An older woman comes into a travel agency to book a cruise. Something isn't quite right though. The excitement one usually sees in the face of someone planning an exotic voyage just isn't there. With a tear in her eye, she books a room for one. "My husband and I had been talking about going on this cruise for 10 years. We never got around to it. Then he got sick and now I'm alone."

Anyone who works in the travel business gets to know lots of senior citizens. I've always enjoyed that. It's a wonderful opportunity to observe how people and couples handle the challenge of the so-called Golden Years. It won't be long before I'm in their shoes, so I'm hoping that I can learn something from them.

The story of the couple that didn't get around to making a travel decision is all too common. From my experience, it is often the man who resists the urging of his wife to go see the world or even another part of this country. For some guys, it can be tough leaving the comfort of the old Stratolounger maybe even a little scary.

That's why I admire men like Mack Carlisle. Mack, who lives in Ventura, is celebrating his 91st birthday this year. Due to being a caregiver, he got a late start on living out his travel dreams, but he's making up for lost time.

I was lucky to find Mack in town to interview for this column. Even though he wasn't off on one of his adventures, it was still a challenge to get him on the phone. Thanks to the moist weather of late, he's been extra busy in his large garden. For three to four hours a day, every day, he's inaccessible while he hoes, weeds and shovels his plot of land. If you get his machine, he's probably working the dirt.

Since turning 80, Mack has crossed the Rockies five times by train. The man loves train trips. Lately, he's been doing a lot of cruising. He found his voyage to Antarctica his most challenging. His coastal cruise around Norway was his favorite. He got to meet a lot of the locals on that one.

This year, Mack and his Mary plan to cruise around British Columbia and then a few months later the British Isles. He's not slowing down. He's too busy reading up on foreign destinations and studying train schedules for that.

Mack's advice to his fellow seniors is simple: "Do it before it gets too late. And tomorrow is too late. You're not going to learn anything sitting around here in Ventura County. You going to sit here and die and not see anything?"

Mack shares not only his travel photos with his fellow Golden Agers. They get a dose of his travel credo as well. "Sometimes they tell me, But something might happen.' I tell them Just do it and don't look back. Hell, life's passing you by get with it!' "

You might think that Mack is one lucky guy ... that he inherited some amazing DNA, that he's got piles of money to spend on travel, that he's fortunate to have a traveling companion.

Genes may be a factor, but the doctor says it's those long sessions in the garden that keep him young. As for wealth, the man lives a very modest lifestyle. When I first met Mack, he was willing to be matched up with other fellas so he could travel at the cheaper double occupancy price. Mary, his traveling companion, was a childhood friend who he was blessed to reconnect with just a few years ago.

No, I don't think that it's luck. From my informal study of seniors, I'd say it's less about chance and more about attitude. Mack and so many others like him that I've met over the years have an insatiable curiosity about things and places. There's a zest for life that seems to slow the inevitable decline that we all must face.

Hopefully, if I follow Mack's example, I'll still be able to travel well into my senior years. And, maybe more importantly, still have the hunger to discover. If I ever start to feel like that recliner is getting just too darn comfortable, I'll think about Mack's gruff voice impatiently imploring; "Hell, life's passing you by get with it!"

— David Loe, president of Radio Cruises, has been organizing group cruises for Ventura County residents for more than 20 years. Contact him at David@RadioCruises.com.