tours for single senior lady

so, what's your question?

If you want a group tour, you can't go wrong with a Rick Steves one, particularly as a solo woman. I took the Paris city tour as a solo and loved it. I would recommend it for you. Have you checked these tours out?

The Rick Steves tours will put you with another solo female traveler if you don't want to pay the pricey single supplement. And the other tour members are generally very friendly and inclusive with singles. You can call the office and talk to them. Don't let traveling alone slow you down!

I agree with the recommendation for the Rick Steves tours which is why I post on his forum, lol. I've done 5 RS tours, with 2 of them being solo. I had a wonderful time and I am in your age range.

I have also done 4 Road Scholar tours, 2 international, 2 US. I found I like the Rick Steves tours better for an international experience as the group members are more active, flexible with plans and eager to get around. The 2 US Road Scholar tours I have done have been activity based (one hiking, one birding) so a different mix of people.

The RS tours can be good for you since they can get you a roommate but it depends on whether you want to stay in places where you have to drag your luggage through the streets, drag it up a lot of stairs inside the place you stay which might not have an elevator and if you mind not having central heat and air and maybe sharing a bathroom. You would also need to walk a lot and do a lot of standing. The tours have fantastic guides and see all the sights you would want to see.

On the other hand, if you would like to travel in luxury without it costing a fortune and never handle your own luggage or do without air conditioning, you might like one of our favorites- Viking River Cruises. We have gone on a bunch of these. You will meet a lot of friendly people, travel in luxury, be pampered, and see everything you want. You can enjoy the view from the rivers and go on the group tours on land. The food is delicious and the staff and guides are excellent. They go all over Europe and this is comfort travel. You can find them at www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destinations/europe/ We have taken most of these and have always been satisfied. I am 55 and my husband just turned 60.

Hi, agree that your choice of tour company depends on what you want in terms of level of activity and how much you want to be pampered. It has less to do with your age, just how active you are.

I've taken 5 RS tours (3 solo) and had a great time on every one. I paid the single supplement and thought it was well worth the money to have my own space at the end of the day. You are required to carry your own luggage and may need to walk a few blocks to get to your hotel. There may be steps at the hotel, but in most cases there is an elevator. I've never had to share a bathroom.

The people who choose to take RS tours are great, couples or singles, the groups are pretty inclusive. On the Germany, Austria, Switzerland tour (great tour), I had trouble keeping up with a couple in their 80s who hike and bike every day in Seattle. On Paris and the Heart of France there was a man in his mid-60s who messed up his knee in Paris. He was determined to get to the top of Mount Saint Michel and he did, on crutches.

So, if you're up to it, try a RS tour. Lots of great destinations. Pick a place you really want to go and just do it!

Joan, I too am single 65 woman and I just went on my first solo trip to Italy last summer. It was wonderful...it would have been nice to have someone to share the experience with but glad I did not talk myself out of going due to being alone. I am planning on travel again this year, solo I suppose as I have no travel companion. I am curious where you want to go and have you looked into the RS tours? My issue with "tours" is they tend to not allow enough linger time in some of the destinations and at my age, if I travel so far to see something, it would be nice to not feel rushed as to miss something along the way.

I have been on several Rick Steve tours with my husband, friends and family and always enjoyed them. Now at the age of 63 I am finally retired and unfortunately a widow with no one to travel with. When we traveled I found the groups always inclusive but now that I am the person alone, I'm rather apprehensive of being the outcast. Are there any particular European tours that have a larger percentage of single people?

Barbara, I sent you a PM

@Barbara I have had wonderful trips as a solo traveler with Rick Steves! On my 21 day Best of Europe there were 2 of us traveling solo, but 2 pairs of single women traveling together as well. The 6 of us mixed but we also all did things with some of the couples. Really, everyone was open to mixing with everyone else. On my Heart of Paris tour, that group was smaller and again there were 2 of us who were solo plus a pair of single women traveling together. Again people mixed and matched. The one tour there was less mixing was one where there was a core group of 6 traveling together with 5 more loosely associated with that group. That changed the dynamic some, but the one solo person on that trip (I was traveling with my brother, SIL and 2 other family members) seemed to blend with others. She joined us as well as other folks. I have signed up for 2 more trips this summer as a solo and have no qualms about traveling solo with this company.

I would pick an itinerary that interests you and go with that rather than trying to figure out where the solo travelers might be.

Go! Enjoy!