PostMature11-22-12

A Special Section Highlighting Senior LifestylesThis month’s focus: Traveling

Mary Wanderers travel extensively BY EMILY HEDGES – CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Mary Odell may have the best jobin the world. In fact, she says if sheever retires, the City of GoldenValley should auction it off.

“I enjoy my job. I’ve met sometruly wonderful people,” she said.

Odell serves as the escort forGolden Valley’s popular travel pro-gram. If you ask Jeanne Fackler, sen-ior citizens coordinator with the Cityof Golden Valley, she’ll tell you thatMary is one important reason for theprogram’s success. In fact, she issuch an integral part, the programhas taken on the name MaryWanderers. For more than 20 years,the Crystal resident has led excur-sions all over the country.

“Mary is the perfect escort. Shehas a positive attitude, pays atten-tion to details, can ‘go with the flow’if there is a glitch, and has a greatlaugh,” said Fackler. “Our partici-pants, some of whom have traveledwith her for 20 years, have sharedher joys and sorrows. Plus, when atrip ends with chocolate, it has to begood, right?”

Mary and Jeanne plan trips withthe help of Alice Norman fromMedicine Lake Tours. Mary says thatideas come from her and Jeanne,along with suggestions from theirseniors. She finds the most popularexperiences include boat and trainrides, home tours, and anythinginvolving music. Some of her recentfavorites have been a train trip toChicago; Mackinac Island; a boatride up the Mississippi River;Bayfield, Wisconsin; WashingtonD.C.; and Nashville.

“Every trip I take is one of myfavorites,” she said. “This has been a

very good year. I especially love holi-day trips. They really get people inthe mood,” she said.

Barb Bailey, longtime recreationdirector for Golden Valley, began thetravel program more than twodecades ago that has grown in popu-larity each year.

“Our trips are very popular withGolden Valley seniors, but we get alot of people from the other sub-

urbs,” said Odell. “We have a won-derful following. It keeps growingand we have new people all the time.”

Mary believes meticulous plan-ning is one of the reasons seniorskeep coming back to the program.And she agrees with Jeanne thatchocolate doesn’t hurt.

“I always have special treats, and Ilike to stay positive. Things are wellplanned, and people like that. It’s

the people that really make it forme,” she said.

Odell wasn’t always a traveler. Infact, she didn’t fly in an airplaneuntil she was 40 years old. She andher husband took their three chil-dren on small vacations. Now, whenshe isn’t on the go, she is probablyspending time with her three grand-children, who she says makes her

The “Mary Wanderers” are pictured during a bus trip to Chicago earlier this year. Photo provided by Golden Valley Seniors Program.

WANDERERS: TO PAGE 4

November 22, 2012

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post.mnsun.com Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012– Mature Lifestyles 3

BY EMILY HEDGESCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Chanhassen seniors are able toexperience the history of the HolyLand, man a remote Icelandicweather station, sail the fjords ofNorway, and take many more mem-orable journeys without ever leav-ing their own neighborhood,thanks to travel programmingoffered by the Chanhassen SeniorCenter.

“Our Passport to the World pro-gram is kind of like armchair trav-eler series,” said Sue Bill, SeniorCenter coordinator for the City ofChanhassen.

The popular lunchtime seriesfeatures a different country andculture four times a year. A personwho has traveled to or lived in thefeatured country leads each talk.Attendees receive passports and asticker identifying each presenta-tion they attend. Food and drinknative to that land complete theexperience.

“Four or five years ago, whenfuel costs began to rise, I foundpeople were traveling less and lessbecause of the expense,” she said.“Why not offer the chance to sitdown in comfort and experiencesights and sounds of various coun-tries?”

According to Bill, the communi-ty has embraced the series. Eachpresentation fills up quickly, draw-ing between 40 and 50 seniors.

“People love hearing the experi-ences of other travelers. The pro-grams are such a success,” saidBill. “Topics will change as presen-ters become available.”

Chanhassen resident FranSheffel serves on the SeniorAdvisory Board. When her hus-band was alive, the couple loved totravel, visiting every U.S. stateexcept Hawaii, and all of theCanadian Provinces.

“It gives you the opportunity tosee first hand a lot of countries

that you may have an interest in.You’re hearing from people whohave been there,” said Sheffel. “It’swonderful for a lot of people whocan’t travel anymore.”

Fellow Advisory Board memberMarlyn Mauritz also tries to attendas many travel series presenta-tions as possible.

“It’s wonderful seeing peopleexperience places they can nolonger travel to,” said Mauritz.“We usually have a waiting list.Those programs go so quickly.”

Mauritz credits Bill, the citystaff and community ofChanhassen for the success of thisand many other programs at thecenter.

“We have quality help from thecommunity. Sue does an excellentjob. The community and the cityare so supportive,” said Mauritz.

The Senior Center added anoth-er opportunity for armchair travelthrough Lifelong Learning presen-tations offered through AugsburgCollege, College of the Third Age.Retired professors from the TwinCities come and give presentationsapproximately one-and-a-halfhours in length on topics selectedby Bill from a list of more than 75options.

The next presentation in thisseries is called Jerusalem: TheCity of God. Taking place on Dec. 4at 10 a.m., attendees will learnabout the city that is viewed byJews, Christians and Muslims tobe the City of God. The lecture willgive an overview of the ancientand modern day history ofJerusalem, including pictures andstories from recent travels toJerusalem. Reservation deadline isNov. 27. The program fee is $3.

The Chanhassen Senior Centeris located in the lower level of CityHall at 7700 Market Boulevard.Residents from surrounding com-munities are welcome. For moreinformation, call 952-227-1124 or goto www.ci.chanhassen.mn.us.

Chanhassen senior centeroffers ‘armchair’ travel

Susan Baker shares her experiences about her trip to Morocco during Chanhassen SeniorCenter’s Passport Lunch Program. Photo by Chanhassen Senior Center.

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Tips for using a travel agentWith money tight these days, it’s

imperative that when looking to take amuch-needed vacation, consumersavail themselves of the services of aprofessional travel agent who is amember of the American Society ofTravel Agents.

“Being a travel agent is more thanjust selling travel. It takes training,attention to detail and expertise tokeep clients happy and coming back,”ASTA President and Chair ChrisRusso said. “Travel agents are therefor their clients before, during andafter the trip and when the unexpectedhappens. We provide value, expertise,convenience and personal service toour customers and understand thattravel planning isn’t just about places,it’s about people.

“There is no doubt that today’s trav-elers have more options than everbefore, from destinations, packagesand pricing to booking methods anditineraries. But the most importantdecision a traveler can make is select-ing the right travel agent, such as aprofessional travel agent who is amember of ASTA,” added Russo.

Here are just a few reasons to use aprofessional travel agent:

* Customer advocacy: If you have aproblem with a particular part of yourtravel experience, the agent is there toact on your behalf to see that restitu-tion is made. ASTA, for example, is theonly travel industry associationaggressively fighting to improve thetravel experience, and air transporta-tion in particular, for all consumers,not just those with access to theInternet.

* Personalized service: Instead ofan impersonal voice thousands ofmiles away, travel agents are yourneighbors. They know what you wantand what you value in your travelexperience.

* Professional advice: Travel agentsare there to make sure you get whereyou want to go, when you want to goand for the lowest price.

* Time: Instead of checking a longlist of travel Web pages, which onlyprovide rates and fares for the compa-nies that have contracted with them,why not go straight to the source? Atravel agent has all the information at

their fingertips, saving you a fewhours in front of a computer screen.

Every travel agency is different andaccordingly, some are better suited to agiven consumer than others. Here aresome tips provided by ASTA on choos-ing a travel agent who is right for you:

* Go with the Pros: Look for theASTA label. Through its continuingeducation and training programs,ASTA prepares its members to operatehigh-caliber, competitive businesses.

* Ask about Fees: Good agents willnotify their clients of any additionalfees, including service fees, up front.Doing otherwise is pointless, as the feewill appear as a separate charge on theclient’s credit card bill.

* Check Credentials: Many agentshave been trained in business manage-ment, travel and tourism or geography.Others have supplemented theiragency experience with extensive edu-cation and training courses. Sometravel agents are Certified TravelCounselors (CTC) through the TravelInstitute or Master Cruise Counselors(MCC) through the Cruise LinesInternational Association (CLIA).

heart smile. She especiallyloves to take them to Gopherfootball games. She is a sea-son-ticket holder, althoughshe will admit, she goes main-ly to hear the band.

Mary may also be foundleading a crafting group at theSenior Center. Volunteershand-make a variety of papercrafts for local groups, such asthe Good Samaritan Home,Golden Valley Rehab, and theDinner at your Door program.

“I just like doing things. Ihave a very good time, and Ijust love this job,” said Mary.

Golden Valley SeniorCenter will host a travel showat the Senior Center located at200 Brookview Parkway inGolden Valley on Jan. 28 at 1p.m. Seniors are invited tocome hear about upcomingtravel opportunities over cof-fee, pie and ice cream. Thereis a small fee to attend. Thegroup also hosts a travel showat the Hopkins Senior Centerthe end of March.

For more information, call(763) 512-2339 or go towww.goldenvalleymn.gov.

WanderersFROM PAGE 1

Odell

Not much intimidatesthis active mother of 8BY EMILY HEDGESCONTRIBUTING WRITER

There is little that intimidatesBloomington resident MaryGreeman. Raising eight children asa young widow taught her howmuch she could accomplish withhard work. Traveling to all sevencontinents alone taught her how farshe could get with determinationand a smile.

Greeman’s first trip overseas wasin 1955. All alone, pregnant, andwith a three-month-old son,Greeman crossed the ocean in a pro-peller plane to meet her husband,Joe, who was sent to Japan as anArmy medical service officer.

“We didn’t even know if we’dhave medical care when we gotthere,” Greeman recalled. “It wasvery scary being there just after thewar.”

After their stint in Japan, theGreemans returned to Bloomington,opened a pharmacy, and grew theirfamily. In 1973, with eight childrenand a foster daughter spanning frompreschool to high school, Greemansuddenly found herself alone whenJoe was killed in a tractor accident.Forced to close the business,Greeman found a way to raise alleight children on her own.

“You can do it being a single par-ent. You just have to work hard,” shesaid.

Although life was difficult with-out Joe, Greeman was determined togive her children the chance to trav-el. In 1976, after selling their farm,she used the money to take theentire family on a two-week bicen-tennial trip in an RV, including stopsin Washington D.C., Philadelphia,New York City, Boston and NiagaraFalls.

Once her children were ready togo off on their own, she decided itwas time for her to do the same.

“I made the commitment that Iwanted to go to all seven conti-nents,” she said.

It helped that her daughter Liese

worked for Northwest Airlines andwas able to get her free tickets andexclusive discounts. She also tookadvantage of opportunities to travelwith her son, Tony, a linguist andinternational businessman.

First, ChinaIn 1987 she met Tony in China,

where he had attended college. Sherecalls a memorable dinner in Jilinat the home of one of Tony’s formerteachers. The man, who had been ageneral in the Chinese army andfought against the Americans inKorea, was nervous that Greemanmight bear him ill will. To showrespect, he prepared black dog, adelicacy.

“I became a vegetarian thatnight,” said Greeman. “I claimed Iwas a vegetarian from then on toavoid eating dubious meats.”

She and Tony went to InnerMongolia where Greeman recallsthe bluest sky she’s ever seen, and astarry night around a campfiresinging Beatles songs, the only onesknown by everyone, no matter theirlanguage or nationality.

On that trip, Greeman remem-bers seeing the Terra Cotta soldiers,riding a camel for the first time, andtaking a boat trip on the YangtzeRiver.

In 1988 she went on a solo tour ofSouth America, visiting Argentina,Brazil, and Paraguay. She returnedto South America in 1994 on her wayto and from Antarctica on board ascientific expedition of about 60 pas-sengers.

“It wasn’t a luxury cruise, but asmall ship of mostly scientists.There were lectures every day. Oncewe arrived, we’d take inflatable zodi-acs to shore five or six times a day,”she said.

Ironically, Antarctica wasn’t ascold as Minnesota while she wasthere. Her best memories were ofseeing penguins, and an entire dayspent in a zodiac playing withwhales.

“They would come up and under,swim away and zoom back,” sherecalled. “It was so exciting, and Isuppose a little scary.”

After her return home, Greeman

was shocked to learn the ship shehad been on was actually a Russianspy ship that was intercepted byInterpol on the voyage followinghers.

African circle tourIn 1999, Greeman checked Africa

off of her list when she embarkedon a month-long Grand Circle Tour.Traveling alone, she visited SouthAfrica, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe,Batswana, and Egypt.

The last continent she visitedwas Australia. In 2005 she met Tonyin Sydney for a three-week tour ofthe country. Although at this timeshe could only do small amounts ofwalking without the help of a wheel-chair, Greeman insisted on visitingthe Outback.

Greeman has traveled to dozensof countries in Europe over the

years. One of her favorite memoriesis the time she toured Scotland inthe company of the InternationalClown Convention.

“Every time we’d go into a pubthey’d make balloon animals,” sherecalled.

While she may have completedher goal to visit all seven continents,Greeman’s traveling days are farfrom over. This past summer shetoured historic Route 66 by car withher daughter MariJo and grandsonMac. For Christmas, she plans tovisit her son Bobby who is living hisretirement in Panama.

Her advice to other seniors think-ing of traveling on their own:“Expect the best. Don’t worry aboutfears. They are unfounded in mostcases. Go with a good attitude, learnwhat you can, and remember a smilegoes a long way,” she said.

Bloomington woman travels7 continents... alone


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The Big Apple is terrificdestination for seniors tour BY EMILY HEDGESCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Curtis Hedstrom, 68, had alwayswanted to travel to the Big Apple.When he saw a notice in theLakeville Senior Center about anupcoming trip, he thought the timewas right to finally go.

“I had wanted to go to New YorkCity, but I didn’t know where to stay,or what parts were safe. I thought ifI go with a group, I won’t have thoseissues,” he said.

Creating turnkey travel experi-ences for seniors like Hedstrom is apriority for Senior CenterCoordinator Linda Walter.

“They have no worries aboutbooking sightseeing tours, where toeat, etc. It’s all taken care of upfront. They have the chance to meetnew people and enjoy the companyof others rather than just going on atrip by themselves,” said Walter.

The 40 seniors who toured NewYork City together were from allover the country, including sevenfrom Minnesota. Also traveling fromthe Lakeville Seniors was KathyHames, 67, who like Hedstrom hadnever been to Manhattan before.

“I had wanted to go to New Yorkfor a long time,” she said. “Myfriend, Bev Sellentine, and I wenttogether and just had a blast.”

Both Hames and Hedstrom saidthe vibrancy and energy of the citywas their favorite part of the experi-ence.

“I loved going to Times Square.There were people everywhere. Iliked the action,” said Hames.“When we went to Ellis Island, and Ifound my father’s family name onthe wall.”

She also loved seeing the 911Memorial.

“It was touching. All the names ofthe victims were there,” she said.“We went into the museum and

watched a film about the experience.It was hard to watch.”

During the group’s backstagetour of the theater where they sawMary Poppins, she was able to liveout a life-long fantasy.

“I broke into a little soft shoe on

stage and sang NewYork, New York,” she recalled. “NowI can tell people I sang and dancedon Broadway.”

Hedstrom particularly enjoyedwalking the city streets and seeingso many sites he’d always heard

about, including Grand CentralStation, the Empire State Building,Rockefeller Center, the Ed SullivanTheater and Carnegie Hall. Hefound a few things he saw were notwhat he expected.

“Taxis were cheaper than Ithought they would be. The restau-rants weren’t as big, and the numberof them was amazing,” he said.

Hames said that she can nowmark New York City off of her buck-et list, and that traveling with theLakeville Seniors is as easy as itgets.

“A shuttle bus comes to yourhome to pick you up. It’s all includ-ed in the price of the trip,” she said.

“I feel it is important to offertrips like this to the community,”said Walter. “If we didn’t, some peo-ple would not get the chance to go.Our trips are so convenient for peo-ple. All they have to do is pay themoney and everything else is takencare of.”

Upcoming trips planned with theLakeville Seniors in 2013 are:Hawaii, Jan 31 to Feb. 9; a riverboattour of the upper Mississippi River,July 4-13; Canada and New Englandcruise, Aug. 31 to Sept. 8; and aBahamas cruise, Nov. 10-17.

The mission of the LakevilleSenior Center is to focus on thewellbeing of individuals aged 50and older in order to enhance theemotional, physical and psychologi-cal aspects of their lives. TheCenter strives to provide programsof interest for seniors of all agesand to be a fun, friendly place forseniors to come to meet friends andenjoy the day. The Lakeville SeniorCenter is located in downtownLakeville, just behind the PostOffice at 2011 Holyoke Ave. It is openfrom 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday -Friday. For more information, call(952) 985-4622 or go towww.lakevillemn.gov.

Lakeville Seniorstravelled to NewYork City Sept. 6-11, 2012.

Kathy Hamesposes with “KingKong” found at thetop of the EmpireState Building dur-ing her trip to NewYork City with theLakeville Seniors.


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