Tours for Seniors

Senior travel tours are arranged in groups and can mean anything from a traversing the Italian countryside to a day trip to a nearby attraction. These trips are sometimes structured around a range of activities like educational walking tours, sightseeing stops or even visits to casinos. Travel agents often offer senior vacation packages which could be combinations of different hotel, flight and tour accommodations or an all inclusive arrangement through a tour company.

If you book a vacation package that is specifically designed for seniors, you're less likely to receive senior tour discounts that you might get if you went through a regular company. American Association for Retired Persons discounts can net you anywhere between 5 and 30 percent on travel costs, but since senior tours companies cater to all seniors, they usually just build whatever discount they would be able to offer into their base prices. You can still usually save money by traveling off-season though.

If you suffer from any medical conditions or have a disability, be sure to ask the company offering whatever tours you might be considering whether the planned activities are suitable. For instance, if you require a wheelchair, will all of the locales be wheelchair accessible.

One of the most well known senior citizen tour companies is called Exploritas, though you may know it as ElderHostel which it was called before a recent name change. Exploritas is a non-profit educational travel organization for seniors. Its mission is to give adults aged 55 and over access to affordable travel options focused on education and cultural exposure, and since the organization is non-profit, you can expect to find very reasonable rates. Exploritas offers travel tours in more than 90 different countries and every state in the U.S.

The AARP website is another great resource for senior trips. You can search for tours and rates or select a specific company from a list of AARP-approved tour companies offering what are often substantial discounts to members.