We don’t have to read the headlines to know the world is in an angry mess. And the U.S. gets its share of blame. It happens to many of our senior readers when traveling in Europe, Africa, South America and other areas in the world. Hostile taxi drivers, airline employees, store clerks, officials and others spout in-your-face anti-American words.

The first impulse is to respond with angry answers. And for seniors who once wore U.S. uniforms, to remind them about saving (or blasting) their sorry butts in WWII and/or wars since. It’s perfectly natural to respond that way, unless you're a harebrained Hollywood celeb or permanent protest marcher, who'd respond by kissing the nasty native on at least two cheeks.

According to USA TODAY, several airlines claim they’re upgrading their in-air vittles. Of course, they’re very specific that it will be only for premium passengers.

Frugal flying seniors can always recognize those favored few. They’re the snooty ones who get to board first, then are escorted by smiling attendants to their roomy, lay-flat cubicles, to be entertained, wined, dined and fawned over throughout the flight.

When you get that unsolicited phone call that declares you’ve just won a free cruise or tropical vacation, hang up pronto. Scammers, who are phony talkers holed up in phone centers in Europe, Asia or Africa, deliberately target seniors as easiest to scam.

If you respond to the cheery greeting, the next step is to get you to give personal info. A red flag should go up when the voice asks for your credit card and/or bank number information. The explanation is that they’re necessary to process your ticketing. If you respond to that, expect your bank accounts to be raided electronically within minutes.

As internet and instant electronic processing get more sophisticated, so do online thieves. Therefore, never respond to unsolicited phone calls that offer free trips or other phony come-ons. The safest way to plan your travel is to do all reservations and money transactions with a trusted hometown travel agency.

Lake Tahoe is an unusual vacation destination with two distinct types of attractions. It’s flanked on its western side by pristine Northern California’s Sierra mountains, a world-class winter ski paradise.

On the eastern shore is Nevada, where the anything-goes casinos and posh hotels beckon less athletic travelers with bright lights, Las Vegas-style entertainment, upscale shopping and, of course, spinning casino gambling.