just to forget how much of our income goes to greedy governments which are stretched to their limits by even greedier unions.

Now for the sad proof.  The prices below are representative of prices I found either at grocery (yes, grocery stores can sell any kind of alcohol in California) or liquor stores.  Some of these prices are standard and others are based on sale or volume discounts-a concept that is unheard of in B.C. unless you call a $1 off a $15 bottle of wine that is not selling well, a discount.  At Ralph's Grocery stores if you buy 6 or more bottles of any wine or spirits, you get an extra 30% discount on your purchase. 

Here are the details of my research.  CA. prices include 8% state tax and have been converted to Canadian $ at $1Cdn=$.95 US.  Read it and weep you overtaxed Canucks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THIS ONE IS SACRILEGE

 

How technology is changing the way we build relationships and find love

Technology is changing the way we build relationships and find love. Today, it’s easy to connect with a more diverse range of people through social media, online dating and mobile apps. You can instantly get a summary of someone’s life and past history through pictures they have posted online and comments they have made. This article explores how relationships have changed for baby boomers.

How we used to date

When we were younger, dating happened in very traditional ways. Couples partnered off in school or at university. Failing that we hooked up with work colleagues, met people through friends or connected with someone similar through a social club. You could also pick someone up at a bar or club on a night out.

As we are getting increasingly busier, however, as well as being more selective in our search for love, many of these options are not as successful as they used to be.

 

How technology impacts the way we date now

With the advances in technology, there are now plenty of new and innovative ways to meet other singles. With the introduction of smartphones, social media sites and online dating, we can connect with people all over the globe, finding others who share our interests without being limited by space and social situation.

It’s also much easier to get to know someone, as many people post a lot of information online. This means you know almost instantly whether you think you would get along with a person. You won’t have to waste time and energy on first dates with people who are clearly not your type.  

The pros and cons of online dating

Many people have met and formed solid, successful relationships through online dating sites like eHarmony UK. It’s a great option if you’re an older single as you can specifically search for people who are interested in senior dating. Here are some of the pros and cons of online dating:

 

Pros:

• It’s easy and convenient – you can set it all up from the comfort of your own home.

• It isn’t awkward – you can get to know someone before you meet face to face.

• You can reach a wider range of people – you aren’t limited in who you meet.

• You can narrow down and specify what you’re looking for in a partner and a relationship.

 

Cons:

• It can be harder to tell if there’s chemistry, because to start with you’re only interacting over email.

• You cannot tell for sure if you would get on face to face.

• You don’t know if people are being completely honest about themselves until you meet them.

 

As a baby boomer, our lives have changed dramatically as we have grown older. As the world moves forward, we need to move with it. We need to make the most of all that technology has to offer when it comes to building relationships and finding love.

A GOOD SOLUTION FOR A COMMON SNOWBIRD PROBLEM

My regular readers know I’m from the Vancouver area and while it’s probably the best place to be in Canada during the winter, it still rains and rains and rains. Consequently I have joined the ranks of those retirees affectionately called “snowbirds,” so during the Winter I enjoy spending a few months in the American Southwest.

The drive is over 2000km and not only takes at least 3 days but goes through a couple of mountain passes and if they have an early snow, it can lengthen the trip by a couple of days.  I had thought about buying a car down South and flying down but then oddly enough, I bumped into a far less costly option with some interesting news about snowbird shipping. I am not advocating shipping myself, but I do know of several couples that have used shipping services in the past. American Auto Move has popped up in several conversations, and after checking out their site I think that they may be a pretty good option for your snowbird shipping.

Although my friends and I tend to vacation in the Southwest, they do offer shipping to other popular regions like Florida. In fact, if you check out their areas covered, you'll get a pretty decent idea of the extent of their shipping abilities.

I've actually reached out to the owner of American Auto Move, and he tells me that they do ship to and from parts of Canada and all throughout the United States. I will tell you that I'm definitely thinking about using something like auto shipping in the near future. In fact, one of the reasons that I'm writing about this service is because I really do think it would be beneficial to my readership to look into something like this.

I'm sure that many of you are making the long haul down South when it starts getting cold and even though you can do it for now, you probably won't want to do it forever. For that kind of situation, auto shipping is a really great option. Think about the benefits:

• Save wear and tear on your vehicle not to mention the personal safety factor (this last trip resulted in a new windshield because of a rock courtesy of a passing truck-a friend lost an axle thanks to a boulder on the freeway)
• No getting caught in rush hour traffic trying to pass through a big city
• Arriving at your destination a few hours after you leave home
• No worries about your vehicle getting broken into in a hotel/motel parking lot
• No having to eat every meal in fast food places and other dubious restaurants for 3 days
• And the biggest one for me is the lack of stress of not having to drive through all kinds of weather and traffic for 20+ hours.

Check out the snowbird services available if you're thinking about shipping yourself – I think this is a great way to negate the only part of being a snowbird that I don’t enjoy.

Electronic Gadgets & The Boomer Market

I've touched on this subject from time to time but with the ever increasing interest and consumption of electronic gadgets, I feel it is time to raise the subject again as many friends and acquaintances tell me that they are still having problems with this issue.

Due in large part to massive improvements in technology over the last decade or so, as well as the fact that our lives are becoming increasingly digitized, there is something of a gap in retail markets where boomers are concerned. Certain things are supposed to be complicated to purchase. For example, choosing an insurance policy from Aviva or organizing a mortgage are generally accepted as complex processes that we all most deal with, regardless of age and experience. But other things are supposed to be simpler, and it is for this reason that many retail markets - particularly with regard to electronics - are falling short when it comes to elderly, or even middle-aged customer markets.

Consider for a moment the number of electronic products that dominate so many people's lives these days. People use iPods and other devices to listen to music virtually everywhere, whether it's walking through town, driving, exercising, etc. An enormous portion of people's work is conducted on laptop computers, whether in the office or comfortably at home. Smart tablets and smart phones allow people to stay connected to the Internet just about everywhere. Even e-readers are becoming more and more popular, and give people the ability to download hundreds, even thousands of books on a single device! The fact is, a great deal of modern life takes place on a screen, and for the younger generations this seems natural- but for others, it takes some getting used to.

This is precisely where retailers for electronic gadgets are falling short, as they rarely have in place any sort of efficient means for helping boomer aged people with purchases and understanding. Younger consumers can easily and confidently research and purchase an e-reader or a touch screen tablet, but to people who have not grown up with these technologies, they require some explanation. Instead of offering this explanation, retailers are largely leaving people in this age range on their own to figure it out, which is not only disastrously unhelpful, but also poor business.

There seems to be a false, unspoken idea that most of the electronic gadgets mentioned above are used primarily by the under 50 crowd or business organizations. Given this idea, it is possible that retailers are ignoring senior citizens simply because they do not see them as targets for business. Also, I have noticed that most retail store sales reps are under 30 amd often shy away from approaching an older consumer.  However, this ignores two very basic facts: first, that many people in the boomer age range and older are still working, and second, that many of these devices are used as frequently for entertainment and relaxation as for business. One would have to think that, given the extremely high percentage of the population that falls into the "boomer" category, paying a bit more attention to the needs and desires of this demographic would significantly boost business for electronic retailers and it could be achieved by simply educating sales people how to sell to our demographic.