When you're booking a cruise, be sure you understand what is not included in the price. The ad may list it as less than $100 a day per person, and go on to insist that a similar top-rated hotel or resort vacation would cost considerably more. Most cruises are advertised as all-inclusive, and the boast that they are bargains is true ... up to a point.

Unlike all-inclusive cruises, the typical land-based vacation requires food, entertainment and other features to be purchased separately. Most cruises really are bargains, but those all-inclusive packages are not all you'll pay. Some features that may cost extra include:

In A Streetcar Named Desire, Marlon Brando sent up that classic agonized cry: Stelllllaaa! According to a recent Yahoo article, seasoned citizen roadies may some day call out the same word just as emotionally. However, it will be in happy admiration as they roll along without ever again needing to fill up at a highway (robbery) gas station.

The Stella experimental prototype seats four, and last year won the World Solar Car challenge race across Australia. It was recently driven successfully the 400 miles along California’s scenic Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

Solar Team Eindhoven, where Stella originated, currently operates from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. The solar-powered cars run on sunlight that is converted and stored in photovoltaic cells.

Unfortunately, you can’t start shopping for one yet. As yet, they’re not more economical than gasoline-powered vehicles. There’s no current info about when they can be mass-produced, pricing, maintenance and other development steps. However, we senior wanderers can all hope Stella will soon answer our mournful cries for economical road travel. www.solarteameindhoven.nl

Guest writer: Within a week of my retirement ceremony, my spouse and I were on our way, each with just one carry-on bag and backpack. I had experienced all the Pacific nations I cared to see during Navy tours of duty in World War II and Korea.

As a new retiree, I wanted to roam Europe when, where and linger as long as we chose. No schedules, no tourist traps, no pressures, no job that required hurrying back. We did it, and in our happy memories, these are the top ten cities we enjoyed most in Europe.

London: There are so many historic sites and sights. We especially liked the Covent Garden area of shops, cafés and street performers. London theater is the best in the world, especially if you can be at the two-fer booth in the morning and get two tickets for the price of one for that evening's performance.

St. Petersburg: The people are friendly, especially to senior American wanderers. The Hermitage is one of the most fantastic museums in the world, and we could have spent a week there and never get through the entire Katharine the Great collections.

Many health-conscious seniors start each day with a hike or run. When traveling, you may want to continue the daily discipline.

Running in a new city can be an exhilarating experience of new scenery, especially in the early morning when the streets are just waking up. Heavy traffic hasn’t started yet, and there’s still some cool, clear night air to help make your exercise routine pleasantly healthy.

However, along with the benefits there are potential safety concerns. Some tips can help make your outdoor exercise in the unfamiliar city safer.