I just had my 80th birthday and starting plans for our annual road trip from home in Michigan. This year it would be driving to Arizona and the Grand Canyon. However, she says I’ve had it at the wheel. I’m fit, no accidents, go to the gym weekly and see clearly thru glasses. What’s your opinion? PLMcV, Detroit MI

A: If you still feel you can drive the long journey, prove it to your wife. Get a complete physical from your family doctor, and opinion on whether you should do the long road trip. If you get a medical OK, ask your wife to reconsider. If she still objects, for the sake of family harmony, don’t do the driving trip. Suggest a bus or airline package tour to the Grand Canyon.

King Neptune would be jealous if he saw you living lavishly in your underwater suite at The Muraka at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. Of course, you’ll be perfectly dry behind glass as you watch seals, sharks, turtles and other free-roaming sea life swim around and above your private, waterproof aquarium.

Of course, such luxury will cost just a tiny bit more than a regular on-land luxury hotel suite. However, if you have a mere $5,000 per night to spend, this unique experience offers the precious underwater memory of a lifetime. By the way, the sweet suite price listing doesn’t include taxes and tips to your private butler, waiters, cleaning staff and other hotel employees.

Obviously a familiar girl-asks-boy joke. But it really happened recently when a passenger attempted to smuggle a small snake aboard a flight from Germany's Berlin-Schonefeld Airport to Israel. Security detected the creature, resulting in the smuggling guy being arrested and fined.

The Hollywood Reporter recently featured a story about how the usually upscale California oceanside cities are now dealing with homeless wanderers. Beaches, streets and boardwalks throughout Souther California are now littered with makeshift tents, tattered people and their inevitable trash.

Some reasons for the influx include soaring inflation, drugs and mental illness. It all brings back memories to your travel4senior.com editor. Looking at a modest house near the beach in Malibu in 1955, the price was $30,000, a bit high for a news writer earning $75 a week. That same house listed recently for sale at $2.5 million.

Also, beachfront hotel rooms are just a bit more expensive. In 1955 they were $30 a night. Just add a zero or so for today’s prices. If your upcoming travels take you to Malibu, Santa Monica, Laguna Beach, Venice or other Southern California oceanside cities, be aware of how the growing homeless crisis could affect your visit.