Steve Guilday of AARP is the director of the Travel Department. He explains how to find ways to save money through their benefits, and one's own resources.
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Episode Transcript
Well, this cold weather is the kind that makes us
want to get away and go someplace warm, go be
with family. Today I'm speaking with Steve Gilde. He's the
director of travel at AARP Services. And let me just
give you full disclosure. I am a member of AARP.
I love my membership. I couldn't wait to get started.
(00:22):
Although Steve, I got to tell you, getting those reminders
when you're like forty five is it's a good idea
because well, it makes you feel old. It eases you
into it so that when you hit fifty, you're ready
for it, you know what I mean, So kudos to
those people.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yeah, and also you know, fifty is not what it
once was, and sixty isn't and seventy isn't. And we
hear a AARP want to help empower people to choose
how they live as they age. And it's cliche to
say that age is a number, but we want to
help people have meaningful lives and choose how those lives
unfold as they age. And it's an important mission and
(01:03):
helping people, say a few dollars along the way is
a good part of that.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I think having bon Jovi on the cover is what
did it for a lot of people. They're like, if
Bunjovi can be considered, you know, a retired person, then
I can be two.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
And that's right.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yeah, I find the information that comes from AARPS. There's
so much every month, there's you know, in the publications
on the websites. There really is just this enormously helpful organization.
And I want to pitch you a scenario, Steve. Okay,
all right, So imagine somebody who typically waits till the
end of the year to take their vacation.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
So now they've been able to talk to the boss,
They've squeezed.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
In a week or two during the holidays, and then
they're thinking it's too late to do anything.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I don't have any reservations anywhere. Flights are impossible.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I guess I'm going to have to stay home this
year while kicking yourself that you wasted that time off. So,
as a director of travel at AARP Services, what would
you say to me, I mean that procrastit that procrastinator.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I would say to you or whoever did that, that
all hope is not lost. There are ways to take
that trip, and there are ways to save some money
while you do. So you're not incorrect. Last minute air
travel is perhaps.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Not the way to plan. That presents some challenges.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
So what I would say to you or wherever else
is in this predicament is, perhaps you take a road trip.
As an ARP member, you can save up to thirty
five percent on rental cars with Avis and Budget. That's
a big savings. So let's say you've now chosen to
take a road trip instead, you could save with Avis
and Budget and doing so depending on what your destination is,
(02:45):
how long you want to go. Maybe you will stay
in one particular city or go to one destination, or
maybe you'll have multiple stays in a lot of places
along the way. AARP can help there too. And even
if you don't have a reservation, as you in your
scenario here, there are plenty of options available to here's
a couple. ARP members can save generally ten percent on
(03:09):
hotels with Choice and Wyndham Hotel Group, and there's thousands
in both organizations, so pretty much wherever you're going, you're
going to have access to those. ARP members also can
use the ARP Travel Center. It's powered by Expedia. It
has last minute trips in there, right, So there's a
solution to your problem. Right there, so you can search
(03:30):
just for last minute trips, or if you are just
going to take a road trip and let's say you're
going to drive three quarters of a day, stay the night,
and then go to your ultimate destination and that's the
rest of your trip. There's lots of ways to save
within the AARP Travel Center as well, So whether that
is an activity when you get to the destination, whether
(03:51):
that's an accommodation place to.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Lay your head on the way or while you're there.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
There's savings in the AARP Travel Center from members too,
So even if you haven't planned well, you can still
find a way to take a meaningful vacation.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Now p one experience is more of these days than
the new stuff. So what do you give a loved
one that would really enjoy a travel experience?
Speaker 3 (04:15):
And then where do you start looking?
Speaker 2 (04:17):
So I think it depends on who the loved one
is and what their interests are, right, because you don't
want to send someone to a far flung place that
isn't going to be of interest to them, or the
activity level required doesn't.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Match up with what they're looking to do.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
If someone wants to lay on a beach, sure send
them away to lay on a beach. And if someone's
more interested in a cultural city center destination, then that's
probably for them.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
But travel gift cards are a real thing, and so you.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Can help them take a trip, but let them define
what the trip is. It's probably a fraught decision to
choose the destination for them unless you say, hey, let's.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Go to.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Miami for a long weekend and guess what you're coming to.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Who's going to say no to that?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
But one thing I would really encourage people to do
is to leverage the ARP Travel Center to plan out
what some options might be. Game it out, see what's available,
what fits your budget, and what destinations are of interest.
Because that way you give yourself options. Don't tie yourself
into one thing, because you'll probably discover something else along
(05:27):
the way. Which is something we really encourage people to
do is think of secondary airports, think of secondary destinations
because they can open up both the budget for you
and also you're thinking, you know, Charleston's wonderful.
Speaker 4 (05:43):
I've been many times.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Lots of people go West Virginia or South Carolina.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I was thinking South Carolina, okay, but it's very busy, right,
It's popular for a reason. So maybe you expand your
aperture of thinking a little bit and consider Savannah, Georgia instead,
and you can maybe get roughly the same experience for
perhaps a lower price.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
How do you do all this and not break the bank? Though,
I mean, how do you set a budget realistically?
Speaker 4 (06:10):
So budgeting my area of expertise.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
I'll fully admit that traveling is so One thing people
can do is leverage the discounts they have available to them.
So whether that's something you can use credit card points towards,
or the deals that exist within your credit cards online
app Let's say everyone sees those deals, explore them further,
(06:34):
see what you can layer on to an ARP deal.
So if you can find ten percent off at choice hotels,
and then you can use credit card points towards the difference,
and you eat it a deny's on the way to
your destination, and you use your ARP discount and you
send your mom flowers from FTD, you can kind of
(06:54):
do all these things through ARP and save some money.
And those that start to add up over time. If
he's even ten percent here, thirty percent there, fifteen percent here,
those things add up and that's a great way to
save the other thing is.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
If you think you're seeing an incredible can't be beat price,
take a beat.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Make sure you're not locking yourself into something that's not
changeable or has a lot of fees associated with it,
if it's not refundable, if you have to pay to
choose your seat, if you have to pay to bring
a bag with you, maybe that deal that seems so
wonderful in fact isn't.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Oh, take your time, make sure you know what you're booking, Steve.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Be happy to Gilda, the director of travel at AARP Services,
And I'll tell you what. It's a very small investment,
very small and the benefits definitely outweigh the cost.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
So Steve, thanks so much for being here. Happy Hell
Gays to you, Same to you.
Speaker 4 (07:47):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
iHeart since he is iHeartRadio's local public affairs program focused
on the Tri State community's challenges and offering solutions from
qualified professionals and dedicated public servants. If you'd like to
hear this show again, you can listen on the iHeartRadio app.
It'll be under podcasts. Just search for my name, Sandy Collins.
Until next week, We'll see you then, take care.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
iHeart Cincy is a production of iHeartMedia, Cincinnati,
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