It has been 22 years since the final scene of the 1994 movie Shawshank Redemption was shot at Sandy Point, St. Croix. The prison escapee portrayed by Tim Robbins works on his boat as Morgan Freeman, his just-paroled jail pal, finally arrives.

However, in Stephen King’s novel the guys were reunited on the beach in Zihuatanejo, not in the Caribbean, but some 3,000 miles west on the coast of Baja, Mexico. The hunted fugitive would never have gone to the U.S. Virgin Islands, risking being hauled back to prison to serve out his life sentence for a double murder he didn’t commit.

We recently returned from a family reunion in Florida. All in all, it was a pleasure to meet and schmooze with folks we just don't see often enough. But there were some drawbacks.

All the out-of-town visitors had to book local hotels, and the prices were out of sight. On our first night, we arrived at the airport behind schedule, so we had to spend the rest of the night ... only a couple of hours actually ... at a nearby airport motel before we could be picked up by car.

Senior tourists should always be aware that you’re high on the list of potential victims by scam artists. They know you’re not as agile and quick-thinking as you once were, and they’re ready to pounce, whether by physical attack or to con you into wasting your money.

1. The first way to avoid being ripped off while traveling is to dress down. On a cruise, you can strut into the dining room all gussied up in your finest clothing. However, when you go ashore to that quaint little seaside village, don’t wear bright, gaudy clothing, big hat, designer sunglasses, shining jewelry, big handbag and flashy smartphone. Dress sensibly, similar to what locals wear. If you look and act like an obvious tourist, you may as well paint a target on your back.

How many times have you heard that warning, or said it to yourself?  Just a couple of many recent accidents emphasize the need for traveling seniors to obey simple physical limit rules. A senior woman broke her ankle while riding the new 45-foot Los Angeles thrill slide down the side of a building. Another smashed her nose and teeth when she fell face first from a motorized stand-up scooter.

Injuries continue to happen to foolishly brave seniors in similar travel dangers at fairs, amusement parks, zoos, waterfronts and other busy tourist destinations. The solution is simply to obey the fact that you truly ain’t as young as you used to be. If it looks too dangerous, especially if you’re no longer agile and quick to react, just say no.