TRAVEL DEALS FOR RETIREES

Older adults can access special discounts on hotel stays, car rentals, cruises and more.

- BY EMMA PATCH

UNENCUMBERED by a demanding job or limited time off, many retirees are eager to indulge their wanderlust. About 40% of leisure travelers are 60 or older, according to 2023 data from SquareMouth, a travel insurance aggregator. But the flip side of freedom from the 9-to-5—and the paycheck that goes along with it—is that you may have to manage your budget more carefully. Luckily, many travel vendors offer deals for older adults, who can take advantage of the savings to substantially lower travel expenses. Here, we’ve rounded up discounts and special programs for older travelers, from deals on lodging and cruises to tour operators that provide low-cost trips.

ROAD AND RAIL

You can get deals on car rentals, cruises, vacation packages, hotels, rail tours and travel planning with an AARP membership. The annual fee is $20, and adding a secondary member in the same household is free. By booking your travel through the AARP Travel Center, powered by Expedia, you can easily access discounts and deals. Visit www.expedia-aarp.org or call 800-675-4318 for assistance with bookings.

Some of the steepest AARP discounts are for car rentals. You can get up to 30% off select car rentals through Expedia, up to 35% off the base rate (the standard charge for a rental car before taxes and fees) with Avis and Budget, and $20 off an annual membership with car-sharing service Zipcar, which typically costs $90 per year for gas, insurance and up to 180 miles per day. AARP members earn extra points when they link their AARP membership to the ExxonMobil Rewards+ program. Every 100 points that you earn equals $1 in savings that you can redeem on fuel, car washes and store purchases.

Rather travel by rail? Amtrak offers a 10% discount on rail fares to passengers 65 and older who book directly through Amtrak. And AARP members can access discounted train tours through Vacations by Rail (for more, see the section below on tour operators).