Travel Groups for Seniors

The Best Travel groups for seniors available to senior women, single seniors, the handicapped, various interests, hobbies, AARP members, cultural and educational preferences.

Travel groups are a great way for retirees or senior travelers to travel. 

Not to be confused with Travel Clubs, Clubs usually require membership and can be hosted by large companies or social groups such as religious organizations or senior citizen centers. 

The benefits of seniors traveling in groups are making new friends, simplifying planning, cheaper cost, finding new interests and safety in numbers.

Whatever your travel goals or health capacity, there are groups well-suited to your interests, activity level and needs.

Traveling in a group is an inviting way to travel for solo travelers who are senior citizens. 

Many groups offer an escorted tour that are small group tours with a tour guide or tour operators. In many cases, local guides are provided who know the area of a destination with an insight into the best attractions.

Group travel will pave the way for new experiences and making new friends with other travel companions. 

You can find groups near you by searching for “senior travel groups near me” in Google.

You can also find senior women groups specifically for older or retired women.

There are senior travel groups for singles and AARP travel groups.

If you are new to traveling or consider yourself to be a seasoned traveler,  there are good reasons to take group trips.

A Happy Senior Travel Group

Social Benefits of Senior Travel Groups

It can definitely be more fun to travel with a group, especially a group of like-minded individuals. When a common interest is shared, there is more enjoyment to be had.

Finding topics to talk and laugh about will be second nature. Many lasting friendships have begun this way.

Types of Travel Groups for Seniors

The range of possibilities is enormous. There are travel clubs, groups tours, and freelance groups.

Perhaps you are looking for a simple day trip or a vacation lasting for months.

You might be a bird watcher, mushroom forager, hiker or someone who is looking to relax on the beaches of the Caribbean.

If you are a women looking for travel companions there are specific travel groups for women.

More Information on Travel Groups for Women.

Is a volunteer opportunity group your dream or has an African Safari always been on your bucket list? There is no lack of availability.

The types of travel are just as plentiful.

How do you prefer to travel?

"Travel With Benefits"! Walking Groups have so many benefits besides meeting new friends. The exercise from walking is so beneficial to our health, both mind and body!

More Information on Walking Tours for Seniors.

Along with walking groups, there those such as biking, snowmobiling, skiing, plane, car, bus, boat and ship group trips.

NOTE: Travel Groups differ from Travel Clubs for Seniors in that clubs usually charge a fee to offset the resources provided by the club. 

More Information on Travel Clubs for Seniors

A Sample Few of the Many Travel Groups Available:

• Walking Groups
• Safari Groups
• Adventure Groups
• Cruise Groups
• Women's Groups
• Single Senior Groups
• Outdoor Groups
• Educational/Learning Groups
• Cultural Groups
• General Group Travel Agencies

Walking Groups

• Walking Adventures International - Walking Adventures International (WAI) is a family-owned travel planner and tour operator offering travel programs on all 7 continents.
  
  They have offered walking tours as the optimal way to connect with the world since 1989. WAI had its beginnings fifty years ago when George Friesen, a high school history and foreign language teacher, began organizing and directing tours to Europe.
  
  In 1989, he started basing all his tours on the winning combination of motorcoach sightseeing blended with two to four hour walks.
  
  This concept grew in popularity, and in 1992, his son Dan, current owner of WAI, joined George to help expand the WAI travel philosophy to new areas of the planet.

WAI is one of our favorite walking tours since we're hearing nothing but good reviews from our visitors who have booked with them.

Learn More About Walking Adventures International Tours

• Country Walkers - Country Walkers was launched in 1979 from an old barn in Vermont.
  
  Although they were small (and our office space rustic), their love for the beauty of the surrounding Green Mountains became contagious.
  
  Soon they expanded from local to international destinations, introducing travelers to new landscapes and cultures around the world on foot.
  
  Today, Country Walkers is recognized as one of the leading providers of walking adventures worldwide.
  
  
• Walking the World -  Walking the World started in 1987, designing and leading small group walking tours to more than 30 destinations worldwide.
  
  For more than 30 years now they’ve been guiding adventurous souls to those places you’ve always wanted to visit and experience first-hand.
  
  Their goal has been developing adventures for that incorporate active travel in the great outdoors, cultural immersion, and the sampling of some of the world’s best food and drink. 
  

More Information on Walking Tours for Seniors

Safari Groups - Wildlife Safaris

• Rothschild Safaris -  Rothschild Safaris has Travel Designers that personally travel to the destinations that they specialize in.
  
  They have tried out the various styles of accommodations, from the ultra-luxury to the more intimate, off the beaten track camps.
  
  They ensure the guides placed with travelers are the very best in the industry.
  
  They claim to have spent weeks driving, instead of flying, to test a particular route or to stay at an off the grid property.
  
  This, they say, is how they find those little gems that may not be listed in every glossy magazine that end up being a highlight for their travelers.
  

• Lights on Africa - Lights on Africa Safaris provides safari adventure group trips to the National Parks, Game Reserves, Conservation Areas, Historical and Cultural sites

Adventure Groups

• Eldertreks - Has small group exotic adventure travel.
  
  The world's first adventure travel company designed exclusively for people 50 and over.
  
  Established in 1987, ElderTreks offers active, off-the-beaten-path, small-group adventures by both land and sea in over 100 countries.
  
  ElderTreks offers wildlife and tribal African safaris, active hiking trips to the Rockies, Himalayas and Andes, expeditions by icebreakers to the Arctic and Antarctic and cultural journeys throughout Asia, South America and much of the world.
  
  
• Adventures Abroad - Senior Travel Tours by Adventures Abroad has tours in 120 countries with itineraries that focus on cultural immersion.
  
  Their groups comprise no more than 18 participants with an average of 12 to 14 plus one of Adventures Abroad's Tour Group Leaders.
  
  Although family groups (minimum age 15) are welcome to join most of their tours, they do offer custom trips specifically for parents or grandparents travelling with younger children. 
  
  They offer 3 activity levels which are great for older travelers.
  
  Level 1 - No particular physical activity is involved other than town/city walks and short walks to dinners and sites of interest, some of which are large.
  
  Level 2 - These are particularly busy tours that feature a lot of moving around, sometimes by train and short journeys on local transport.
  
  Walking tours of towns and cities are leisurely but you should be prepared to be on your feet for several hours.
  
  Some of their cultural trips that occur at high altitude and/or require greater independence with baggage handling (at hotels, airports, train stations) also fall into this category.
  
  Level 3 - These tours are considerably more strenuous than their Level 1 & 2 "cultural" tours and feature walks/hikes on undulating and uneven pathways for 3-7 hours at a leisurely pace.
  
  They don't hike every day, but participants should be fit and active and accustomed to trail walking, possibly in remote locations, and be prepared to engage in a conditioning regimen prior to the trip.
  
  Altitude may also be a factor on some tours, though none of their hiking tours currently occur above 3000m/10,000 ft.
  
  These are hotel-based tours with no camping, and you are required to only carry what you need for the day.

Cruise Groups

• Croisieurope -  CroisiEurope is an international River and Ocean Cruise Company.
  
  They began in 1976 and have established themselves as the European leader in river cruises and specialize in intimate-sized cruises on rivers, canals and seas.
  
  The fleet is expanded and modernized every year allowing them to offer innovative itineraries and cruise programs.
  
  They now operate 50 company-owned ships and five chartered vessels. New products are scheduled each year.
  
  Although the Rhine and its tributaries and the Danube remain the major river cruise destinations in Europe, they also expanded their cruises to unique destinations.
  
  These include the Seine and the Rhône, of course, but also the Tisza in Hungary, the Guadalquivir in Spain, the Douro in Portugal, the Dordogne and the Garonne in Bordeaux and their more exotic destinations as well: the Mekong in Vietnam and the lake Kariba in Southern Africa.
  
  
• Viking Cruises - Viking was founded in 1997 with the vision that travel could be more destination focused and culturally immersive.
  
  In 2000, the company purchased Europe’s KD River Cruises in order to grow its fleet, to leverage 40 years of river cruising experience and to acquire rights to prime docking locations in key European cities.
  
  The company expanded into the American market in 2000. Viking has grown to be the leading small ship travel company, offering river, ocean and expedition voyages on all seven continents. 

Women's Groups

• Overseas Travel Adventure - Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.) was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1978 by a 28-year old high school teacher named Judi Wineland.
  
  Her inspiration came after a trip to Africa, where she identified a need for a more authentic, adventurous, and affordable safari experience than the typical ones available at the time.
  
  She targeted unspoiled Tanzania as the first destination for her fledgling company, and in so doing, became the first US tour operator to offer tented safaris there.
  
  From this beginning O.A.T. began offering custom small group tours to exotic destinations around the world, with O.A.T.-designed and operated trips to East Africa, Nepal, Turkey, and Peru.
  
  Overseas Adventure Travel became a member of the Grand Circle family in 1993.
  
  Grand Circle family became the first US travel company to create, operate, and sell adventure trips to Americans aged 50 and over.
  
  The original Grand Circle Travel was founded by retired high school principal Ethel Andrus in 1958, to serve members of her new association, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
  
  
• AdventureWomen - AdventureWomen is a women-owned and women-run company founded in 1982 by travel pioneer Susan Eckert.
  
  In 2016, Judi Wineland and her two daughters, Nicole and Erica, purchased the company, ensuring the spirit of AdventureWomen continues forward.
  
  In 1978, Judi was one of the first women to launch and run an adventure travel company, Overseas Adventure Travel.
  
  A few years later, she founded Tanzanian safari operator Thomson Safaris and subsequently created Thomson Treks, Thomson Family Adventures, and Thomson Collection.
  
  Judi, her daughters, passionate staff, and a worldwide Ambassador team have led  AdventureWomen to the forefront of women’s adventure travel.
  
  AdventureWomen has offered more than 50 exciting trips, traveling to 65 countries worldwide for over 40 years.
  
  Their adventure travel collection includes treasured classic destinations, off-the-beaten-path adventures, and closer-to-home escapes.

See Our Best Travel Groups for Women.

 Single Senior Groups

• Adventures Abroad - Senior Travel Tours by Adventures Abroad has tours in 120 countries with itineraries that focus on cultural immersion.
  
  Their groups comprise no more than 18 participants with an average of 12 to 14 plus an Adventures Abroad Tour Leader.
  
  Although family groups (minimum age 15) are welcome to join most of their tours, they do offer custom trips specifically for parents or grandparents travelling with younger children. 
  
  They offer 3 activity levels which are great for older travelers:
  
  Level 1 - No particular physical activity is involved other than town/city walks and short walks to dinners and sites of interest, some of which are large.
  
  
  Level 2 - These are particularly busy tours that feature a lot of moving around, sometimes by train and short journeys on local transport.
  
  Walking tours of towns and cities are leisurely but you should be prepared to be on your feet for several hours.
  
  Some of their cultural trips that occur at high altitude and/or require greater independence with baggage handling (at hotels, airports, train stations) also fall into this category.
  
  
  Level 3 - These tours are considerably more strenuous than their Level 1 & 2 "cultural" tours and feature walks/hikes on undulating and uneven pathways for 3-7 hours at a leisurely pace.
  
  They don't hike every day, but participants should be fit and active and accustomed to trail walking, possibly in remote locations, and be prepared to engage in a conditioning regimen prior to the trip.
  
  Altitude may also be a factor on some tours, though none of their hiking tours currently occur above 3000m/10,000 ft.
  
  These are hotel-based tours with no camping, and you are required to only carry what you need for the day.
  
  
• Collette
  
• Explore
• Odyssey Travelller

Outdoor Groups

• Row Adventures
• Senior Cycling
• Backyard Tours
• Backroads

Educational/Learning Groups

• Rhodes Scholer
• Senior Travel by Adventures Abroad
• Smithsonian Journeys
• Discover Corps
• EF Go Ahead Tours

Cultural Groups

• Tourissimo (Italy)
  
  
• Sail in Greece - Sail in Greece is the largest gulet fleet operator in Greece.
  
  They fully own a fleet of 9 wooden gulets which are available for private charter or operate as their scheduled cruises from multiple destinations such as, Corfu, Zakynthos, Athens, Mykonos, to name just a few.
  
  They also offer their gulets to private groups and are able to accommodate the group on board from everywhere within Greece.
  
  They offer a wide range of gulet cruises around Greece that cater to all ages, and suit many different travel styles!
  
  They have cruises recommended for ages 1 to 65+ and others recommended for ages 18 to 39.Their Ionian & Zante Cruises, are ideal for ages 1 to 65+ looking to combine historical sightseeing, with plenty of Mediterranean relaxation, in between!
  
  What is a Gulet Cruise?
  A gulet is a traditional design of a two-masted or three-masted wooden sailing vessel. They are from the southwestern coast of Turkey, particularly built in the coastal towns of Bodrum and Marmaris.Similar vessels can be found all around the eastern Mediterranean.
  
  Today, this type of vessel, varying in size from 14 to 35 meters, is popular for tourist charters.
  
  Sail in Greece started in 2015 when they started chartering small gulets to operate their fun & young cruises.
  
  Today, they own a gulet fleet and offer a variety of multiple cruises that cater to all ages.
  
  Large enough to offer security & professionalism & financial safety to our guests, but at the same time small enough to pay attention to every guests needs.

• St. Hilda Sea Adventures
  
  
• Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.)Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.) was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1978 by a 28-year old high school teacher named Judi Wineland.
  
  Her inspiration came after a trip to Africa, where she identified a need for a more authentic, adventurous, and affordable safari experience than the typical ones available at the time.
  
  She targeted unspoiled Tanzania as the first destination for her fledgling company, and in so doing, became the first US tour operator to offer tented safaris there.
  
  From this beginning O.A.T. began offering custom small group tours to exotic destinations around the world, with O.A.T.-designed and operated trips to East Africa, Nepal, Turkey, and Peru.
  
  Overseas Adventure Travel became a member of the Grand Circle family in 1993.
  
  Grand Circle family became the first US travel company to create, operate, and sell adventure trips to Americans aged 50 and over.
  
  The original Grand Circle Travel was founded by retired high school principal Ethel Andrus in 1958, to serve members of her new association, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
  
  
• Intrepid Travel

General Group Travel Agencies

• Globus
• Grand European Travel
• Firebird Tours
• Kensington Tours

Planning a Senior Citizen Travel Group Trip

Planning a trip can be overwhelming and can be a reason to stay home. As we get older, we want life easier. Group travel is one answer to this dilemma.

We want the excitement of travel without the burden that comes with the planning involved. Most group travel is planned for you.

All the hassle of decisions and bookings for transportation, accommodations, restaurants and meals is eliminated.

Yes, as seniors, we can usually make requests for special dietary needs, mobility or disability requirements.

(Note: Always check ahead with the company if you have special needs.)

Here are 25 Best Travel Tips for Seniors.

Cost of Travel Groups for Seniors

Of course cost will vary greatly with the different travel experiences.

Do you seek a bargain or luxury indulgence? The range is practically endless. 

Group travel can be a bargain because companies can buy in bulk and offer deals that would be unavailable to the individual.

Besides that, knowing your travel cost before the trip, can be a huge advantage for making a budget.

Making a budget can include the cost of the group trip and any extras you might want, such as, extra activities, meals (if not included), gifts, or special buys for yourself!

Here are the Best Senior Travel Deals

Health and Safety of a Senior Group Travel

We often have unique health and safety concerns and togetherness can add confidence.

Tourists are often the target of thieves, pickpockets, and con artists.

A company or club with experience knows the ropes to provide tips to avoid such problems. Plus just walking or traveling with others is generally safer.

Some larger commercial businesses hire experts to review national and international travel policies, which can change with time. 

By taking responsibility for the health protocols of hotels, restaurants and other facilities. They reduce our concern for such matters.

If an unfortunate health related problem does occur, we will have the help and support necessary.

Here are the 15 Best Travel Safety Tips for Seniors

COVID Concerns

The COVID 19 Virus offers some greater challenges for us right now.

It is absolutely important to check with your Travel Group about their own expectations or requirements for travel with them and the destination itself.

Each of us has our own current health status. You will decide personally if you are comfortable with the Covid requirements of the group.

Also, just as the virus changes, these requirements can change. So keep in touch and up to date with them as much as possible.

How to find Senior Travel Groups

Senior travel groups and clubs are so prolific; you can find them in many different places.

Senior Citizen Centers, Community Centers, Religious organizations, Sports groups, Arts Organizations, to name a few, often have group trips suitable for older adults.

The Internet is a wonderful resource for group travel ideas and companies.

NOTE: To find a travel group near you, copy & paste or type "travel groups near me" into the search bar here:

Whatever your source, always remember that when a deal or opportunity seems to good to be true, it usually is.

So stay alert and enjoy your travels.