Thanks again. Presently, our mental acuity is not an issue. Well, does not appear to be an issue.

We were lucky that we realized in our 40's to do things that required stamina and agility and wait on the easier trips.

My wife walked the 500 mile Camino in 2007 and she could not do it now.

I have been on 3 Untour trips to various regions of Germany and Switzerland. Started this way a couple of decades ago, before "graduating" to independence. There are no obligations to join in Untour activities, and in fact, there are no organized activities beyond an orientation on day 2 and a farewell dinner, usually highlighting local folk culture. You are given reams of suggestions for local events/places of interest before leaving the US. You are encouraged to meet up with other untourists staying in your town IF your interests merge. So, overall, its a nice framework, for those that like to have a local support/contact person, should problems arise. You stay I independent vacation apartments, shop locally, live like a local.

I've been on a couple tours and they didn't have any terrible early morning must-dos except maybe one day we had to leave town, but that wold happen on your own, anyway. I never sleep late, anyway, so I'm always up whether at home or on vacation by 7 am. I just chose my tours wisely, I preferred ones that stayed in the major places about 3 days, and where you were on your own for meals.

But it also just sounds like you can cut down on the number of places you visit and problem solved, why not. MOst trips don't involve driving at all, unless you want them to, nor a lot of changes unless you want them to. Just stop doing that. Go to 1-2 bases and take day trips from them by train/bus or even a day trip tour company, that's what I do.

You stay IN local neighborhood vacation apartments, not hotels. I have consistently found the price to be about 10-15% more than if I made all my own arrangements. May be "worth it" when you don't want to deal with all the cumbersome details.
I definitely would consider them again for added security as health/aging issues arise.

We just stayed in an apartment in Amsterdam, as we have in Edinburgh, and Barcelona. Like everything else they have their advantages such as greater space and the ability to save on meals. There is an advantage, however, to hotels, where certain things are just taken care of for you and questions are more easily answered.

(IMDoneHere - wasn't implying or saying either one of you had that problem -- comment was more in general about reasons to take a tour rather than travel independently.)

Try a river cruise. If you haven't done the Christmas markets, I would start there.

I understand what you are saying. I took early retirement so I could travel, and am glad I did, as I have noticeably less energy now than I did a decade ago. (Like kja I am saving some destinations for when I get (even) more decrepit!)

One suggestion is that you pack much lighter - trains are much easier to handle if you have less luggage. Another, of course, is to stay in one place longer, making day trips - London, Paris, Nice, Vienna, etc. etc.

I mostly travel solo but I have done some tours. For Asia I have used Intrepid, but you do need to be reasonably agile for their trips. For Europe I have used Rick Steves. I know that RS is not popular here, but his tours are not bad - central hotels, excellent guides, good food and quite a lot of free time. But you have to be able to handle your own luggage.

I would take a look at Road Scholar, although they are expensive. Another possibility, if you just want transport and hotels, is Gate1. I would avoid Travalgar and GCT. My elder sister, who lives in England, has started taking hotel holidays with Saga - http://travel.saga.co.uk - and seems happy with them, but unless you want to take the optional excursions I would have thought it would be just as easy to book the hotel yourself.

Certainly river cruises are an increasingly popular option, but they don't give you much time in each place.

We have lightened our load by bringing a tablet in place of standard lap top and we now use small DSLR's instead of the large SLR's with interchangeable lenses. I also bring old socks and underwear and throw them away towards the end of the trip, to make things lighter.

I am of the camp that Rick Steve's is a lazy and uneducated writer, especially when it comes to small towns, and art.

One of the pleasures of traveling is eating local cuisine. Of course we have had many so-so meals, but the thought of eating meals prepared for us as a group has little appeal. For example, even though we have eaten Turkish food in NYC, it moved up considerably on our lists of favorite cuisines after our visit there.

We are thinking of an Israel, Petra, Cairo trip in 2016. We have friends in Cairo, so we will look to them for guidance, but someone mentioned Road Scholar and that tour looked liked it has potential.

If you're not keen on group meals you would actually be better off on a Rick Steves' tour than a Road Scholar. Rick's tours include all breakfasts but only half of dinners and no lunches, and I have found the meals to be generally good and certainly local (you can read reports of tour members on his website for more info). Road Scholar, on the other hand, includes almost all meals, breakfast lunch and dinner, quite often in hotels. I seriously considered their tour of Sicily, until I discovered that all dinners were in hotels, and I seriously considered their tour of Labrador and Newfoundland, until I discovered that at least some dinners were at 5:00 pm.

Thanks for the tip on Road Scholar. I gauge a travel book by what I know best and we happen to know Spain the best. Rick Steve's guide to Spain is lazy in that he excludes towns near the ones he describes that have significant reasons to visit and his knowledge of Spanish art does is embarrassing for a travel professional. And when I have seen his shows on PBS, his knowledge of Spanish cuisine is lacking.

But overall this information and experience is wonderful in finding a direction. I truly appreciate it.

I used to be a Rick Steves fan but have changed my opinion for two reasons.

After buying his guide to Paris I came to the same conclusion in that he omits so much that is good and interesting. He focus on only a small portion of a country or city. No guide book is completely comprehensive but his is more lacking than others.

The other reason is he calls himself the budget travel guide yet his tours are very expensive. I haven't looked at his tours lately but he used to make single people room together, you had to use a very small suitcase, and the lodgings were budget style. I thought his tours did not give value for the money charged and the prices were in opposition to his budget travel claims.

A few people (who's opinions I value) on this board have taken his tours and written trip reports but I'd be hesitant to take his tours.

Maybe when the time comes, there may be smaller, regional tours with good reputations. I know that 95% of the people here are indies but maybe there is a board where they discuss tours.

Right now visiting fewer places, seems like a good alternative especially for those countries that are stable.

We're in the same situation as the original writer - love independent travelling but age is catching up with us. Husband no longer capable of heaving luggage onto trains and up into luggage racks. Even the long flights (we're Australian) are taking their toll on us.
Hate organised coach trips - so regimented and you are committed to spending time with perhaps people you don't have anything in common with. And yes, I know that not all coach trips are like that.
We've done some river cruises in Europe - delightful but a bit expensive. Tried ocean cruising - just done one which took us to places we would have never gone to by ourselves, mainly because the travel would have involved multiple flights and stopovers. Now thinking cruising is an easy way to see places without the regimentation of coach tours.

We now rent apts or homes for at least a week and canine several of these .
For example , rent on Paris at least a week, fly to Nice ( or train ) rent a place there for a week or two. Use public transportation. We haven't done this but look at Untours for rentals with support.
Good luck .

I'm going to have to be in MUCH worse shape before I take up ocean cruising. I've been in ports like Dubrovnik and Rhodes when the cruise ships are docked, and it's not a pretty sight. You have a completely different experience after the cruisers leave. Plus, if you think it's a problem to share a coach with 10 to 30 people (I won't take a tour with more) what price the thousands on a cruise ship? And if you're not up to arranging your own shore excursions, you'll wind up on a bus anyway.