The destination was chosen because of its City of Culture status - and to compare the cultural activities on offer in the North West to those in the North East after Liverpool pipped Newcastle to the European City of Culture 2008 title.
Ian explains: "I'll be 60 on April 26, when I will qualify for my bus pass, so Ken and I thought we should really test it out and have a bit of an adventure.
"We're going to travel over a couple of days down to Liverpool, stopping off at Kendal on the way."
Ken, who lives in the Grainger Park area of Newcastle and has had his concessionary bus pass for five years, and Ian, of Chapel Park, Newcastle, are planning to start their Liverpool trip on Sunday May 18. They'll travel first to Carlisle, then to Kendal for an overnight stay before going on to Liverpool for two nights.
The pair plan to return by long-distance coach, for which they will have to pay.
Ken said: "Travelling by bus you get to see more of the local environment than you would by coach or train because buses go through local communities and you get to see the places that the local people visit.
"I will be mainly using the new England-wide pass to travel outside of Tyne and Wear to places like Middlesbrough, Keswick, Ashington and Alnwick, and I'm going to Scarborough on April 25 - but this trip to Liverpool is something a bit special and unusual."
Ian is still planning what other journeys he will make when they return from their cultural visit. As he explains: "I use the bus quite a lot already but I'm sure that I will take the opportunity to travel even more when it is free!"
Journeys each are planning include for shopping, leisure activities, visits to museums and gardens, the Lake District and, in Ken's case, to family in Ashington.
As Ken lives in Tyne and Wear and already had a concessionary bus pass his new England-wide pass was automatically sent out to him from Nexus, the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive. As a newly qualifying pass holder, Ian is having to apply for his pass by contacting Nexus.
Ken and Ian are telling their story to help the Department for Transport in its campaign to encourage all those eligible for the new pass to apply for one and make sure they get the benefits of these new travel concessions.
Andy Bairstow from Nexus added: "We know there are some people who will be eligible for this free England-wide travel who won't know about it or who won't have considered applying for it. All they have to do is contact Nexus, or their local authority if they live outside Tyne and Wear, and they can get information on how to apply."
