Group Tours For Seniors

As people grow older, and their children leave the nest to form families of their own, they have more leisure time to enjoy such activities as going on tours. Many companies are in the business of taking senior citizens on trips around their communities. This article will be about group tours for citizens.

Companies of the time just mentioned typically own and operate buses, mini- coaches, and other vehicles that they may own or rent. Many of them will pick people up for free, and often it takes only a half hour from the time they get on to the time the actual tour begins.

The people who work in senior group tour environments are specially trained to protect the safety of those they take. The drivers in particular are quite experienced, as are their management teams.

Travel on a Budget

The tours are also designed to fit within the budgets of the particular people who use them. The elderly are generally living on a fixed income, though there are quite a few who remain in the workforce (I personally have known such people in all the places where I worked). And this fact must be taken into account when planning a trip for such people. Company employees are also able and willing to make special arrangements for those with special needs, such as a certain kind of diet, a wheelchair, or medications that must be taken at regular intervals. Tourists can select the services they need—whether they involve having their arrivals and departures scheduled, to simply being guided along the way.

Organized Travel

Senior group tours may have any type of place as their destination. There is an organization, for instance that takes people of all ages to see the caverns of Lake Shasta, the artificial body of water in northern California, in the Sacramento area. Other tours serve educational purposes: Lemon Hill Mansion, a historic building in Fairmont Park in Philadelphia, welcomes elderly groups taking tours that last a half day. Only those who are physically able to climb up stairs should go on this one, however, as the mansion has neither ramps nor wheelchair accessibility, and does have many staircases.

International Options

Other tours for seniors involve travel to foreign countries. There is a program, for instance, that operates out of South Africa and the United Kingdom and is devoted to taking the elderly on a trip through Africa. While traveling, they get to meet members of the local tribes, who are very friendly, and learn about their cultures; observe lions, giraffes, elephants, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, zebras, antelope, and other fascinating wildlife, as well as the spectacular countryside scenery; and end each day with a meal of wine and exotic African food! Seven different safaris are available, ranging in length from three to twenty- one days, and each is concentrated in a different geographical area. The longest is the three- week- long Southern Loop Safari, which starts and ends in the historic tourist center of Livingston, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and covers such famous attractions as Victoria Falls; Rundu, a village where local crafts may be learned about; Etosha National Park; the sand dunes of Sossusvlei; the wind- shaped sand masses of the Kalahari Desert; the Okovango Delta; and the elephant herds that populate Chobe National Park. Others are the Best of South Africa; Botswana Adventure; Cape Town and Desert; Namibia in Comfort; Kruger Treehouse Experience; and Sossusvlei Excursion (the shortest).

Such adventure groups that specialize in travel for people over the age of fifty exist all over the world. The first such company is called Elder Treks, established in 1987, which covers over 100 countries. Tours consist only of small groups—never with more than sixteen members—and cover places which are “off the beaten path.” Likewise, only expedition ships are used to transport passengers, never the larger cruise ships; such a small scale arrangement allows the employees to attend to the needs and wants of each of the members individually. Elder Treks has also created a loyalty program called Club Trek, in which all those who travel with their groups at least once are automatically enrolled.

The desire to travel never goes away as we age. It may even grow! 

Author Bio:

Iliana Spector is a health writer for http://assistedlivingtoday.com/s/wyoming/assisted-living/a leading source of information on a range of topics related to elderly care and assisted living.