By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Cruise and Senior Specialist  Kay Stone, owner of Village Travelers, a company specializing in senior and group travel, recently unveiled the roster of scheduled trips for 2008. The calendar includes something for all interests, like a ragtime music festival, the Grand Ole Opry, and a ten-day Caribbean cruise.

‘Freedom to travel’
Stone has worked exclusively with two Erickson Retirement Communities, Fox Run and Henry Ford Village, for a total of 14 years. “We have been all over the world. They are a very active group, and this gives them the freedom to travel,” says Stone, who coordinates trips for the entire Fox Run community and On the Go, a resident-run group that plans monthly day trips.

“There is something for everyone. We try to offer variety,” Stone says. Because of the volume of participants, she is often able to offer reduced prices. “I also do individual and family trips for community members,” Stone says. “We do everything for them, door to door. We take away all their worries.” Stone scouts prospective trip locations, and arranges for group discounts and transportation—all attendees have to do is simply show up and enjoy their mini-vacation.

Open invitation
Besides being open to anyone living at an Erickson Retirement Community like Fox Run, these trips are also open to all Priority List members. Many Priority List members at Fox Run’s sister community, Henry Ford Village in Dearborn, have been taking advantage of the perk, and Stone encourages those on Fox Run’s list to do the same.

She says going along on such trips is a low-pressure, fun way to meet your future neighbors and friends at Fox Run. “Many Priority List members who go on these trips often decide to move in sooner,” Stone says. “It’s a great way to get to know people—then, when they move in, they already know someone at Fox Run.”