carol - Trips & Travels of Grandma

Discover the Benefits of Traveling with Group Tours for Seniors - Find Companionship, Money-Saving Deals, and Expert Guidance for a Fantastic Travel Experience Little organizing yourself Companionship Travel experience with others Safe Sharing moments and laughter Friendship Tour guide assistance and guidance Cost-effective “We are all travellers in the wilderness of the world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” Robert Louis Stevenson Content What the Tour Operators will organize for you9 Reasons Why traveling with a Tour Group is so FantasticWhich Tour Companies to Contact for Seniors If you haven’t or have traveled previously, traveling with a Tour Group can be very assuring. The organizers do all your bookings, you meet new people and make friends for life, decrease the risk of security and the group organizers can get the best deals. What the Tour Operators will organize for you Make sure the Tour Group for Senior organizers is established and has a good reputation. Look at reviews. This will give you an idea of experiences you would like to avoid. Your need is to receive custom-tailored group travel for seniors. Once you have decided which Tour Group and organizers to go with, you can start making arrangements. You don’t need to plan your own trip! Prior to deciding on the tour, you need to decide if you want to fly and stay in booked accommodation or go on a cruise or luxury train journey. All this they will organize for you. How easy is that? All the holiday planning releases you from any panic and anxiety. The older generation today is healthier, more outgoing, and affluent and wants to travel the world as they mature and have more time. Tour Operators love organizing tours for the senior generation and it is one of the fastest-growing markets in the travel industry. They take care of virtually everything. You need to make your needs also known to the Tour organizers, to help them recommend dates, where, how, and even the different sights that you will experience. Your extra expense is shopping and maybe a light lunch or two. Senior tours are significantly different from the tours for the younger generation. They try to cut down on hours of traveling by airplane so there are not too many stops and stop-overs. The hotels that they book are also different from the smaller, cramped rooms that the younger generation finds acceptable. More traditional, spacious rooms and larger reception areas are more appealing, so the group can gather together to enjoy each one's company in lounges or play games. Our generation prefers a quieter location. The accommodation is mainly situated near popular tourist shopping malls so you do not have to walk far to get there. Time for your own interests is also allocated in the schedule. Entertainment that is appropriate for your interests and for the over 50s. Generally, your schedule will be fairly full, but somewhat full. 9 Reasons Why traveling with a Tour Group is so Fantastic 1. Reignite self-confidence If you are not an extrovert it is harder to meet people if you are traveling solo, especially if you are over 50. Many people who are in the tour group are in the same position as you, becoming more reserved as they have become excluded from the world for the last couple of years and their confidence has gone downhill. Being in a group will reignite your self-confidence. 2. Companionship When you are in a group with other seniors, you eat together, share the same tour bus, have the same guides, and share many laughs. New experiences can be rather frightening, but when you travel with a tour group, that panic will dissolve. 3. Talking encyclopedia Independent travel can become a burden right from the planning to the execution. The tour guides know where the best tourist spots are and they cater to the more mature generation, secondly, they know the history of the destination you are visiting. You can learn so much about the country and culture from the guide. They are rather like a walking encyclopedia. If you are traveling solo, you will not have these advantages. 4. Money Saving When booking with a Tour Group, the organization you are booking with knows their business, sharing their experience and knowledge with you, as they have done this for years. You will save on flights, accommodation, guided tours, bus tours, and meals and when you go into National Parks, the entrance fee will be less. 5. Going to Foreign Lands Solo travel into these areas can be scary! An organized Tour Group is the way to go here. Foreign countries speak foreign languages and right from when you enter the country, through to departure, the language is different. In remarkable countries like Russia, Japan, Montenegro and Croatia, and many more, the barrier of language is an obstacle. When I journeyed to Italy, I downloaded and learned from Duolingo Italian daily. I am hopeless at languages but had great fun in the months before leaving. This did help, especially with the general phrases. I felt very proud of myself! Even though you are on a tour and the tour guide can understand the language, knowing a few words and phrases can add to the ambiance of the trip. Customs when you arrive and depart do not always speak English. You could have a few hiccups right from the start. The tour guide who will accompany you or meet you at your destination can speak the language and can explain any unforeseen issues customs may have. Just getting you booked into your accommodation or going out to a restaurant can be problematic and an issue. Have you ever read a menu in German? Sorry I cannot understand and having someone around who can translate is very helpful. Ordering food that you cannot bear or do not know what is in front of you can leave you starving for the rest of the day or night. When I ventured to Montenegro which is an incredible country in the Balkans, I went with my son and daughter-in-law. Just getting my Serbian visa was initially an issue, as at the embassy they struggled to speak English. On arrival in the country, customs asked me questions that I did not understand. I will broaden this destination in another article. I recommend that you visit! “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” –Saint Augustine 6. Transport How heavenly is this! Your transport from the moment you arrive at your airport, harbor, or station destination is planned and catered for. From and to the airport, go on your daily excursion sightseeing. A qualified tour guide will communicate while on the luxurious bus as you travel along, letting you know what you are passing, the history of this or that, and making sure your bus ride is not laborious. If you all go cycling, if this is desired, bicycles are arranged for you. Some tours even offer side-car tours. Yes, going on the side of a motorbike for an exploratory day. Sounds adventurous, but actually very safe. Remember you do not have to participate in anything you really do not want to do. Think twice though, it could be surprisingly enjoyable and a memory to treasure forever! 7. Safety In our overpopulated world, pickpockets are everywhere. Being in a group lessens the liability of you becoming a target, with the tour guide also aware of areas where the criminal lurks and will either let you know or not take you to these locations. 8. Access to Tourist Hotspots Some areas in different nations are only open to tours. These events can be exceedingly special and you do not want to miss the moment. Going into museums or even cathedrals, the queues can be so long, that if you are trying to get in as an individual, you could wait for hours. A tour group will have an advantage and the time frame for waiting in queues is far less. 9. Friendship What would you like your caption to read on the photo you receive after your vacation with your group? Special, distinctive, and long-lasting friends are made on these tours. During the months that follow you will be planning your next trip with many of the special friends you made. “The fastest way to make a friend for life is to travel with a stranger.” Christina Pfeiffer Which Tour Companies to Contact for Seniors Travelside has a good selection of Senior Travel Tour Companies and Family Vacationist also has some recommendations. Browse through and see which companies appeal to you. Read my article on How to Decide on the Best Tour Company for Seniors. This will give you an idea of how to choose the correct tour company for you. Have you been on any retiree group tours? Tell us about them in the comments section. Your experience and suggestions will encourage others.