Henderson 50-plus group bonds over love of travel
It’s never too late to start traveling. Members of the Las Vegas Senior Tripsters can attest to that.
The organization connects people 50 or older to explore, whether it’s traveling internationally or finally checking out a local attraction.
“More and more retirees are looking to have meaningful travel experiences,” said Kathy Manney, a Henderson resident who joined the group with her husband in 2006. “This is their chance.”
Senior Tripsters is a nonprofit that started in 1984. The group has about 900 members and takes about 70 trips each year.
The group is aimed at being cost-effective, Manney said.
The organization meets once a month to go over upcoming trips, costs and itineraries for proposed destinations.
It was at one of those meetings where the group’s longtime president, Barbara Volk, decided to start traveling.
She said that before that meeting, she had done smaller trips in the Midwest, where she had lived.
After moving to Henderson in the late 1990s, Volk gave the group a chance. Her first trip was to Sedona, Arizona, about four hours southeast of the Las Vegas Valley.
Volk said Ireland and the British Isles were among her favorite destinations.
“They reminded me of rural towns in America,” she said. “The towns were beautiful and everyone was friendly. You got to be away from the hustle and bustle.”
This year, the group plans bus trips to places such as Mount Rushmore and Chicago.
Senior Tripsters also helps residents, such as those who recently moved to the area, get acquainted with local attractions and entertainment. One day, it could be a trip to Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, the next a day at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Volk said that in addition to seeing new places, she has enjoyed making friends.
Beyond traveling, Volk volunteered with the group in 2002 by helping out in the front office and creating its newsletter. About nine years ago, she became the group’s president.
“I was tasked with bringing us into this century with the way things were done,” she said.
Many of the seniors who travel also volunteer to keep the group up and running.
“Without its volunteers, the organization would not exist,” Manney added.
Though Volk is no longer president — she stepped down at the beginning of this year — she is still traveling with the friends she made as far back as 2002.
Her next stop was Lake Havasu, on the Arizona-California border.
“I’m going to see the balloon festival,” she said. “And I keep planning to go on more trips after that.”
Visit lvseniortripsters.com.
To reach Henderson View reporter Michael Lyle, email mlyle@viewnews.com or call 702-387-5201. Find him on Twitter: @mjlyle.
