Whether it\u2019s continuing a lifetime of adventure or beginning the adventure of a lifetime, making the move to a maintenance-free senior living community opens up a world of new opportunities for travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lock the doors and windows and walk out,\u201d says Allen Schweinsberg, a retired college professor and resident of RiverWoods retirement community in Lewisburg, Pa. Allen, and wife Joanne, also a retired academic, have traveled much of the United States and to more than 35 countries.<\/p>\n
Avid birders, the Schweinsberg\u2019s have so far documented more than 3,000 species of birds \u2014 an endeavor not for the faint of heart \u2026 A recent trip to Panama included a dugout canoe trek on the Rio Chucunaque before mounting horses to trudge through the mud and into the jungle. This heroic effort checked off another box in their birding adventures: sighting a rare harpy eagle.<\/p>\n
While much of their travel involves birding, the couple has also experienced opera in the Czech Republic and a first-hand look at the Great Wall of China. They also enjoy educational travel curated by Road Scholar. \u201cTravel is a very broadening experience,\u201d says Joanne. \u201cYou get history, culture, geography and a chance to see how other people live.\u201d<\/p>\n
When not on the road, Allen and Joanne enjoy exercising at the Wellness Center, visiting with their many friends on and off campus, keeping up with their kids and planning their next excursion.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to have the freedom to travel, but it\u2019s also great to be grounded in a community we love,\u201d says Joanne.<\/p>\n
Planes, trains, and automobiles<\/strong><\/p>\n Bethany Village residents Kathy Salmon and Tony Wright fell in love over their love of travel, and now spend several months each year exploring the globe by plane, train, and automobile.<\/p>\n Freshly back from a trip to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Tony and Kathy will next hop aboard the auto train and head for Orlando, where they have a timeshare.\u00a0 Two months later, they\u2019ll fly off to the southern Caribbean with some of their Bethany Village neighbors and in April, they\u2019ll drive to Cleveland for the Total Eclipse Fest.<\/p>\n \u201cLiving here gives you a sense of ease to take off and go,\u201d says Tony. The couple, who met at Bethany Village in Mechanicsburg, Pa., moved from their separate apartments into a cottage. And the close-knit cul-de-sac in which they live means in addition to the Bethany staff, they have supportive neighbors who will look out for their home.<\/p>\n When they\u2019re not on the road, Kathy and Tony serve on resident committees, spend time working out in the Wellness Center, play bingo and trivia at the John & Annie\u2019s Bistro, and have dinner with friends.<\/p>\n \u201cBethany is the best place for us\u201d says Kathy. \u201cAlong with a maintenance-free lifestyle, you can\u2019t ask for a better place to have friends and socialize.\u201d<\/p>\n Chasin\u2019 dreams down the interstate<\/strong><\/p>\n For Normandie Ridge residents Terry and Randy Guiler, their dream retirement began before some of us even start thinking about shutting the office doors. In 2004, at the tender ages of 46 and 55, the couple hung up their hats, traded their house for an RV and headed out on a nearly decade-long road trip.<\/p>\n Randy, who spent 33 years as an aeronautical cartographer for the federal government, had long dreamed of having the opportunity to \u201cwander\u201d the country.<\/p>\n \u201cOne day I came home from work and said, \u2018let\u2019s do this,\u2019\u201d says Randy.\u00a0 \u201cTerry looked at me like I was nuts.\u201d But it wasn\u2019t long before she was on board for what turned into a nine-year journey that allowed the couple to leisurely visit 28 states.<\/p>\n