Peter_S_Aus

This is a bit long range, but we’re planning a return to Venice mid-November, 2010, for about six weeks. The plan is for my mother-in-law to come with us, spend about ten days in Venice, and then go her merry way. We were thinking that she could join a tour group in Italy for say a week to ten days, before heading back to Aus.

She’s a sprightly 84 year old, just back from a 15 day cruise down the Rhine, and reasonably well funded. Can anyone recommend a tour of Italy or maybe the south of France that would suit an older demographic?

cathies

Can't help, but wanted to say that your mother-in-law sounds fabulous! I hope I'm still travelling as actively when I am her age. Cathie

Peter_S_Aus

Hi Cathie,
She is good fun.
We’ve started her on an early training regime for Italy, encouraging her to swap from brandy and dry ginger to drinking spritzes. She’s doing both mostly.

Switching from decaf coffee to the real thing for Italy will be a bit harder.

We’re taking her camping in a couple of months. She has to walk through a river to get to our camp site, and that should stand her in good stead for Venice when it floods.

These activities do rather interfere with her tennis, but we’ve told her to just get over it.

Cheers

Peter

latedaytraveler

Peter, most of the big tour companies have winter offerings in Europe - same destinations but fewer departures during winter months with a slightly reduced cost. Be sure to select a "definite" departure date since many tours are cancelled if there are not enought participants.

I would start by checking out Insight and (more upscale) Tauck tours.

farrermog

Finding a convenient 'guaranteed departure' towards the end of the shoulder or in the early off season may be a bit of a challenge. Family members thinking of travelling in Europe during April last had a lot of trouble finding a 'guaranteed' tour to plan around and of course the highly uncertain economic outlook at the time wasn't helping tour operators secure minimum numbers. If I recall, the desired Insight tours and other possibilities didn't start until May.

Lifeman

By the time that she is ready to leave you and strike out on her own, it will be around the end of November, not a great time in Europe for finding tours etc. Most holidaymakers/travellers are too busy planning for Christmas.

Try http://www.vjv.com/--Voyages Jules Verne-- a London based company who may allow her to join a tour without the flight from the UK.

adrienne

Your mother sounds like she would enjoy an Elderhostel trip which combines sightseeing and learning/lectures. I have friends who have done some of these trips and thoroughly enjoyed them. I took a look at the Italy trips and it seems like they end in mid November and then don't start up again until the spring, except for Christmas/New Years trips. But you could keep Elderhostel in mind in case you decide to go earlier in the fall.

http://www.elderhostel.org/

adrienne

Grand Circle has 2 Italy trips that run at the end of November. They do not have their 2010 fall schedule yet but you can see the dates for this year. There were no trips in France for late in the year.

http://tinyurl.com/mdg46u

Guenmai

Yes, I was thinking the same....elderhostel. I tried to get my now 80-something Mom to do it when she was in her mid 70s, but she said she'd rather travel with me as she didn't want to hang out with "old" people. LOL. Happy Travels!

adrienne

As I was looking at the Elderhostel Italy trips I saw a service trip where you teach English (perhaps in Pulia...can't remember exactly where the trip is). It looked very interesting and a different type of trip. Oh how I wish I had lots of money to do all these things!

Peter_S_Aus

Thank you all for your advice - it will give us something to be getting on with.

Cheers

peter

ira

Hi PSA,

They have very good decaf in Italy.

After a week in Venice, how hard would it be for Mom to visit Florence and Rome by herself? The only difficulty I can see is getting suitcases on/off trains. There are folks who will do that for a very small fee.

Delaine

I would recommend Tauck Tours. There are a variety of age groups represented, but, due to the price, the travelers are usually on the older side. I think your mother would fit in just fine.

(I am a 37-year-old female who sometimes travels to Europe alone, and I feel more comfortable on a tour. I don't travel lightly enough for a train and don't want to rent a car and drive alone. I also have a penchant for "luxury" hotels. Despite being on a tour, I do extensive research before I go and know exactly what I want to see in my free time and how to see it when I get to my destination. However, many people just want to go where they are taken and leave it at that, which is fine, too if that's what they like.)

The Tauck tours stay at wonderful, centrally located hotels. Additionally, all sightseeing described is included and is not an excursion available only for an added cost. You have the same tour director for the duration of your trip, with additional local guides in some cities, e.g. Rome, etc. Many meals are included, most of which are a la carte. Meals are usually in the hotel's restaurant(s) or a local restaurant, not just a banquet room, and sometimes you have a choice of restaurants. All breakfasts are buffets, which are usually quite lavish, sometimes even with champagne for mimosas. When you arrive at your hotel, you are presented with your room key, and your bag(s) are delivered to your room shortly. When you change cities, your bag(s) are picked up from the inside of your room.

I have taken 2 Tauck tours to Italy, one 14-day tour, "Classic Italy," and another 10-day tour to Rome, Venice, Florence, plus. I would highly recommend either one. There are also other tours that focus on certain areas. The web site is www.tauck.com.

farrermog

The Tauck tours certainly look good - for those who can afford them - but neither the 10 or 14 day Italy tour appears to have a November 2009 departure (and who knows what will be the case in late 2010).

LoveItaly

Hello janisj, point well taken. And not to hijack this thread, but we are sure having winter weather today, thunder and rain. Take good care.

janisj

Hasn't started raining up here yet -- but looks like it could any minute now . . . Weird huh?

(Just changed my entire wardrobe for 4 days down the coast starting tomorrow )

Sue4

I have done some Tauck Tours in the past, but never in Europe, which I prefer doing on my own.
I certainly highly recommend Tauck, though. Everything is included, and they use 4-star hotels. I did a couple of Maupintour tours about 20 years ago, to Great Britain and Switzerland. They were quite nice, too, and limit the number of people to less than Tauck does. There seemed to be mostly middle aged people on the tours I had, rather than elderly. I think the Elderhostel idea might be a good option. I'm thinking of that myself for the future. I'm not as old as your mother-in-law, but fast approaching! They seem to have some very interesting programs, and many different things to choose from. I was just looking at their website recently to get some ideas.

LoveItaly

Yes, welcome to Fodor's Odessa, and your comments about the various tours will be a great help to other Fodorites.

Regarding travelling by train, I have found a 21 inch piece of luggage with a small carryon works the best. That is what my Italians friends in Italy use also when travelling by train.

valtor

I made only one tour with Tauck, in Canadian Rockies. It was like a dream! We stayed at the best and most beautiful hotels (all Fairmont's hotels), all tours were included, the group was of 30 persons, the bus very comfortable, the guide very good. All the meals included, we could select at what restaurant , at what hour we want to have dinner and if we like to be alone or with somebody else at a table. In general the lunches and of course the breakfasts were with the whole group, because we were during the daily excursion.

So, based on my previous experience, the comments made by Odessa made me curious, so I had a look in Tauck site. I took one trip - Italian Lakes, Venice, Florence and Rome. The hotels are:

Lugano =- Grand Hotel Eden on the waterfront of Lugano Paradiso or Splendide Royal Lugano
Venice - Hotel Danieli
Florence - The Westin Excelsior 5-star , close to the Uffizi Gallery and the Ponte Vecchio
Rome - St. Regis Grand, in the center of the city, within walking distance of the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and Via Veneto

I see that all of them are very, very good and centrally located.
Odessa, what did you visit with Tauck in Europe and at what hotels did you stay?

Peter, however I do not see any Tauck tour in Italy in November. There are in October or in December 2009 (the program for 2010 is shown only till August).

bratsandbeer

Regarding the coffee problem - I cannot drink the strong coffee in either country so if it is too strong, I ask for a pot of hot water and have had no problem with this request. I can then "water" down the coffee and it is good.

Can she drink the excellent wine in France and Italy?