Here are some of the many Simply Smart Travel columns published in print and on the web.
New columns added periodically

Enjoy and Bon Voyage.

Barcelona   A Cosmopolitan Gem On The Mediterranean

Costa Rica   Volcanos, Rainforests And Crocodiles

Charleston  History And Southern Hospitality

Glacier N.P. & Canadian Rockies  Scenic Grandeur In Two Countries

Montreal  A Cosmopolitan Bi-Lingual City Worth Visiting

Ottawa  A Sophisticated And Scenic Seat Of Democracy

Plymouth  Plymouth Rock And Great Architecture

Quebec French Charm In North America

Portland, Oregon Eclectic, Beautiful And Just A Little Weird

Temecula  The Best Wine District You Never Heard About  

San Diego   Far More Than A Navy Town   

Washington, D.C.  A Magnificent National Capital

Wilmington  A DuPont-Dominated Place of Wonder      

Exploring Florida Series

JAX Beach Where Jacksonville Goes To Play

St. Augustine  Nature, History And Architecture

All Material on this page is copyright Simply Smart Travel, Inc. and may be used by written permission only.

Editors: You Can Carry Simply Smart Travel … The Syndicated  Column

NEWS: You can now see Simply Smart Travel articles on the Voyage Report. We are pleased to welcome the Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia, Real Magazine in Sarasota, Fl., Beacon newspapers (Washington, DC, Baltimore  and Palm Springs, California), Senior News (Youngstown, Ohio), Senior Spectrum (Reno,  Nevada),  Hometown News (Daytona Beach,  Ormond Beach and Volusia County,  Florida), The Pelican (Deerfield  Beach, Florida) and Senior Times (Gainesville, Florida) to the growing and eclectic family of quality media that run the  Simply  Smart Travel column.

We are over  490,200 verified circulation and,  using a standard  industry reader  multiple,  we touch well-over 1.5 million readers…and  that doesn’t even counts the multitudes of online readers including  www.After50Living.com and www.VoyageReport.com.

It is available to reputable publications around North America and is currently published in quality magazines, newspapers and web sites in nine states. We reach readers in Reno, St. Louis, Cleveland, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Sarasota and many places in between. Shouldn’t we be reaching your readers?

• Proven appeal to over-50 and millennial readers and travel-oriented advertisers
• Subject matter: Practical and interesting trip reports and travel tips for over-50 travelers.
• Standard column length:  850-1,000 words including sidebars.
  
• Includes: 4-6 high-res photos and captions.
• Format: E-mailed in Word with accompanying jpg photos the 15^th of each month.

To arrange to carry Simply Smart Travel, please email jorenstein@simplysmarttravel.com.

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Hurricane Irma

Fleeing Irma: Planning Pays Off Even When It is Hurried

Cedartown, Georgia

Fleeing A Hurricane, Finding Southern Hospitality

We always try to plan our Simply Smart Travel trips well in advance. We have found that it pays to do our homework and research the best places to stay and learn about our destination’s attractions and culture. However, long term advance planning is not always possible. That is the situation we faced at our Sarasota, Florida home as category 5 hurricane Irma churned toward us, days away. The official message was clear: get out if you can or go to a shelter if you cannot.

The Exodus Begins
We heeded the advice and fled north. But planning and preparation still proved to be valuable and made our evacuation less stressful.

After poring over TV weather reports and downloading the Florida Storms app for our phones, we filled our gas tank, loaded our precious computers in the trunk, packed appropriate clothes and a few necessities and decided that Northwest Georgia seemed to be a good place to evacuate to, given the storm’s predicted path. Knowing Atlanta would be mobbed by evacuees, we decided on Cedartown Georgia, a town 60 miles west of Atlanta. We made a reservation for two nights at the Cedartown Best Western and hit the road four days before the storm was scheduled to hit.

We figured and soon verified that the highways would be clogged. So we got on our phones and started to call hotels along the way since it became obvious that we would not make Cedartown in the normal drive time of nine hours. After getting a lot of “Sorry, we are full” responses, we found one in Tallahassee and arrived there after a ten and a half hour drive (normally about five and a half), mostly on secondary roads because I-75 became a parking lot.

Southern Hospitality
The next morning, we set off from Tallahassee on U.S. 27 toward Cedartown and arrived there in mid-afternoon. After checking in to the hotel, the front desk suggested that we go to Jefferson’s restaurant across the street for dinner since they were offering free food to Florida evacuees. That was our first taste of southern hospitality. What wonderful and generous people. We tried to pay but they would not accept it.

The hotel filled up fast and by the next morning, there were people sleeping in campers in the parking lot (provided gratis by people in the town) and the hotel even opened a room for evacuees without a hotel room for showering. Even though we had reservations for two nights, the hotel accommodated us and extended our stay for four nights.

The lobby of the hotel began to fill up with huge quantities of food of all kinds, bottled water, diapers, pet supplies, toiletries and so forth, all donated by private citizens, stores and local churches and all available for the taking, no questions asked. The local volunteer fire department showed up and made provisions to set up a huge tent if needed. Fortunately, it was not needed since the hotel allowed people to stay in the lobby and in the campers in the parking lot.

Soon, grills appeared on the lawn and the townspeople began grilling hamburgers, hot dogs and bar-b-que and urging evacuees to take their fill. They kept it up every day until two days after the storm, when we left to return home. Nobody would take any money for anything.

To put it mildly, the people of Cedartown stepped up and showed what hospitality is all about.

Since we had a car, a room, credit cards and adequate provisions, we decided to make the best of a bad situation and explore the region. Cedartown, the county seat of Polk County, is a picturesque town with a population of 9,750.

The town was named for its Red Cedar trees and its downtown is full of historical buildings and listed is on the National Register of Historic Places because of its 1890’s architecture. Although the  town was ravaged by the Union Army during the civil war, the coming of the railroad and U.S. 27 helped it recover in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

Postscript: We arrived back home to no damage. Irma had largely spared our town. Unfortunately, other places were not so fortunate. Thanks for everything Cedartown.

Before You Go, Check out

• https://www.downtowncedartown.com/
• http://www.exploregeorgia.org/city/cedartown/
• http://roadsidegeorgia.com/city/cedartown.html

Getting There
           Cedartown can be reached by car.

• By air, the nearest major airport is Hartsfield-Jackson International (ATL) in Atlanta.
• By train, Atlanta is the nearest Amtrak stop. Birmingham.is 120 miles away.
• By car, Cedartown is located on U.S. 27, 27 miles north of I-20 and 60 miles from Atlanta and its interstate highway connections.

Must-Sees For A Short Trip:

• Historic Cedartown downtown.
  

  Downtown Cedartown’s bright skies while Irma raged in Florida

   

• Big Spring, the largest natural limestone spring in the South.
• A stroll on the Silver Comet Trail which runs through town.

If You Have Two or Three Days:

Recommended for a slightly longer stay are:

• A drive to the restaurants and antique shops at nearby Cave Springs.
• Seeing the still-open West Cinema Theatre’s art-deco architecture.

If You Have Several Days, enjoy:

• Exploring the gorgeous campus of Martha Berry College in Rome, Ga.
• Wandering through Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia in Cedartown.

Sidebar: Ginny O’s  Tips For Dressing The Simply Smart Travel Way For Hurricane Evacuation. Dress comfortably for being in the car for a long time and for the expected weather. Forget fashion. If you are evacuating a natural disaster, put your emphasis on clothing that will help you survive.

Sidebar: This Destination At A Glance

Over 50 Advantage: Small town Georgia oozes history and hospitality. Cedartown’s historical
downtown is walkable and welcoming.

Mobility Level:  Public and commercial buildings are accessible. There is no public transit system. The terrain is flat-to-rolling and most places have convenient on-street parking. A car is a necessity.

When To Go:  When you need to, in time to beat the throngs of last-minute hurricane escapees. Hurricane season is June through November. Georgia summers are hot and autumn turns cool to cold.

Where To Stay: Before you leave, make hotel reservations. Plan on slow driving since you are not the only one with plans to escape.

Special Travel Interests: Safety and a place to be comfortable. While you are away, be sure to explore your surroundings and enjoy its hospitality, history and charms.

The post Fleeing Hurricane Irma-An Unexpected Find appeared first on Simply Smart Travel.

Tips, Trips and Tid-Bits for the Savvy Over-50 Traveler.

Why are there so many over-50 travel companies and tour operators? Because being 50 or older (sometimes a lot older) today is not what it was in when your parents and grandparents were that age. Today, those of us in the second half of our lives live longer, work longer, stay fit longer, have more disposable income and travel far more for business and pleasure than our ancestors ever dreamed about.

We’re also better educated, are able to easily access more information and are more adventuresome than previous generations.

The old over-50 travel largely focused on quiet luxury resorts, cruises that were long on leisure and short on activities and sightseeing and gentle bus tours that started late in the day and got everybody back to the hotel in time for dinner. Boring!

That’s not the over 50 travel we’re talking about! Over-50 travelers like us are out there. We’re exploring the world, looking for new tastes and sights, soaking up learning and culture and not afraid of a little adventure.

So what set us apart from the under-50 set? Frankly, not that much. Still, age has its privileges and we do have some relevant characteristics and interests that define us and make us such a desirable travel market.

• First, while we like to hang out with our contemporaries, we also enjoy and relate to folks of all ages. Senior-only tours and groups appeal to only some of us.

• While we’re not quite as athletic as some (by no means all) twenty-somethings, we’re a pretty fit and adventuresome bunch who are not afraid to bike, hike, climb and explore on our way to adventure.

• Though we’ve finished our formal education, we’re committed to lifelong learning and yearn to absorb as much as we can in our travels.

• Because we’ve climbed the ladder through at least one career (and many of us are in our second or third), we’ve got some money in our pocket and are willing to spend on what we deem to be good values.

• We’ve also honed our tastes so we’re always on the lookout for excellent food, drink and attractions, especially those just off the beaten path.

• Many of us travel with our children and grandchildren so we wind up at the Disney World’s of the World but look for more than roller coasters while we’re there.

As we blog about over-50 travel and bring you trip reports and travel tips, we’ll cover health and fitness as it pertains to travel and keep today’s senior traveler in mind.

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