AAA Traveler - Summer 2019 - 31
ALL ACCESS
Wendy Gritzmacher, manager of AAA Travel's
Hendersonville office, handles the Wards' bookings
and has traveled with the couple on the branch's
travel club tours. It's been inspiring, she said.
"The Wards are a prime example that there are no limits
when it comes to travel," she said. "He just goes and goes
and you would never know about his blindness. He
remembers everything that the guides say and listens
to their dialogue and descriptions."
Gritzmacher said the Wards are an example of how AAA
Travel can handle travel for many types of disabilities.
"We have clients who use scooters and we're able to
accommodate them," she said. "It's a matter of the
traveler communicating what their limitations are
so that we can handle their needs. We then work with
our preferred partners, who make it so easy for us."
Joe, 71, a retired counselor for the Department of the
Army Civilian Corp at Fort Bragg, and Sandra, 69, a
retired registered nurse with the Veteran's Administration,
love to gather catalogs from cruise and tour companies
and pore over them, drawing up lists of dream trips.
BUCKET LIST CHECKED
The couple has been on more than 50 cruises, including
a recent holiday season Carnival Cruise sailing in the
Caribbean with extended family members.
That came just seven weeks after returning from an
unforgettable Paris and Normandy trip with the AAA
Travel club. The program featured a stay at a charming
historic hotel near the Arc de Triomphe, walking tours,
lunch at a Champs-Elysees cafe and a rooftop champagne
toast with views of the Eiffel Tower at sunset, all special
touches arranged by Gritzmacher as part of the package.
From Paris, the group boarded a Uniworld River Cruise
ship for a sailing that included visits to Monet's villa and
gardens in Giverny and to the palatial
splendor of Versailles. A highlight was a
solemn visit to the American Cemetery at
Normandy where each tour participant
was given a rose to place on a grave and
the group saluted fallen soldiers as the national anthem and
taps were played.
For Joe, it was an especially significant experience.
"I was a counselor for the 82nd Airborne Division so
I knew their history (in World War II)," Joe said. "To
see the museum there in Normandy was really moving."
One of the Wards' favorite trips was a Princess
Cruises voyage to South America that included a side
trip to the ancient Inca ruins at Machu Picchu. With a
local guide, Sandra and Joe walked up to the ruins at sunrise in
the cool mountain air of the Andes as llamas milled about, a
memory they won't soon forget.
"It was one of those bucket list things, to climb to the top
of the ruins," he said.
The couple also recalls fondly a trip to China in the early
1980s just as the country was opening to mass tourism. Most
of the terra cotta warriors at Xian had yet to be found and
the couple remembers a large expanse of excavation.
EXPAND YOUR HORIZON
After decades of international travel, Joe recommends that
people reluctant about taking such trips don't hesitate, even if
they have a disability. Talk to a AAA Travel Agent, he said,
and make sure to make time on each trip to relax.
"When we are in Europe we'll go to a local grocery store
and buy some cheese and bread and sit in a park and watch the
world go by. You don't have to do everything, just
do your own thing and relax," Joe says.
When they have long international flights,
such as one to Australia several years ago,
the couple makes sure to book a few days at the
destination before boarding the ship. They also
usually sign up for a pre-trip offered by the cruise line.
That gives them time to recover from long flights, and time
to absorb the local culture at their leisure.
Joe's other tip is to pack light. The Wards typically only
carry two pairs of shoes each and pack clothing in all grays
and blacks to save on space. "At the most we bring one
backpack and two suitcases," he said.
As avid cruise lovers, the couple relishes leisurely days at
sea, discovering new ports of call and simply enjoying
shipboard life. Their longest cruise was a 31-day Princess
sailing from New York to Greenland, Iceland, Norway,
Ireland and back. Their next may be even longer.
They're considering something "very special," Joe said,
perhaps a 47-day sailing on Princess to Africa and through
the Indian Ocean. It would be in 2021 to celebrate their 50th
wedding anniversary.
Adventure waits! Let your AAA Travel Agent help you plan your next bucket list escape.
Call 800-750-5386 today!
TRAVELER SUMMER 2019
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AAA Traveler - Summer 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AAA Traveler - Summer 2019
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AAA Traveler - Summer 2019 - Contents
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