Travel Easily From Sea to Shining Sea? Princeton Travel Troupe Says It Can Help

Matthew Hersh

For most people, travelling is an expensive, time-consuming activity that never quite seems to fit in with the daily routine we all face. And while we would all like to take leave on that proverbial jet airplane, most people cannot travel to their heart's content.

More important, however, is that when many get to the age where their lives are a bit more free, they may not be blessed with travel partners, or may need some regular assistance if they do, indeed, have the opportunity to get away. However, for the past 27 years, the Princeton Getaway Club has managed to lighten the load for residents who are largely semi-retired people and don't want to travel alone.

Having garnered over 200 members since its inception, the Princeton-based group of volunteers is quick to point out their group is not a travel agency, nor is it the executive board of some at-large entity with no connection to its members. The people who started this not-for-profit simply wanted to "get away."

"The members used to go to football games and rent busses, but then the whole operation became more organized," said club treasurer Mary Agnes Procaccino when asked about the Get Away Club's inception. The concept, she added was to provide group travel and memorable social experiences for its members, who pay $10 per year per household for their membership, not including travel costs.

The executive board, comprising Rosemary Shangle-Johnson, Joan Judson, Jackie Wadsworth, Vince Sassman, and Ms. Procaccino, makes all arrangements for the trips, a task that many aging Princetonians would prefer not to do. "Some of our members are getting up in age, so we like to make it convenient for them, do all the homework, and they can just sit back and relax," said Ms. Shangle, president of the club's board.

Trips for next year range from short excursions to the theater, the Northland and Duke Garden and the racetrack to larger scale events that include a trip to Mt. Rushmore next July and a Caribbean cruise, slated for November 2005. But suffice it to say, whatever the trip is, the group is looking to save a buck.

In trying to keep costs low, the Getaway Club contacts various travel agencies looking for group rates and will compare prices: "But we also do research ourselves, checking out renting a motor coach, room, tickets for a play, etc. and compare them to see if that's the way to go," Ms. Shangle said, adding that a typical trip might include 30 to 40 people.

Sometimes, however, group members just have to keep their ears open for a good buy. Ms. Wadsworth recalled her search for the club's planned Caribbean trip:

"I was talking to the travel agent, and they said there was a new ship being launched and I said 'if you ever get any information for groups, I want to go on the Queen Mary.' The travel agent ended up getting us 15 double occupancy rooms on the boat."

Surprisingly, the club is a representation of Princeton's plurality, for it is not only retirees who go on the outings, Ms. Procaccino said. "There are a lot of couples, single women who don't like to travel alone, and even a few young couples."

After all, the three emphasized, the point of the trips is to meet people and have an experience wannabe travellers otherwise would not have. "We keep an eye out so there's nobody walking around alone by themselves; of course if they want to be alone that's fine, but we make sure everyone's taken care of," Ms. Procaccino said.

Ms. Johnson can be reached for questions at (609) 921-6320.