By Carol Ann Conover
As more adults 50 and older look to travel rather than downsize their plans, AAA Northway says it is seeing steady demand for hands-on trip planning, along with a renewed emphasis on the trust between traveler and travel agent.
Amy Roode has spent 20 years with AAA Northway and now serves as managing director of travel operations, based out of the organization’s Queensbury office. AAA Northway’s footprint spans five locations, from Vestal in the Binghamton area up through Schenectady, Saratoga, Halfmoon and Queensbury. Roode works with more than 50 preferred vendors, including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruise Line and Trafalgar escorted tours, managing marketing contracts, training and travel events while coaching the sales team one-on-one.
Roode said travel habits among the 50-plus set have shifted noticeably since the pandemic. “I think COVID has helped us,” she said, describing a mindset she now sees regularly among clients. “They’re like, travel while you can. They have that mentality.” River cruising, in particular, has grown. “River cruises have picked up in the past eight years in our area,” Roode said, noting it appeals to travelers who want the intimacy of a smaller ship and closer ports alongside the variety of an escorted tour.
Multigenerational trips have also increased, Roode said, with grandparents footing the bill to bring the whole family along. “I completely love when I see grandparents taking their families and paying for it,” she said. “It’s all about life. Spend your money now while you have it. You earned it.”
AAA Northway books everything from domestic trips built around national parks and Alaska cruises to bucket-list international travel across Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia and Africa. Roode noted that travelers do not need to be AAA members to book trips through the agency, though membership unlocks additional vendor perks such as onboard credit or special cabin pricing.
Group travel remains a core offering, including hosted motorcoach trips, escorted tours and cruises with a AAA host traveling alongside guests from pickup through the full itinerary. Roode said one of the most rewarding parts of her job is watching those trips build lasting friendships among travelers from different branch communities. Smaller group tours, capped at about 16 travelers, have also grown in popularity, particularly among travelers 70 and older. “That happened a lot from COVID, too,” Roode said, noting those smaller trips allow for deeper cultural immersion, including dinners with host families.
Booking timelines vary widely, Roode said. Some clients plan 12 to 18 months ahead for in-demand trips such as river cruises, which can sell out three months out, while others book an all-inclusive vacation with just two weeks’ notice. AAA Northway also offers installment payment plans so clients can pay down a trip’s cost over time.
Roode’s team includes 12 travel agents with a combined 250-plus years of travel experience, each completing roughly 50 hours of continuing education annually with AAA’s vendor partners. She said the agency strongly encourages clients to buy travel insurance, even though many view it as an unnecessary expense. “If you were to cancel your trip, it’s going to cost you a lot more,” she said, noting standard medical insurance typically does not cover care outside the United States. AAA sells travel insurance policies through Allianz that can also help travelers navigate a medical emergency abroad, including language barriers with local doctors and hospitals.
AAA membership also comes with lesser-known travel perks, Roode said, including free TripTik route planning, foreign currency exchange, a AAA credit card with no foreign transaction fees, and the International Driving Permit, a document required to legally drive in many countries that AAA is the sole authorized seller of in the U.S. Local vendor discounts, from restaurants to auto repair, are listed at AAA.com. The organization also connects travelers with adventure-focused vendors, including National Geographic, for hiking, biking and rafting trips, matching clients to trips suited to their fitness level and interests rather than simply following a friend’s recommendation.
There is no age limit for membership, Roode said, and no additional AAA fee for booking tours, cruises or motorcoach trips, though airfare bookings can carry a fee depending on membership type. Roode said AAA, founded in Chicago in 1902, has built its reputation over 124 years on trust. “We try to promote the whole travel with someone you trust,” she said, adding that many of the agency’s local travel agents build relationships with clients that last for years. “A lot of their folks have become family.”