ABD-type trip for senior citizens?

starry_solo

DIS Veteran
Joined
Nov 19, 2010
Just wondering if anyone knows of any ABD-type trips for senior citizens.
Parents are older and want to go to Europe.

We have done Trafalgar, Globus, Cosmos tours.

Was going to do a Gate1 Tour, but that got cancelled.

The "kids" (also adults) in the family have decided that if we can find an ABD-type tour for senior citizens, that might be the best way to go...
 
You can look at Tauck (not Tauck Bridges, which is for families). Their trips tend to skew older. Several folks on this Forum have used Tauck.

You could also look at OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel). My neighbor uses them all the time and really likes them. I haven't used them yet, but I am looking at them. They are specifically aimed at Seniors (although they *allow* children 13 and over. That's mostly intended for grandchildren.)

Sayhello
 
I second Tauck. They have been around forever, well before ABD, and their traditional trips are generally for mature adults.
 


Thanks for the suggestions! I think we are also looking for slow paced, leisurely type tours. Cuz walking long hours isn’t their forte. 😂
 


Yup, Road Scholar. I've done 9, and been happy with all of them. I've done hiking in Montana, river cruises in Europe, and snorkeling in South America, to name a few. At 54, I'm always the youngest, and I'd say the average age is around 70.

They have a huge range of activity level and interests that spans the globe (and the US.) General tours are coded on a 4 "bar" level activity level, and active tours on a 3 "walking man" level. The descriptions daily will describe how much and what sort of activity you do. We just got back from a "3 walking man" trip to the Galapagos, which had us hiking and snorkeling multiple times a day. It was exhausting, but awesome. There are "1 bar" trips where your biggest exertion is getting on the bus in the morning. :). There's everything from 3 day basket weaving workshops to a round-the-world private jet tour.

Better yet I've really enjoyed the people on the tours. They tend towards intellectually curious, and generally not entitled/high maintenance.

They are mid-level. Nice, but not over the top hotels (though occasionally they are super nice hotels - ours in Machu Picchu was amazing.) You are responsible for moving your luggage around, to an extent. There is a local trip leader, and also a guide for wherever you are.
 
Yup, Road Scholar. I've done 9, and been happy with all of them. I've done hiking in Montana, river cruises in Europe, and snorkeling in South America, to name a few. At 54, I'm always the youngest, and I'd say the average age is around 70.

They have a huge range of activity level and interests that spans the globe (and the US.) General tours are coded on a 4 "bar" level activity level, and active tours on a 3 "walking man" level. The descriptions daily will describe how much and what sort of activity you do. We just got back from a "3 walking man" trip to the Galapagos, which had us hiking and snorkeling multiple times a day. It was exhausting, but awesome. There are "1 bar" trips where your biggest exertion is getting on the bus in the morning. :). There's everything from 3 day basket weaving workshops to a round-the-world private jet tour.

Better yet I've really enjoyed the people on the tours. They tend towards intellectually curious, and generally not entitled/high maintenance.

They are mid-level. Nice, but not over the top hotels (though occasionally they are super nice hotels - ours in Machu Picchu was amazing.) You are responsible for moving your luggage around, to an extent. There is a local trip leader, and also a guide for wherever you are.
Are there many solo travelers on Road Scholar trips? My son is still willing to travel with me, but he's in college and has a job, so it's harder to schedule something that fits both of our schedules.
 
The biggest group I've been on, besides the river cruise, was 26 people. There has always been at least one solo female. Most groups skew a bit female anyways, and there is frequently a set or two of sisters or friends as well. The solo women have fit in just fine.

I have a good friend, who I met on my first RS trip, who has done 27 trips so far. She did the majority of them as a solo. You can pay the single supplement (which is usually not just double the price), look for deals (they often have free solo deals,) or agree to have a roommate, which you may or may not actually get.
 
Have you looked at Viking? My dad enjoys those
If you're open to a river cruise instead of a land trip, I definitely recommend Viking. My parents have gone on a couple and they tend to skew older (for reference my parents went on one last year and were in the middle to younger side of the group and they are in their mid 50's). The river cruises offer free excursions at every port and they usually have a couple you could pay extra to do or you can explore on your own
 
Try Abercrombie & Kent. They are expensive but so worth it--they will talk with you & steer you to the type of trip your parents want & can handle.
 
I would also look into Perillo Tours.
I did the 14 night Perillo Classic Italy North tour when I was 23 with a classmate from college. It was a LOT of walking. Every day we were up early and seeing a lot. We were fine with it but most other travelers in our group were retirees and they were very vocal in their complaints that they needed more rest time. We thought the whole thing was fabulous!

Just for a chuckle, this tour was $2400 pp when we booked it in 1989 for a September 1990 trip. That included RT flights from JFK, flying into Rome and returning from Milan, Italian airport transfers, all breakfasts and dinners, wine with dinner, and entry into all museums/monuments. All we needed extra cash for was lunches, shopping and gratuities. We were a bit nervous to be flying PanAm after the Lockerbie, Scotland incident.

Last time I looked, the price had doubled and no longer included flights.
 
I did the 14 night Perillo Classic Italy North tour when I was 23 with a classmate from college. It was a LOT of walking. Every day we were up early and seeing a lot. We were fine with it but most other travelers in our group were retirees and they were very vocal in their complaints that they needed more rest time. We thought the whole thing was fabulous!

Just for a chuckle, this tour was $2400 pp when we booked it in 1989 for a September 1990 trip. That included RT flights from JFK, flying into Rome and returning from Milan, Italian airport transfers, all breakfasts and dinners, wine with dinner, and entry into all museums/monuments. All we needed extra cash for was lunches, shopping and gratuities. We were a bit nervous to be flying PanAm after the Lockerbie, Scotland incident.

Last time I looked, the price had doubled and no longer included flights.

We looked at one of their tours for this September but it was already full/booked. We are doing Sicily on our own this year - mostly to visit my hometown, my DH's hometown (both west side/he has never been back) and visit the East side also a few days.

I have heard great things about Perillo. Much of Italy is not handicap friendly and not easily walkable for many who don't need a scooter but still have a hard time walking. We were on the 11 N Med DCL cruise - we found many ports the busses did not stop near the main attraction so lot's of walking/hills, etc. We did have in Rome one attraction we did not get to because one woman could not keep up (the excursions do tell the activity level). Eventually the guide got her a ride to meet us at the place where we were going to have our meal and then on to the port.

Perhaps it's best these types of visits are done on their own, at their own pace and decide where to go.
 
Perhaps it's best these types of visits are done on their own, at their own pace and decide where to go.
True, or use a private guide. When I returned many years later with dh, our teens, and my parents, we sailed on DCL to the Med. My parents knew they couldn’t walk quickly with their heart and lung problems. So rather than having them so stressed trying to keep up, we used Rome In Limo private tours. We all knew we’d be able to see a lot more without my parents but now that my mom is deceased, we are glad we have those happy memories.
 
Try Abercrombie & Kent. They are expensive but so worth it--they will talk with you & steer you to the type of trip your parents want & can handle.
Have you done Abercrombie & Kent? I'm looking into them as a potential option for Africa and I'm curious to get some firsthand insight. For context, I travel with my mom, who is a VERY active 74, and I'm a moderately active 35. We both run, and she does better with the 6-8 mile days walking around the Disney parks than I do.
 

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