Tour Companies That Cater to Travelers Over 50
By the time you hit 50, you’ve learned a lot about how to make the best use of your travel time. It’s no accident that older and wiser travelers tend toward senior travel tours, which offer the chance to leave the driving to someone else, not sweat the details, and be freed up to really enjoy a destination.
Most tours for older travelers do a good job meeting the needs of travelers in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 90s, but there are some travel tour companies for seniors that go above and beyond. And while age is just one of the many factors that defines your travel style, it’s still nice to know you’re traveling with a company that puts in the extra effort to make their tours for seniors really work for everyone on the trip.
The Best Travel Tour Companies for Seniors
Here are the travel tour companies for seniors that shine especially bright when it comes to the offerings, amenities, and details that serve older travelers.
With its educational FOCUS and tours spanning more than 100 countries and all 50 states, Road Scholar (formerly known as Elderhostel) is a perfect fit for curiosity-driven lifelong learners. The company’s average guest age is 72, but participants on these travel tours for seniors range in age from 50s to 90s. Programs are ranked by level of activity, and span the spectrum from “Easy Going” (which focuses more on classroom learning) to more physically demanding options like the outdoor-adventure focused “Outdoor: Challenging” programs.
Road Scholar also offers “Choose Your Pace” senior travel tours that allow participants to adjust their level of challenge on a daily basis. And for skip-gen vacations, Road Scholar offers Grandparent Programs, a series of fun-for-all senior tours designed specifically for grandparents traveling with their grandkids.
Globus
For more than 90 years, Globus has been a trusted guided tour specialist that ranks among the best travel tour companies for seniors. One of the ways it has translated age into wisdom is by recognizing that a one-size-fits-all tour doesn’t work for everyone. Its range of touring types significantly boosts the chance of creating personalized matches between destinations and travelers.
For instance, some of its travel tours for seniors FOCUS on the big sights and tourist attractions that first-time travelers won’t want to miss. But there are also plenty of itineraries in Italy, the Mediterranean, the U.K., and the U.S. that earn the company’s Undiscovered designation by focusing on off-the-beaten-path attractions and experiences that create once-in-a-lifetime moments for seasoned travelers who want to go deeper into a destination.
And for couples and groups with different interests, Globus’ new Choice Touring format gives people a variety of included activity choices at each destination so that everyone can find the right adventure.
Intrepid Travel
With its FOCUS on active trips, you might think of Intrepid Travel as a tour company geared toward younger people. But Intrepid Travel’s North America Managing Director Matt Berna sums up the company’s age-inclusive ethos when he says, “Life is an adventure at any age and it’s highly likely you’ll find people of similar age and interest sharing—and enjoying—the trip right alongside you.”
In fact, Intrepid reports that senior travelers who fall into the 50 age category are among the most interested in its new active trips, which include walking and trekking tours, cycling trips, and multi-activity adventures. The company designs trips that are meant to be enjoyed rather than being a constant endurance test, so what Berna calls a “general level of health and fitness” is all that’s needed to make the most of the experience.
Benefits of cycling for older people
Cycling is easy on the joints and a great way to maintain cardiovascular fitness. stockstudioX / Getty Images
It goes without saying that any exercise is better than no exercise, but there are a number of reasons why cycling is a particularly good form of exercise for seniors. We’ve outlined 27 benefits of cycling, many of which apply just as much to older riders as to younger ones. Maintaining cardiovascular fitness is increasingly important as we age, but there are other benefits of exercise beyond that, from a lower risk of cancer and strokes right through to better bowel movements. The balance aspect of cycling is also important for motor coordination. In general, moderate-intensity exercise is considered to yield more benefits than lower intensities. When cycling, you can exercise as hard or as gently as you choose and it’s easy to hook up a heart rate monitor and a bike computer to keep tabs on how hard you’re working. Electric bikes are really popular and some electric bike motors will modulate their power output to ensure your heart rate stays within a pre-defined range. The low-impact nature of cycling means it’s less hard on muscles and joints than many forms of exercise, but will still strengthen muscles not just in the legs but in the upper body and arms from balancing and steering. It’s a form of exercise you can keep up even if injured or suffering chronic pain. Being active, getting out in the fresh air and having new experiences are all vital to keeping healthy into your senior years. Cycling is a very social activity, too. Ride in a group and you can have a chat as you go, while a cafe stop with a large slice of cake is essential on the best rides.
What to look for in a bike for seniors
There are a few features that make a bike better suited for older cyclists. When Islabikes designed its Icons range, aimed at riders over 65, it took a lot of the design features that make its children’s bikes easier to ride and transferred them to its seniors’ bikes. These include lightness, comfort and easy bike gears. You’ll find similar features on other brands’ bikes for seniors too.
Stable design
A more stable design will help if balance is an issue. That means a lower seated position, which will also help with putting one or both feet down when stopping. Of course, balance stops being a problem on a bike with more than two wheels, and tricycles or four-wheeled bikes designed for seniors are available. Another feature that can aid stability is wide tyres. Bikes designed specifically for seniors are likely to have wider tyres than most hybrid bikes. This also helps with ride comfort because the tyre will absorb road imperfections much better, although it can make the bike harder to pedal – an electric motor can help here. The geometry of a bike for seniors is likely to include a longer wheelbase, with frame and fork angles designed for stability as well.
Comfortable ride position
The Islabikes Jimi has a low, step-through design to help with mounting and dismounting. Jack Luke / Immediate Media
Getting on and off the bike could be a problem for some older people. Conventional bikes often have high top tubes that are difficult to lift a leg over, and this can even be the case on classic women’s bikes, where it is lowered. Many brands now offer low step-through frames, which means the rider doesn’t have to lift their leg so far to get astride the bike. Islabikes goes further with its Icons bikes, with the option to fit a dropper seatpost, which lowers the saddle to make getting on and off even easier. The saddle can be raised again quickly once riding. A bike for seniors is likely to have a more upright riding position than one designed for more agile riders. It’s also likely to position the handlebars closer to the saddle. This should be more comfortable than a leant-forward ride position. Recumbent bikes take this a step further and have a leant-back ride position with a seat and back support.
Low gearing
Grip shifters use the whole hand to change gears, rather than relying on the strength of fingers. Our Media
For a rider who may have less muscle mass than a younger cyclist, low gearing means a bike is a lot easier to ride, particularly at lower speeds. That typically means a smaller chainring. A wide-ranging cassette is also beneficial because it gives plenty of gears to ride faster and to tackle uphill stretches. Easy gear shifting is an asset, so a grip shift or light-action trigger shifters are worth looking for. Islabikes fits grip shifts because it says that this allows the rider to use the grip of the whole hand to change gears, rather than relying on the strength of the index finger and thumb.
Carrying capacity
If a bike is going to be ridden shorter distances and may be parked up for shopping or a cafe stop, it’s important it can be locked up securely. That means carrying one or more bike locks, which are usually heavy, and having enough room for other items, so the ability to carry luggage on the bike is important. That may mean a rear pannier rack, or at least the option to fit a saddlebag or bar bag. The latter may affect a bike’s steering though, if it’s loaded up significantly. In any case, carrying weight on the bike is likely to be a more comfortable option than a backpack or hip pack.
Lights
Although a bike may never be ridden in the dark, a set of the best bike lights is invaluable to up a rider’s visibility, even in the daytime. An excursion that takes a bit longer than planned may easily stretch into twilight throughout much of the year.
What are the best bikes for seniors?
Electric bikes for seniors
The advent of electric bikes has been a huge boon for lots of people and has proven transformative for many older riders. The motor helps you ride with less peak effort. In fact, studies have shown it’s possible to get just as good a workout on an electric bike as on a pedal-only bike and to get fitter as a result. But for someone looking for a less strenuous ride, having assistance to make starts easier and smooth out hills is a huge benefit of riding an electric bike. Just getting along a little faster thanks to the electric assistance is a plus for many riders. An electric bike will typically be a few kilograms heavier than a non-assisted bike though, so having somewhere where it’s easy to park is important. Charging also means either plugging the battery into a mains adaptor while it’s still on the bike, or removing the battery to take it somewhere to charge. Charging sockets can be awkwardly placed on some electric bikes and a battery will weigh several kilos if you need to remove it to charge it, in both cases making charging the bike burdensome. It’s worth looking out for a user-friendly charge port design and making sure the bike can be placed easily near a power outlet. Almost all styles of bicycle can be bought with electric assistance nowadays, so you can mix electric power with any of the bikes for seniors that we describe below.
Step-through bikes
Step-through bikes are a great option for older riders, because they’re a lot easier to mount and dismount than a bicycle with a crossbar, or even a sloped top tube. It’s easy to get one or both feet down when making a stop. A number of brands make bikes with a low step-through. The Islabikes Joni is designed for older riders and has an extra-low step-through design to make getting on and off particularly easy. Dutch brand Van Raam (which has a wide range of other specialist bike designs) also makes low step-through models. Even mainstream brands sell low step-over bikes, such as the Specialized Roll. There’s no reason why a step-through design can’t be combined with an electric drive system, and bikes such as the Specialized Turbo Como, Raleigh Motus Tour and Islabikes e-Joni offer both.
Adult tricycles
Most trikes are ‘delta’ designs, with one wheel at the front, but others are ‘tadpole’ trikes, with two wheels at the front. Sven Cycles
For older riders who are concerned about their balance, a tricycle can be a good option. Tricycles make setting off and stops and starts a lot easier because you don’t need to find your balance when you start to pedal. With the stability of a tricycle, it’s easier to carry luggage than on a bicycle too. Adult tricycles often come with as many gears as a bike, so they’ll help you tackle hills. They use many standard bicycle components and are no harder to maintain than a bicycle. They’re a bit harder to store though and can be awkward to move around when not riding. One thing to be aware of is tricycles don’t corner like a bicycle, because you can’t lean into a turn. Therefore, it’s important to take cornering gently to avoid losing the stability that comes from having a third wheel. A few different brands offer tricycles, catering for older riders or the adaptive bikes market. We’ve not tested any of them yet, but in the UK Jorvik Tricycles and Mission Cycles have a wide range of electric and non-electric models. Van Raam makes tricycles, as well as low step-through models and other specialist designs suitable for older riders, all of which are available with or without electric support.
Recumbent bikes
Many bike designs require a rider to be bent forward over the handlebars. The degree you lean forward varies enormously, but bikes designed for seniors usually aim to support a very upright riding position. There is often a short distance to the handlebars, which are placed high up so they’re easy to reach. If sitting upright on a saddle or leaning forward is difficult, a recumbent or semi-recumbent bicycle or tricycle may be the answer. These designs typically have a seat rather than a saddle to sit on and a backrest. They position the rider in a more leant-back position rather than sitting upright. The pedals are usually placed well forward of the rider. A fully recumbent bike may be awkward to get into and get riding, but semi-recumbent models adopt a less extreme riding position that’s higher up and easier to get onto. These recumbents also make it easier for traffic to see you. As with other bike types, recumbents are available with electric assistance and there are tricycle recumbents and semi-recumbents too, which avoid the need to balance. Van Raam sells recumbent and semi-recumbent designs. In the UK, Get Cycling sells Van Raam’s recumbent bikes as well as a wide range of other specialist bikes.
Bicycling and Walking by Older Adults
than ever before, older adults are bicycling and walking instead of driving. Like younger generations, people age 50 or older are choosing to ride a bike or slip into comfortable footwear for exercise as well as for commuting to work and running errands.
Data compiled by the League of American Bicyclists — and presented as Benchmaking Insights on Older Adults — shows increases in all these categories.
Bicycling Insights
League of American Bicyclists
An image from Benchmarking Insights on Older Adults.
See the slideshow and two videos below (including one featuring U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg) to learn more about older cyclists and pedestrians — and walk-bike safety for people of all ages.
But with the increased activity comes the unsettling news that traffic deaths for older cyclists and pedestrians are a disproportionate and growing share of all motor vehicle-related fatalities. In fact, people age 55 to 64 have the highest per capita rates of being killed while biking and walking. That alone is a problem, yet it’s exacerbated by the fact that for many older adults, bicycling and walking are key to staying healthy and active.
Pulling together the various strands of research about cycling is surprisingly complex. The best data about bicycling, for example, focuses on trips to and from work, which automatically excludes retirees.
Ken McLeod, policy director of the Bike League, has unearthed information that points the way to a glaring lack of guidance where it’s needed most.
Federally mandated state highway plans “address older driver safety, typically through education, McLeod says. But there is not a lot of discussion about older adults biking or walking in those documents. We only found seven states that address improving infrastructure for older adults walking in any way. And no states addressed older adults biking, in terms of improving infrastructure or providing education to them.”
Gravel Bike Tours
Gravel riding is an adventurous type of cycling! Combining a bit of road riding and a bit of mountain biking, a gravel route is mostly on unpaved roads, trails, paths and everything in between.
“This was my 3rd cycling trip with Wilderness-Voyageurs and they’ve all been great. I’m already thinking about riding with the company again in the future.” Arthur Stern. Indianapolis, IN
“The guides were so efficient able to handle any situation that came up. They were still smiling at the end of the day!” Barb Galles. Le Mars, IA
“This was more than just a bike trip – we truly experienced the Georgia coast (starting with a tour of Savannah) along with history and lots of opportunities for wildlife viewing” Susan Felter. West Chester, OH
“Our bike tour guides turned the page, transferring our dream adventure into a memorable reality!” Jim Lois Rawers. Corvallis, OR
“Everything about the trip exceeded my already high expectations. This was not the first Wilderness Voyageurs trip for everyone, and I can certainly understand why. I know I want to come back!” John H. Howell, NJ
“Great biking tour on the Chesapeake Eastern Shore. Excellent guides that were knowledgeable about biking, the area, wildlife and very accommodating. Looking forward to going with Wilderness Voyageurs again.” George W Austin, TX