Travel in Retirement: Planning Your Dream Vacation

Speaker 1 (00:00):

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to the Retirement Power Hour. My name is Joe Allaria, and this is episode 21. Today I am gonna be joined by Janine Cartier. We're gonna be talking about travel in retirement and how to plan your ideal vacation. Janine is a travel advisor with New View Travel agency, and she is a go-to resource for all types of travel domestic, international. She's actually not from the United States. You'll hear that in her accent. She's a great resource and, uh, really opened my eyes to what goes into planning a trip as a travel advisor and all the different options and things that you can piece together based on what kind of trip you want. It reminds me a lot of financial planning. You know, there's not one way to do it and there's not one right answer to a lot of the questions that come up and, and I learned that as I'm asking questions is, well, it, it kind of depends what you like, you know, some like this, some like that.

Speaker 1 (00:59):

And to build the best plan, you really need to learn about the person and look at what are their objectives, what are they trying to accomplish? That's how you build the best financial plan, and that's how you build the best vacation plan or travel plan. And this show, we're all about helping people invest wiser and also retire better. And I think travel is a great way to retire better. Uh, I love to travel. It definitely increases my sense of joy and fulfillment just to be able to travel and get new experiences and to learn about, uh, other people, other cultures. And hopefully you can take some tips from the show and it will increase your retirement satisfaction as well. But first, we do have a couple listener questions. I also wanna share, if you're listening, go to retirement power hour podcast.com. This is gonna be a place where you can go and, and type in your questions like some of these people have.

Speaker 1 (01:53):

And we feature their questions on our show, and others have gone and said, you know, I'd like to get a free retirement analysis. And you can do that through our website, retirement power hour podcast.com. You click work with me, you tell us a little bit about your situation, schedule a 30 minute phone call with me, and we're gonna have a nice, easy, simple conversation. So go to retirement power hour podcast.com. Now, our questions not to be redundant, and I apologize if you've heard this on a podcast in the past, but I continue to get questions around social security and specifically around spousal benefits. So I'm going to read these questions. These are two questions I have on the same topic. So the first just says, I am thinking of having my wife draw benefits and I will draw spousal benefits when I reach full retirement age in November.

Speaker 1 (02:47):

I will do that until I turn 70. At that point, I will draw my own benefits. Now, what you don't know about these individuals, they are in their very early sixties, late fifties, early sixties, born after 1953. So what he's saying is he's thinking he's gonna have his wife draw and collect benefits and he's gonna get a spousal benefit because he's, he's still working. And then when he reaches 70, he's gonna switch to his higher benefit. Well, you cannot do that unless you're born in 1953 or earlier. And that leads me to the next question. My wife was born in 1948 and she has been drawing her social security since her full retirement age. I am much younger, born in 1957 and will be full retirement age in 2023. My question is, at my full retirement age, can I begin to draw a spousal benefit and delay my own benefit until age 70?

Speaker 1 (03:46):

Good question, but unfortunately, no. So what this is called is a restricted filing application. When people want to file, they wanna file start receiving benefits, but they want to choose can I draw my benefit or can I draw my spousal benefit? And you used to be able to do that. It was called a restricted filing application. It still is called that. The problem is that was phased out for people born 1954 or later. So to do that, you had to be born 1954 or later. Also, your spouse has to be receiving benefits obviously, so that you could get that spousal benefits. So it's great that your spouse is taking benefits, but you're not old enough to choose. So when you go and draw Social security is gonna say you're eligible for two benefits, but you, you're automatically gonna get the higher of the two because you were born in, like you said, 1957.

Speaker 1 (04:46):

You don't get to choose if you were born in 1953 or earlier. You can choose what benefit you get and you have to have a spouse, obviously, who is taking benefits. You cannot draw spousal benefits when your spouse is not receiving a benefit. So I know we've covered this a lot, and you know, a great resource. Just go to carsonallaria.com and you can find links in all of our show notes. But we have a blog on our website and a blog post, and I'll, I'll link it in the show notes. But what we have is, is articles on this information. As I said, I'll read it directly from the article. For those born in 1953 or earlier, the restricted filing application was an option. But it seems this loophole is essentially shut as of now. I mean, most people in 2023, uh, if you were born in 1953, that means you're gonna be turning 70 this year.

Speaker 1 (05:40):

So the, the chance to even do this for anyone is closing pretty rapidly. Technically, it could still be done if you were born in 1953 and you haven't started taking benefits yet. But that's the deal with the spousal filing application in this loophole that people have heard about. And like one of the people that submitted a question was even planning on doing this, but unfortunately they're gonna get some bad news when they go to Social security. Go to carsonalaria.com, check out the blog post. I will link it in the show notes. And again, you can get all that information at retirement power hour podcast.com. Don't forget, go there, submit your question, click work with me, and, uh, by the way, leave us a review. If you haven't left a review yet and you've listened and you've enjoyed, I'd really greatly appreciate if you did that and write a little something.

Speaker 1 (06:29):

Give us five stars if you, uh, are enjoying the show. That goes a long way to spreading our reach, getting our message out to other listeners and other potential listeners that need this information. Okay, with that, we're gonna go into our interview with Janine Cartier and we are gonna be talking about how to plan your ideal vacation in retirement. I hope you enjoy this interview. Take a listen As promised, I'm gonna be joined now by Janine Cartier, who is the founder and a travel advisor with New View Travel. So I'm gonna bring Janine on. Janine. Hi, thanks for joining me today.

Speaker 2 (07:06):

Hi, Joe. Thanks for having me. Well,

Speaker 1 (07:08):

I'm very excited to talk about travel. I personally love travel. I wish I could do much more of it, but I know that the people that we work with, our clients, our listeners, they're all getting ready to retire or they are retired and travel is one of those things that they want to do first when they retire. So I just thought why not have an expert on the show to help us to give us some awesome ideas, some cool trips, some fun trips, depending on what you're looking for. And, uh, so why don't you tell us first Janine, just a little bit about what you do, your company and your background.

Speaker 2 (07:42):

Sure, thanks. So I'm a travel advisor, formerly known as Travel Agents. I've been in the industry since 2014 and New View Travel was actually born in 2021. I used to work for as an employee and now I have my own company. My background was working on cruise ships, so I've traveled the world twice as a crew member. And while I was on the ship, I would talk to the guests and have cocktail hours with them and listen all about their day and how fun the adventures were. And that's when I kind of sparked the idea that when I get on land, I wanna plan this cruise for them and I wanna help them keep traveling and travel the world. So now that is exactly what I do. I curate customized itineraries for travelers to get out and see the world either with a group tour or on a cruise or with a private car and driver.

Speaker 1 (08:36):

Now how often do you still travel yourself to, you know, go scout these places out? Do you, do you still do a lot of that or do you have a pretty good idea of what is going on at the, at these different destinations that you plan for?

Speaker 2 (08:50):

Yeah, so I still do travel a lot for work. I don't take vacations anymore. All of my vacations are to see hotels and experience a cruise ship and experience a destination. Um, so yeah, I'm out as much as I possibly can while still being at home and Right. Being a mom and a wife too. <laugh>, right?

Speaker 1 (09:13):

<laugh>, yeah. Is there any type of travel that you specialize in specifically or any geographic destination that you specialize in?

Speaker 2 (09:22):

Um, so I really do work in all corners of the world. Okay. I have connections all over the world through hotels and tour operators. Um, and so I really can customize itineraries to anywhere. I have worked in a lot of destinations just because they've been popular, uh, United Kingdom, Italy Island, Spain, you know, a lot of Europe. So I do specialize in those and either by cruise or land, small group travel or private tours and excursions.

Speaker 1 (09:52):

What percentage of trips are in the, in the US versus non-US? Is it majority non or a little bit of both?

Speaker 2 (10:00):

Yeah, I think 2020, um, kind of saw people come back home in 20 20, 20 21. There was a lot of us travel happening that is starting to go back away and over to Europe and, um, you know, further afield Asia, uh, south America. So people are starting to travel further again. Um, my US clientele is Alaska and Hawaii are the main destinations that people are wanting to visit and experience. Mm-Hmm.

Speaker 1 (10:29):

<affirmative> very popular. I haven't been to either one. They're both on my list. So most of the clients, I shouldn't say most, but some of the clients and people that I talk to that are wanting to get into travel, some of them want to just go somewhere for relaxation just to take it easy. So I guess we'll start there. What are some destinations that, that they should keep in mind or somewhere they should keep in mind if they're really looking for just a relaxing trip to celebrate, maybe to celebrate retirement, but just to, just to relax, take it easy, what do you think? Sure.

Speaker 2 (11:00):

So is dependent on the person and how they like to relax. It could be maybe taking a cruise and stopping at different destinations is relaxing or taking just a short flight down to Mexico and staying in an all-inclusive where everything is on your doorstep could be relaxing too. Um, you know, Mexico has some great all-inclusive options where everything is taken care of for you. Yeah. I recently was in Turks and CCOs and the, the vibe from that destination was just pure relaxation. And I mean, looking out onto the, the ocean and that crystal clear water with white sand was phenomenal every day. So for me that was ultimate relaxation. Yeah. Interesting. So yeah, it could even be staying in the US and maybe going to a spa retreat that could be relaxing for someone too. Right.

Speaker 1 (11:52):

It's just like when, when folks ask us questions about how should I invest or how should I be planning for retirement? It it, you're right, it does all come back to the person. Well, what are your goals? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, you know, what, what phase of life are you in? So, not that I'm trying to pin pin anyone in a box here, but yeah. Just to Turks and Caicos like that, that's an idea I wouldn't have thought of. I don't know that a lot of listeners, 'cause I I get a case study of where people are traveling. I get to hear all about the trips that my clients are taking. Yeah. And it's, it's really fun. It's, I don't think I've heard that one yet though. How about somewhere that, in terms of getting good value or most cost effective way to travel, is there a certain destination or a certain way, like you said cruise, is it land trip or a, a cruise, river cruise. Mm-Hmm. If someone really wants a unique experience, but maybe they're trying not to break the budget as much.

Speaker 2 (12:43):

Sure. I think if, um, if someone does have a set budget choosing a cruise, a river cruise, or a small group travel experience, and when I say a small group, I mean it's already organized for you and you are joining a departure date with a tour company and then you're traveling around with those people, that's where you can really control your budget because your hotels are paid for, the experiences are paid for the food, sometimes the drinks. So you know what to expect. So that is probably the best value that you are going to get when, if you are wanting to see multiple destinations, if you're looking to just go to one destination and you're looking to go to Europe right now, Italy might not be your most cost effective place to travel to. So maybe it's Portugal where the food is very reasonable, the drinks are reasonable, even the accommodation is still reasonable too. Budget is definitely something that I discuss with my clients, but then I also offer the experiences as well.

Speaker 1 (13:50):

What is your favorite river cruise? I've heard about it a couple, but do you, do you have a favorite or a couple that you really like?

Speaker 2 (13:58):

Um, I'm a, waterways is my favorite river cruise company. They all do amazing job. They all have great itineraries and they all have a little bit of a different personality as well. There's a more boutique river cruise company that has a little bit more flamboyant design. And so if you're into that, that's where you wanna go. Viking do a great job, but they're very, you know, kind of medium, you know, everything's beige and you know, you can <laugh> kinda Yeah. Just slot in and go on any ship and they will look the same.

Speaker 1 (14:31):

I've heard of some river cruises, like in France, different parts of Europe. Is that where most of these are?

Speaker 2 (14:37):

So, um, there's a actually a few river cruise companies in the US as well. Yeah. There's um, a few even that stop in St. Louis and go along the Mississippi. So if you're looking to stay us bound, there's definitely river cruise options there too.

Speaker 1 (14:52):

Yeah, I've heard of some amazing river cruises, I think is in France. So a couple clients that have done that, some clients that have not necessarily gone the river cruise route. I've got clients that have gone to, to Italy and Ireland and different places like that as well. Yeah. If you're thinking about, I want to go to a place, but I I I want more of a private experience, but I don't want it to be overcrowded. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, I don't wanna deal with a, like a tourist real touristy place. Any thoughts there of some, some interesting places that maybe people have not heard of or thought to go to?

Speaker 2 (15:28):

Yeah, so I hear about this a lot, um, from clients. The concern is over tourism, wanting to experience a destination but not wanting to be shoulder to shoulder with other people, you know? And that's where I come in to help kind of pivot and still get a great experience, but maybe just a little bit less crowded. So for an example, if someone is really wanting to go to Greece, the popular islands are Santorini, Kinno, Athens, you know, Athens not an island, but you know, in Greece you could then go to Crete or Corfu if Italy is not in your budget this year because it is so overcrowded and expensive. Yeah. Maybe we shift to Portugal this year. There's plan A and there's plan B, and that's where I come in to kind of help figure that out.

Speaker 1 (16:14):

<laugh>. So you've mentioned Italy a couple times, so Mm-Hmm. It's, it's expensive right now, it sounds like. Why is that?

Speaker 2 (16:20):

Um, it's called revenge travel <laugh>. It's been, uh, it's been given a name after Covid. Okay. Um, people are wanting to go to the places they've always wanted to go to, and Italy is an amazing country for wine, food, culture, history. It ticks all of the boxes. Yeah. And so it is a popular destination and we have to remember the US isn't the only ones traveling there. This is the entire world trying to go to their bucket list destinations. And so Italy is always gonna be a popular place. It's just more accessible now and more people are traveling after the pandemic. People don't wanna wait. They wanna get going.

Speaker 1 (17:05):

Right. Yeah. And I, I sense that 'cause I've, again, I've had my own personal case study and I've heard about so many different vacations that had to be canceled. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And I've had one, one couple comes to mind that they had a trip to Italy scheduled at least twice Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And it was, it had to be canceled twice.

Speaker 2 (17:24):

Yeah.

Speaker 1 (17:25):

They did end up getting to go, but that makes sense. Now I'm gonna go off the cuff here and just say if you're, you're someone like me. I've never believe it or not never been to Europe. Okay. I've been to Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, never been to Europe. I hear about Italy, I hear about Ireland, France, do you have certain trips set up where you, you can kind of go around and get a flavor of everything and do you piecemeal it together? Like if I wanted to try to hit multiple locations, my wife has family in the Netherlands, we have to go there. Is that an option for some of your, your clients?

Speaker 2 (18:02):

Yeah, and that's actually a very common trip that I will piece together is multiple destinations and multiple cities. Yeah. We would discuss time and how long you have to travel and then your priorities, the experience that you want. Um, 'cause a lot of time people want to go somewhere for a certain thing, but when we actually start talking about it, another country might fit them a little bit better for what they want. Right. So yeah, I do multiple countries and cities and, and Italy is still accessible. It just has to be booked in advance. You can still have an amazing experience there.

Speaker 1 (18:38):

Sure. And that's one of my questions was what is the best time to book for folks? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> like how far in advance do you get the best sort of value?

Speaker 2 (18:48):

Yeah, so if we're planning a multiple destination, then you're looking to book from 10 months to six months in advance. It's really, once that air schedule is available, we then start looking at how we can move around the world and get from A to B. And the earlier book, the better you have in terms of the type of hotel room, the best pricing on airfare. So it all comes down to cost and availability. Right. If it's a cruise a year in advance, if you're looking at world cruises two years in advance, really. So it really depends on the type of travel.

Speaker 1 (19:27):

Is that to keep your cost down or is that just to, to get something while it's available?

Speaker 2 (19:32):

Both cruise lines, they release their itineraries and that is generally gonna be the best cost once you the itinerary is released, but then they can have specials throughout the year that can bring that cost down too. But generally as things start to sell out, it's, uh, supply and demand. And so pricing does start to go up.

Speaker 1 (19:51):

Can Alaskan Cruise for an example, that'll come out a year or two years in advance? Is that what you're saying? Yeah.

Speaker 2 (19:56):

Yeah. So, um, there's cruise lines that have their 2025 itineraries already figured out because that is how popular travel is right now. That never used to be right that far in advance, but people are planning ahead.

Speaker 1 (20:11):

If I'm someone I've never worked with a travel advisor before, what, what does that process look like? How does that get started?

Speaker 2 (20:18):

So, um, you can reach out to a travel advisor through email or phone and then they'll set up, generally set up a discovery call and that's just a conversation like you and I are having and we just figure out where you're wanting to travel. If you don't know, then I help you try and figure out where you want to travel. And then there are planning and management fees with most travel advisors these days. So we discuss that the cost of that is dependent on the type of travel you're taking and each travel advisor has their own fee that they charge. It's all different after that. We then I will then start the research and then we'll liaison via email or phone or video, however you wanna chat. I put together an itinerary. We make edits until you like it and then we go from there. I generally try and send at least three hotels to choose from and three cruise itineraries to choose from. So I'm not telling you exactly what to do.

Speaker 1 (21:13):

So you have a, a website obviously, and it's new view travel agency.com. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Yes. So I'll make sure and put your contact information in our show notes so that anyone that wants to reach out and they can reach out to you personally, Janine, but new view travel agency.com. And I'll put Janine's email phone number in the show notes. So make sure you go to retirement power hour podcast.com. If you're listening on Apple, on Spotify, again, you can go to retirement power hour podcast.com, reach out to Janine, create an amazing vacation and plan it together. And you can also get a free retirement analysis as well if you go to retirement power hour podcast.com. Click work with me, the process, Janine, sounds a lot like yours. We, we start with a phone call and just to see, just have a conversation, see if we can potentially help you and we go from there. So I, I'd love to have you back on the show at some point, Janine. Just, I love talking about it and to go deep into talking about different areas and different places, but I think this was a, a good foundation and a good start. So I appreciate you coming on the show and talking with us.

Speaker 2 (22:19):

Yeah, I'd love to come back. Thanks for having me, Joe. Appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (22:23):

Alright, and again, for everyone listening, don't forget, go to retirement power hour podcast.com for all of our past shows details and more information and on how to get ahold of Janine. Well, with that, I wanna thank everyone for listening and tuning into today's episode. Don't forget, join us on the next episode of The Retirement Power Hour, where we help listeners invest wiser and retire better. Take care.

Speaker 3 (22:47):

Thank you for listening to the Retirement Power Hour podcast. All material discussed on this podcast is for educational purposes only. It should not be construed as individual tax, legal, or investment advice. Investing involves risk of loss and investors should be prepared to bear potential losses. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Joe Allaria is an investment advisor representative of Carson Allaria Wealth Management, a registered investment advisory firm. Information discussed on this podcast may be derived from third parties that are believed to be reliable, but Carson Allaria Wealth Management does not control or guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of such information and disclaims all liability for damages resulting from such sources. Any references to third parties are provided as a convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.