Guest Patrol

As people head to the airports and beaches for summer vacation, they’ll be online and connected like never before. For good or ill, the explosion in smartphones and other devices means that the summer vacation isn’t as disconnected as it once was.

What exactly is a heurigen? It’s Austria’s answer to a beer garden - only with wine. A heurigen is one of the best places to sample regional wines and delicious simple home-made cuisine and true “Gemütlichkeit ” - warmth and coziness. Heuriger means “this year” and heurigens began when Emperor Joseph II allowed vintners to sell their new wine directly to customers without any taxes. Families set up tables in their vineyards, gardens and cellars, and hung a wreath made of straw or evergreens as a signal that they were open and ready to serve their family wines.

Now that it is officially fall, temperatures across the country are starting to drop. While it’s initially exciting to dig the scarves and sweaters out from the back of the closest, it won’t be long until we miss the sunshine! Now is a fantastic time to start planning winter trips to go visit friends in retirement communities in warmer parts of the country. 

As a member of a generation commonly referred to as a “Baby Boomer,” I have grown up genuinely expecting the world to improve with time. Things might have been tough at different stages in my life but I had faith. With a bit of hard work and determination, payday would eventually come in the form of being able to travel and see the world for myself. It seems I am not the only one with these dreams because according to industry sources, Baby Boomers spend $157 billion each year on travel. With children educated, mortgages nearly paid off and retirement looming on the horizon, we are cashed up and have travel dreams – “our bucket list”- to fulfill.