Best tour company for elderly/seniors

I think the Cruise Critic website would offer more info on that topic than this Forum, at least regarding cruises. Good luck on your research.

River Cruises and limited mobility won't work. The decks are slick, the ramps getting off and on the boat are STEEP. Very often, boats have to dock next to each other and you have to climb LOTS of stairs as you go thru the other boats to get to the dock. We love River Cruises and take 1-2 per year.

The best cruises book about a year in advance, so to be booking this Spring, you are late - plus, you are late for good airfare getting to Europe.

Know there is LOTS of cobblestone, stairs, etc in Europe.

We love Tauck, followed my Uniworld & Scenic, as they are all inclusive, transfers to airports, etc is included (they pick you up, handle your luggage, etc), actually they handle luggage the whole trip, you never have to deal with your bags. They are more pricey, but so worth it. It is an older clientele as it is more costly - but it is not for mobility impaired.

Well, Road Scholar caters to the over 55's. The activity level for each trip is specified on each program itinerary on their website. In my experience (13 Road Scholar programs) the activity level is pretty accurate.

www.roadscholar.org

How limited are they? I'm 75 and can still walk 5-8 miles a day plus manage stairs in the big cities so it's not just age that is a factor.

To me a small group is always better. You would want them to be able to do the basic activity level, if not others in the group will be annoyed if they can't keep up.

When you are looking at tour companies also look to see if tips to the guide and driver are included and if not, how much is recommended. Check to see if there are optional tours within the main tour that you need to sign up for and pay extra for to get to the "good" sights. Road Scholar has everything included (as does Rick Steves tours).

Thank you all thus far! They’re mobile and can walk distances and multiple hours per day but just at a slower pace. A lot of stairs and climbing are challenging for my mother.

Very helpful info about the river cruises! In terms of Europe, yes and this wouldn’t be their first time. Just wondering if some group tour companies cater more towards this demographic vs families or individuals that are younger.

Thank you!

Most of the river cruise companies cater mostly to seniors. Only a few, like Emerald and Amawaterways, aim towards the more active cruisers.

The term limited mobility is so vague that it's meaningless. It covers anything from needing to walk a little slowly to needing a scooter or wheelchair, and everything in between.

Many tours have activity ratings, from mild to active. That can help. I believe the RS tours in England and Scotland are rated moderate. We did a similar tour with Odysseys Unlimited last fall that was rated easy/moderate. For comparison, I walk with a cane and can walk for a few miles a day, but have difficulty with more than a few stairs. I found that tour quite doable. All of the tour members in our group (only 23) were seniors. I believe that some Road Scholar tours are aimed at seniors, but I haven't tried them.

My mom loved her tours with Tauck. They took care of everything, the hotels were all very nice, and she did not have to deal with her luggage. For her, the price was worth it.

RoadScholar, mentioned above, has a lower age limit of 40, thought the age range is generally much higher. They also offer some tours billed as At a Slower Pace.

https://www.roadscholar.org/collections/at-a-slower-pace/

When we did our Viking river cruise, at every included excursion, they had a designated "slow walkers" coach for the people who wanted a slower pace. Sometimes they even had cabs ready to take those folks from the dock area to the coach pickup point.

Thank you all so much, this is super helpful!! They don’t use walkers or any assistance and still live in a house with a flight of stairs, take long walks, etc. The worry was the pace and how strenuous.

Thanks, all!

I took my mother on a river cruise with Grand Circle because I felt they knew how to handle older travelers. She was 86 at the time. She did okay at the beginning of the cruise, but by the end was ready to just stay on the ship. On another cruise with Grand Circle I met a passenger who was 92 and doing everything!

I have taken 6 trips with OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) and I would guesstimate that the average age on those trips was definitely in the 70s. Still able to walk on uneven surfaces, climb some stairs, and stand while listening. Overall, the walking pace is slower than a Rick Steves tour. The group size is limited to 14-16 and the TLs have been great and adjust the walking pace if needed. On my last trip to Turkey there were a few significantly slower fellow travelers, too slow for me, but the TL had no problem letting me and a friend wander ahead and then meet at a meeting point. If you check out their website, they give a very detailed daily activities itinerary for the tour. Many of the days have a few hours 'on your own' to take a rest (or explore further).

We've traveled extensively on Uniworld river cruises. I don't recall any slippery decks or extensive stairs. There were lots of very elderly people on each cruise. I think this cruise line would be ideal.

My wife and I are in our late 70s and now do group tours since the tour company takes care of all the details like hotels, most meals, touring, guides, transport and more. We have done four tours with Gate 1 Travel in the past 2 years and have another tour booked for this Summer.

I highly recommend Gate 1 Travel, since their tour prices can't be beat by any other company. Also, they provide a great product.
Most of the travelers tend to be Seniors and many are retired. We have never felt rushed on the touring.
One of our recent tours (last Summer) was a great river cruise on the Danube along with a bus tour of Romania. It was fantastic. The boat was fairly new and well cared for and no problem for anyone.

Tours of the UK are available.

I watch a lot of cruising vlogs and on river cruises you need to watch out for longboats that don't have elevators, which apparently is most of them.

Phred, I'm afraid I will have to disagree. Today most river cruise ships on the major European rivers will have an elevator, although it won't likely go to the lowest deck or the sun deck. These days only the oldest ships lack an elevator,; or those sailing in Asia

Back in 2001 we took our mothers, both 78 on a Tauck tour of Switzerland. It was perfect for them, they didn’t have to handle their own luggage and every place we visited was an easy walk. Even in Zermatt, a very small motorized van took them from the train station to the hotel. We decided at that point that even though we were able to take them on a tour that met their needs, we would seek a more active group next time and when we reached our sixties and retired found Rick Steves tours.