Retirement Travel: Should You Join a Tour Group, or Plan Your Own
Category: Travel
August 15 , 2024 — One of the most common things that retirees say they want to do is travel, now that they have the time, and maybe the money, to do it. Couples usually spend a lot of time deciding where and when to go. For example, they might want to take their most adventurous tours early in retirement, when they have fewer physical problems. But another issue that needs to be decided is whether to plan the trip by yourself, use a travel agent, or go on some type of group tour. In the hope of making your travel experiences better, this article will explore all these options, with the pluses and minuses for both.
Tour Group
This is by far the easiest option. You decide on where you are going and your budget, then you pick the tour operator that matches your needs. Nowadays there are tours for every interest and level of activity – from theatre tours of London, river cruises, national parks, to the base camps of Mount Everest. Choosing a company that you have used before, or which comes highly recommended by someone whose judgement you trust, is a good way to go. College alumni tours are a great idea. They tend to include more interesting sights and destinations, a chance to travel with people you have something in common with, and the expertise of a college professor to explain what you are seeing.
Comments on "Retirement Travel: Should You Join a Tour Group, or Plan Your Own"
Lynne says:
I have done both. If I travel with someone, we usually pick everything ourselves, get maps, rent a car and go. It is a great way to see as much or as little as you like. If I go solo, I go with a group. Much more expensive with the solo penalties, but much safer. There is usually personal time built into the tours, where you can go and do your own thing. Both options have their pros and cons, but the end result is worth it.
Linda says:
We usually combine both. We sign up with a very high-quality tour company that we’ve used several times. We arrive at the starting city early to relax and have some adventures on our own. At the end of the tour (usually 2 weeks) we fly to another country of choice and do our own thing for another week or so.
Group tours are very rigorous though. You wake up at dawn and hit the road very early. You change cities/hotels almost every day. You never unpack. It’s great fun and we’ve met some wonderful people along the way. You have options to explore on your own several afternoons during the tour or you can sign up for additional excursions for extra $. Tours plan so much for you and you see an abundance of sights and attractions that would be very hard to get to on your own.
Admin says:
We have done this both ways. Each has its attractions and negatives. One of the best things about group tours is meeting interesting people. The flexibility of going solo is fun, you pick what to do and where to eat. Group tours all have the same kind of stops, after a couple maybe one too many wine or olive oil tastings.
Frances says:
I feel compelled to respond to this thread. Hubby and I are "Full Time RV'ers" and have been for 9 years now. We have been used to traveling on our own and our own schedule. This is our 50th anniversary year and are taking an RV Caravan tour of the Badlands to the Rockies. It was not cheap but our travel clock is ticking and in 38 days we will see places that it would take us years to get to. It starts on Wednesday and there are a few RV's here already. We have met a few folks and so far things are great! Travel gets under way Friday.
Will report back when tour is over and give our thoughts on solo or group travel! Love this USA!!