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Get off your a$$ and hike the Grand Canyon trails

The very popular mule rides that transport visitors into the splendid rocky depths of the Grand Canyon in Arizona will be drastically reduced under a new plan by the National Park Service.

According to the NPS announcement, the number of mules allowed on the Bright Angel Trail, the most traveled route into the canyon from the South Rim, will drop from 40 to 10 riders daily.

The NPS reason for the cut-back in mule rides is that the trail over the years has eroded to potentially unsafe conditions, and repairs are getting too expensive. Additionally, hikers are complaining that they must share the ever-narrowing trails with the mules and the inevitable stuff the mules leave behind. NPS also states that it wants to encourage more hikers to use the trail.

There will be mule rides available along the less-spectacular but safer top of the South Rim trails. For those planning Grand Canyon visits, they should know the hugely popular mule rides will become even more difficult to book, and reservations of up to a year in advance are advised.

For more information, go to NPS.org.

New York NY: Hotel Rooms Get Smaller

Hotel costs continue to reach for the sky in popular travel destinations such as Manhattan, Boston, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Paris. Meanwhile, back at HQs, brilliant hotel chain beancounters have come up with an even more money-grabbing plan.

Instead of charging $400 a night for a regular-sized hotel room, cut them in half and rent each as $300 bargains. Result: claustrophobic sardine-canned travelers equal added hotel profits.

Imagine a senior wanderer asking the hotel clerk: Does my $300 room have a closet? Response: Your room IS a closet. For more info on the teenier hotel-room trend, go to www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2015/09/18/microhotels-tiny-hotel-rooms-expand-across-country/72265080

Ft. Lauderdale FL: Meet The Colorful Poolside Visitor

Your travel4seniors.com editor recently visited the Sunshine State for a family celebration. One day at the pool of our leased Airbnb house, this friendly five-foot-long, ring-tailed, spike-backed critter came ambling by to pose for a portrait. Sometimes called a water dragon, it’s official name is Lepidosauria Iguana.

Virgin Islands, USA: VolunTourism With Furry Friends

The no-kill Animal Care Center of St. John takes in victims of cruelty, neglect and abuse of the island's dogs and cats. If your upcoming vacation plans include a visit to tropical St. John, give some of your time to help with the center's VolunTourism program.

You can participate in feeding, walking, grooming, training or just cuddling with some of the center’s homeless inhabitants. Shelter officials report that many visitors come to volunteer, and then find they can’t leave without taking a new furry friend home with them. For more info, go to www.stjohnanimalcarecenter.com

Savvy Seniors: How To Avoid Nasty Germs On Flights

How can you keep those evil little bugs from getting at you in the sky? Just ask anyone who has flown from New York to London or similar hours-long air journey while squeezed into a five-across row of sardine-can sized seats. They'll know that Murphy's Law of inevitable germs too often kicks in for the haplessly trapped, formerly healthy flyer.

Worst scenarios: Seated on one side will be an old sneezer with a bad cold and big red nose that could easily guide Santa's sleigh. He'll spend the flight coughing, dripping and spritzing. Of course, he'll turn his head each time he explodes... right into your face.