I am a bird watching, bird loving boomer myself and while some may snortle at traveling all that way to watch birds, I think it is a perfectly legitimate reason to travel 13,056.0km or 8113.0 miles, don’t you?

What is a 15 hour flight compared to the magnificence of the terrestrial birds, seabirds, and wetland birds that have survived 700 years of human habitation in a paradise they once occupied more abundantly and gloriously than we can now even imagine?

Unfortunately, the list of extinct, vulnerable, rare, and critically endangered bird species is frighteningly long. Especially the various Moa’s. It is worth the time and expense to see the Great Spotted Kiwi’s and their chicks, along with the Phoenix Patrel and many others I had never heard of until I began researching endangered birds of the world.

I have a feeling that taking a Wanaka River Journey is going to be one of my near future vacations because I am getting more and more excited at the prospect with each web site I see. Now this would be the way to see various sections of the country and it’s wildlife. Talk about a great video in the making! Speaking of video, I found this video on YouTube that excited me so much I could barely contain myself!
You can tour New Zealand right now for an appealing appetizer that will leave you drooling.

If you are one of those (few) Boomers who has not yet done the obligatory bungee jump, ridden the white water rapids, or climbed a mountain in some exotic locale then this is the vacation for you and your mate.

Spend a week in New Zealand and you can fulfill all your fantasies including making love on a pristine beach under the stars after a days hike and a midnight walk along the shore. How many things have you put off in your life until the proverbial later which never seems to become now?

Go to my earlier post on passports and get yourself geared up to come alive in New Zealand. You will come home a different person. We are going. It is 4th on our list of annual honeymoons. If you recall from earlier articles, we are the HoneyBoomers and we honeymoon annually. It does keep life exciting folks.

Remember,the only thing stopping you is you. If you don’t plan it and start the machine, it will never happen. The first step is the decision. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I didn’t know HOW I would make something happen but I knew WHAT I intended to happen so I acted on it and everything fell into place because I decided, planned, took action, envisioned and had faith as I took each step. Some trips have taken a year or two or three to materialize but they always do!

By now all of us are actively using the power of thought and feeling to co create our lives or, at the very least, we are learning just how it is that we do that. Watching the unfolding of dream destinations and vacations become reality is a great way to measure the perfection of the universal laws of attraction. Have fun Boomers and I will see you in New Zealand! Travel safe Mate!

Well, was I ever wrong!

I found several sources for expedited passports that were friendly, competent, and fast to boot! In a jam, a real emergency, you can have your passport in 12 hours from start to finish. How’s that for service?

Wouldn’t you be impressed? I certainly was.

Of course you can still go the traditional route of going to the post office and getting the form or going online to the Department of State and if you aren’t in a hurry and are planning well ahead that may be what you want to do.

No matter what you will need a pair of passport photos for your application. The photos must be 2″x2″ color with clear background. You can get passport photos taken at any Kinko’s, CVS, or Walgreens.

Of course, you will also need proof of U.S. citizenship and proof of identification. A birth certificate and a valid drivers license will do it. If you have lost your birth certificate or it is packed away somewhere long forgotten you can go online to Vital Chek Express or of course to your local Bureau of Vital Statistics in the city or state where you were born.

Traveling out of the country can be easy if you plan ahead and almost just as smooth and fast if you are working with sudden travel plans and limited time. Keep a cool head and go online for any and all information you need. If you Google “passport” you will find more than enough information to put your mind at ease and it is all at your fingertips.

Don’t stress boomer’s! Take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and relax. This is a piece of cake! A word to the wise, as mom used to say, even if you don’t have any travel plans it might be a good idea to get a passport. Who knows when you may get the travel bug? Did you see my article on Santorini, Greece?

There’s a big beautiful world out there boomer’s and it’s just calling your name.

If you are wondering what that is just think about it for a split second. It is a Boomer honeymooner. It doesn’t have to mean that you are getting married again although it certainly could mean that.

Personally, I’d say any Boomer who wants to have an anniversary trip that is romantic and is still in love is a “Honey-Boomer”. Some of us however, just happen to be planning a honeymoon with a new Boomer partner and are indeed looking forward to a real honeymoon. In fact, some Boomers would even like a less traditional wedding in a different place and culture than their first wedding or so many of the weddings they have attended over the years. If you don’t mind just the two of you or the best man and best woman are willing to join you in Costa Rica, you may just want to check out a Costa Rican Wedding.

There is plenty for the two of you to do as evidenced by one adventurous pair of newlyweds named Mark and Louise on this YouTube video.

On the other hand you may want to bring friends and family from around the world as another couple named Justin and Christine did. Now this is what I call an international wedding party!

The honeymoon-I won’t say honeyboom-that would be too funny, has really changed over the years. Seriously, honeymooning Boomers have a lot of expectations of honeymoons these days! The whole subject is actually rather fun and funny if you don’t mind laughing at yourself. (Now where was I?)

Recently, while exploring various honeymoon package deals I found some that were irresistible and I am now trying to compile a list of them so we can go on a different honeymoon every year. Well hey, the kids are grown and we can leave home anytime we want even with two families of grandchildren. Yippeeee! That does tend to increase the chance of romance.

As I told my daughter,”We are Boomer’s not fossils so don’t even go there!”

Costa Rica
The Secluded Beaches Honeymoon in Costa Rica is so appealing that I can barely stand to look at it without putting on a bathing suit. Nine days and I am sure you will never want to leave. Neither will we. Did you see Tulemar Bay where your private villa awaits?

How about Punta Islita, your second destination on the trip and only thirty minutes from your first villa.
Mmmm mmm mmmm….Talk about Dream Destinations! Several Boomer’s we know have become so entranced with Costa Rica that they have purchased land, time shares or houses while on their vacation or honeymoon.

Another website I like has a honeymoon bridal registry where your family can give you the honeymoon of your dreams, since there is probably nothing else in the world that you need. Isn’t that a great idea? You may even want to share that one with a friend or two. I told a few friends about it and they really liked it as an answer to “what do you two want or need?” Everyone can chip in. You’ll hardly need toasters.

If you already paid for the honeymoon your family and friends can give you massages, dinners, a special suite or they can just chip in and help pay for the entire trip. What a great gift for honeyboomers!

While checking out honeymoons in Costa Rica, I also found a resort called the Martino Club Spa that has a seven day honeymoon relaxing spa package and casino for your fantasy James Bond style honeymoon. The night-time view really is right out of a Bond movie.

Costa Rica is one of the hottest beach vacations around right now and Americans love it because the flight is short, it is a peaceful, beautiful country and they speak Spanglish- I mean Spanish. We get on really well there and we don’t have to fly too far. I like that.
It’s on my list!

P.S. While studying honeymoon packages I found a nature retreat for those of us couples who truly want a healthy yoga and organic style honeymoon resort called Samasati Nature and Yoga Retreat Costa Rica.. because it is a nature retreat, check out their BIRD WATCHING!

These days it may be the Winnebago, or whatever RV you might happen to own, but baby boomer’s are loading up and hitting the road in greater and greater numbers. Just ask my friends at Ty and Mariwho have a great blog and are traveling all over the Pacific northwest and the southwest in their motor home. They literally sold their home and hit the road in September 2007 and they love it.

More and more Americans are realizing there are treasures unexplored right here at home and that it is possible that you will never get to see them all.

Two of my favorite places on the list that we have compiled are as follows: The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Yes, you must go there and you must plan on staying at least a week. Then there is The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, where princes and presidents have vacationed and escaped to. Shouldn’t you?

The Homestead was founded ten years before-yes before-the American Revolution. I think that qualifies it as sacred ground, don’t you?

Everyone keeps running off to warm weather vacations but darlings don’t go soft on me now. A brisk cold weather vacation when you are all bundled up and ready for a walk is wonderful for your health and vitality. You know that don’t you?

I have learned the value of the change of seasons. As readers know, I love to escape to Greece or Costa Rica myself, but the atmosphere of ski resorts is like a large and friendly fraternity party; while I am not so hot on the slopes, my honey loves to ski. More than that we just love the magnificent grandeur of The Homestead and the Biltmore Estate.

These two landmark sites in Virginia and North Carolina reek of history and good old fashioned American entrepreneurial success at its best. These guys knew how to dream large. They had vision. Talk about “think and grow rich!” The Secret has always been alive and well. It’s just that not very many people knew about it. Just look at this video of the Biltmore Estate and the Blue Ridge Parkway of North Carolina and see what I mean!

When you explore the links above you will be so excited. First of all the images melt your tension just looking at them. ( I call it my www mini mental vacation.) Check out the Italian Gardens and the Vineyards at The Biltmore. Did I mention the Equestrian Center? They aren’t kidding when they say “vacation like a Vanderbilt!”
Here’s a couple of wedding and honeymoon spots for Boomer’s. Besides all that, there is still Asheville to see while you are there.

Mineral Hot Springs

Maybe you’d just like a getaway. There is The Spa at The Homestead and whether you ski or not you can still take advantage of that even if you only go for a weekend. Have you not heard about the mineral waters at The Homestead? They don’t call it Hot Springs, Virgina for nuthin’.

Seriously Boomers! You could spend your next 10 vacations at these two beautiful American landmark treasures and you would still want to go back. If you haven’t been to either one yet, you are a deprived boomer and I don’t care if you have seen the world in the meantime.

Book your vacation today.
If you are a spontaneous type and just want to grab a getaway and would enjoy the drive, so much better for taking in the views because both locations are visual delights and the approach and anticipation are at least half the fun.

Stop working so hard all the time and go have some fun. Isn’t that the point of it all?

Well, that is my commitment to you with this blog. There are so many great dream destinations both right here at home in the good old US of A and of course, all over the world. Sometimes we get in a rut going to the same old place over and over again because it is easy and unchallenging and we need to de-stress. Then we say “oh, I should have gone here and I should have gone there” but when you’re tired and just want to get away you do what’s easiest.

SO!
Next time you start planning your upcoming trip or vacation I want to be sure you have some great ideas and resources besides the typical over advertized jaunts. Some will be more expensive and some will be less. Some will require more preparation and some will be “a piece of cake” as they say. It’s all about options and awareness.

Life goes by in a blur. Take the time to see the places together that you always promised you’d go. Today is the day you are living. Not yesterday and not tomorrow. Make plans that excite you and give yourself a reason to smile and dream and get excited. Dance the night away cruises are not all that’s on the menu! This day is a blessed day to plan that dream destination vacation for yourself or yourself and your honey. You don’t have to be alone at any age.

We have lots of great places to write about that my honey and I intend to see over the next year or two. I can’t think any further ahead than that right now but one of them is the Biltmore Estate which I will be writing about in the next day or two and another is The Homestead and also the Newport Mansions. These are three east coast treasures and you won’t need a passport-just time and a great desire to enjoy.

Stay tuned boomer friends. I just wanted to give you a “heads up” so you can
Start Dreaming!

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When I first decided to write the post about Greece Anyone? I decided to shop around the web and see what Google had in the lineup for boomer travel.
Lo and behold! A veritable cornucopia of world wide boomer travelers and lots of recommendations to go with ‘em.

I quickly realized that I would not have to do the airfare wars thing because so many other people already have that under control (Praise God!) so I can just investigate and write about all the places I still have not experienced and gather info about them for the rest of you too. SWEET!

That turned out to be quite a good decision because I am already finding out lots of stuff I didn’t know about before. Take this for example:my honey and I love to dance. We hear a good beat of any kind and we just can’t sit still. Well look what I found. Baby Boomer Travel has all kinds of dance cruises!

Take a look. They have a Baby Boomer’s Travel Club and many great and interesting cruises, tours, and everyone’s favorite: DEALS.

Baby Boomer Travel is a site that will get your boomer wallet doing the Salsa. I like it and you will too.
Boomer Travel Dot Coms Are Alive!
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Yes, Boomer Buddies; Dream Destinations await and “where to?” is the question of the day. As for me, I am not that picky. The thing is, I love to vacation and I love to travel. Lately, I have not done enough of either one. Let me tell you, it is a wonderful world for boomer’s who love to travel. So what? No dream destination…?

As for me, I do have a dream destination: Greece. Maybe you’ve been there.
It is Santorini, which is where I would like to go for my honeymoon. Originally, I wanted to go to Hawaii but after a conversation with my sister I got the Greece bug once again.
Now I am drooling over Greece and can’t wait to go there with my honey.
KalimEra!

Santorini is Magic!
Santorini Scenes

Another friend of mine took a sailing vacation around and through the Greek Islands with her husband and they are still talking about it three years later. How could I possibly forget?! The photo CD’s of their trip are as exciting as any movie and for weeks after watching them Greece kept calling my name- Alexandra…..Alexandra….come to Greece…… I love it.

For some reason I keep longing for thousands years old historic sites and breathtaking mornings with miles of blue ocean and the sites and smells of Greece as I imagine them. Bright white buildings built into cliffs and lots of music and laughter and ancient Greek Orthodox Churches tease my mind endlessly. I wish I could go right now.

Have you seen the magnificence that is Greece yet? No? Perhaps some reawakened Sirens or Trojan horses to beware of? I want to walk on land that Socrates and Aristotle walked on but did you know this; cultured people walked the land of Greece previous to 3600 B.C.?

Just three weeks in a hillside house overlooking Santorini with no technology and not one ringing phone. Give me sunny, outrageously blue skies and endless Aegean blue water, human conversation (non verbal) with the man of my dreams, and lots of walking (as opposed to sitting). That’s all I ask. I’ll be as good as new in no time.

Tell me about your trips to Greece. Tease me with your memories and enlighten me as to the best places to go-on any of the Greek Islands please. Thank you!
And please-do tell all!