Hi all,
I'm helping my aunt coordinate a trip to Australia. She'll be visiting a friend in Sydney but then wanted to explore Adelaide, Uluru, Alice Springs, Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road. She'd like to do an organized tour - that's not the way I travel and I know it's not the way most people here travel, especially for Australia, but my Aunt has certain limitations that mean she needs to be on an organized tour (nothing that would stand out as odd to others, but she is not capable of independent travel and I think it would worry our family if she spent more than a day or so on her own).
She's in her early 50s and definitely doesn't want a backpacker party tour, which there seem to be a lot of. She is very friendly but would do better in a smallish group. Any recommendations? Thank you!!
Amanda
Organized tour options for solo middle-aged traveller
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Hi Amanda, In our travels around Australia we have frequently run into APT tours. They seem to cater to an older crowd.
As "self drive" travelers we have stayed at several of the wilderness camp up in the Kimberley run by APT. There were always APT groups staying while we were there and seem to be frequented by the over 50 crowd.
I was impressed by the guides and their attention to the solo travelers in the groups. In fact, at the camp at the Bungle Bungles, there was a 90 year old woman traveling solo and she was well taken care of by both the guides and had been "adopted" by many traveling in the group.
I'm speaking most specifically of their small 4WD trips in the Kimberley, but they do run trips all around the country. It may be worth looking into.
http://aptouring.com.au/
Thank you! I'll look into APT.
DKW's suggestion is a good one. There are a couple of other companies that offer a similar program. APT offers both large and smaller group tours. They run only on specific dates so you will want to begin working on this early. As a Travel Professional who specializes in Australia and New Zealand, I suggest you contact someone who specializes in this area. Sometimes we have to combine a couple of small group tours to be abel to fit everything into a client's plan. Good luck.
Another option is OAT, Overseas Adventure Travel. They do small-group tours, and both of the ones that I've been on have been quite good. Generally I travel independently, and I did Australia on my own (easy-peasy, of course) but the OAT itinerary looks good. www.oattravel.com
http://www.oattravel.com/Trips/2013/Ultimate-Australia-2013.aspx
Hello,
Yes, APT is a great company and has the market share for those destinations, especially Alice Springs, Uluru. My clients have also enjoyed guided tours of Australia with Globus and Tauck over the years, especially those who were interested in the the cultural, historical, educational aspects as the tour members tend to be more retired age. People are very friendly, good people persons - several good clients have made longtime friends on these tours. Do be aware of the single supplement costs involved and look for guaranteed departures. She should also be certain to enjoy the Sounds of Silence dinner at Uluru!
Best Wishes,
Julia