bob_brown

Although the tours are a little more expensive because they are small, my wife and I (I am 73) have taken two tours of Wales with Backroads Touring of the UK.
We made our arrangements via email.

The tours are small, there is a lot of personal attention from the guide/driver, and the destinations can be adjusted somewhat each day to meet the wishes of the group -- of course the adjustments must be made within the framework of the tours' objectives.

We were very dissatisfied with a big canned tour by Insight, but Backroads I felt really gave me my money's worth. I think my wife would agree with that, because after the first one we came back for a second one.

Both were short in terms of time, but they were well paced and full of fun for all of us. We even did things most evenings, like stopping in Chepstow to hear the men's choir sing. We also did the same in northern Wales. A real treat.

These of course are not organized tour groups, but a collection of individuals who meet for the tour. Because of the truely backroads nature of the tours, the people involved tend to have similar interests.

And the fact that we consulted with our driver each day at breakfast about what we would like to see that day was a tremendous bonus. The agenda was not set in stone.

Scarlett

Our 60 & 70-something neighbors in NY (retired school teachers) used Elderhostel all the time. I never heard one complaint.
How can one generalize to such a degree about what sort of people take which tours?

geribrum

Here's a vote for Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). I went to Thailand with them as a single, willing to share with a roommate. I was matched with Vera, a lovely lady from Ohio, in the same age bracket as I. We got along so well, we took two more trips together with OAT.

OAT is a sister organization of GCT, but limits their group size to 16, which is a huge advantage. A bit more expensive than GCT, but definitely worth it.

artlover

Eloise,
I have friends who have lived and travelled all over the world who have taken and enjoyed Rick Steves' tours.

suze

my friend's various Elderhostel trips included:
3 wks in Spain recently, the Seychelles, Panama Canal, South America, China, Iran...

her view is that they take good care of you, and lodging are nice quality, but not in an osetentatious way and always respectful of local communities. activities, tours, social, and educational opportunities to participate in. structured but in a way she appreciated, and she's a bit of a free spirit.

Jed

We have taken Elderhostel trips to Spain, Portugal, Tanzania, Mexico, and Greece. Italy coming up in October.

There are always a few single people, mostly women.

SusieQQ

I am in that age group and do not like organized tours at all. What I do is try to enroll in a class or volunteer in an area and then do traveling on either end of the time. My favorite is Earthwatch.org.

Luisah

Have your friend check the web sites: Elderhostel.org and Oattravel.com and request catalogs.

Both offer a wide range of trips, covering special interests and activities, but ask about the size of the group on the EH tours. OAT tours are limited to 16 but EH has larger groups. I went on one that had 38 and the second (should have asked before going) was 100 - not good.

Both EH and OAT offer single rooms at a supplement or rommate matching.

I have a friend who went to Italy on a RS tour and enjoyed it.

cmt

If she is in pretty good physical condition and enjoys walking, and can tolerate walking uphill or on rough paths, she might like small group walking tours. I have been on several. The age range of the walking tours I've taken has ranged from early 30s to early 80s, with most people in their 50s and early 60s. But it's not at all unusual for people in late 60s and early 70s (or older) to take these trips. However, the older people on these trips (all the ones I took were rated "moderate" or "easy to moderate&quot were all pretty experienced hikers. I took five of these trips from 1997 to 2000 (in Italy, France, and Greece). Unfortunately prices have increased dramatically since then. I did take one of these trips in the USA (Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, and Zion) last September with Classic Journeys, a walking tour company that features easier walking, with short, more difficult hikes that are optional. The age range was mid-40s to mid-60s. If she likes alking, but doesn't want to have to push herself too much, she might like one of the Classic Journeys trips in Europe. Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) also has tours that are more active than most, with optional short hikes. I fund on the Turkey tour that the hiking that they rate "challenging" is actually on the level of the hikes rated "easy" by other companies. OAT seems to be aimed at older people. I went on an OAT tour to Turkey. It was an excellent tour, wonderful itinerary, good guide and accommodations, good price. Some of the other people on the tour were really annoying and I couldn't wait to get away from them, and the company's customer service via telephone was horrible.

If your friend is NOT up to walking/hiking tours, maybe she'd like Grand Circle bus tours. They are geared for older people. A friend of mine in her early 80s loved taking several of their tours when she was in her 70s.

Luisah

Hi cmt,

Can you elaborate on "some of the people were annoying?" Were they requesting special service? Were you able to get away from them during the tour or did you have to stick together?

A friend just returned from an Oat tour and said it was excellent but they had one prima donna and the guide was catering to her, so someone finally talked to the guide about it.

I doubt this type of problem is limited to OAT but I do wonder how you dealt with it on the tour.

Thanks.

sandikitties

Try Goaheadtours (goaheadtours.com). in the past, I have taken my mother who was 79 at the time and we met people from their 50's to even a couple in their 80's! Every one was great and the tour even had single people traveling. It was a wonderful chance to meet people from other parts of the states and we have kept in touch with some of them.