Senior Holiday Travel

What are your travel plans for this spring or summer? Now you are retired and have the time you need to travel when you want, you may have been thinking along the lines of European travel for seniors. If you’ve never been to Europe, the time to visit this continent is now, especially with the economy in Europe offering low prices on hotels because of the lack of business. Europe is the travel destination for seniors. Europe is one of the most sought-after destinations for seniors and boomers alike. It’s civilized and presents a wealth of history and culture, as well as beautiful scenery and wonderful food experiences. Many tour companies offer packages for European travel tours,  designed with seniors in mind. Coach tours of Europe are available from award winning companies such as Trafalgar which offer a multitude of vacation packages for seniors to every destination you can imagine. You can immerse yourself in the life and stories of Europe and truly experience more than you ever thought possible. Traveling with seniors on a coach tour of Europe presents the opportunity to meet people like you with the same interests.  The result is a vacation you will never forget.

When you book your senior travel plans to Europe, make sure that you book with a reputable, long established company. They are the experts that will plan, arrange and coordinate every last detail of your trip right down to the last detail, ensuring that nothing goes wrong, no hotel is overbooked and prices are exactly as advertised. There will be no waiting in train or bus stations, unsure of where to go next and not knowing the language. Also of note, well-established, reputable travel companies have greater buying power and can obtain betters prices on hotels etc., and then pass these travel savings  on to you, the consumer. If you plan to go to Europe this spring or summer, you will likely find that a coach tour company presents a cheaper price option for a vacation than you could find on your own. You will have an experienced, multi-lingual travel guides to accompany you along the tour, someone who is an expert wherever you go. On a senior coach tour to Europe with a good travel company, you will be taken along the roads of Europe in first rate, latest model air conditioned luxury coaches with a washroom on board and many stops along the way for refreshments and the opportunity to “stretch your legs.”  An added bonus if you’re a single senior traveler is that you don’t have to pay the single supplement – they offer a guaranteed room share with someone of the same gender so you don’t have to pay the single supplement.

A seniors travel tour to Europe should be a hassle free vacation, with sightseeing to the most important sights you’ve read about and always wanted to see.  There is also the opportunity to learn about local arts, crafts and local traditions. Perhaps you might want to buy a souvenir of each country in Europe you visit. Perhaps you might want to pick up some interesting gifts for your family not found anywhere else in the world. An expert tour guide will know exactly where to go.

Many seniors take European tours of the British Isles and Ireland and have gone as far as France,  Austria and Germany. Have you ever considered senior travel in Europe to other destinations beyond this? With the current economic crisis in Europe, some great travel deals can be found. Spain and Portugal are very interesting, beautiful and viable destinations for senior travel.

You can get a good experience of Spain and Portugal on a 14 day regional tour which covers the highlights of these two countries. This is the perfect amount of time for a senior travel tour. Trafalgar offers one such tour called the Highlights of Spain and Portugal which is a perfect tour for seniors. Your flight will land in Madrid and all your hotel accommodations are in first class hotels, twin beds in each room. From Madrid you will travel by coach to Toledo where you will have to opportunity to see the El Greco masterpiece. Then it’s on to Cordoba to tour the Mosque of the Caliphs (Mesquita) and the synagogue of the 14th century. From there, you will travel to Granada to see the famous Alhambra Palace, a breathtaking castle from Moorish times. You’ll also visit the highlights of Gibraltar (the famous rock), Seville, Lisbon, Fatima, Oporto and have a final tour in Madrid.  An expert tour guide take you through the famous Prado Museum, the Cervantes Memorial and Puerta del Sol. Most of your breakfasts and dinners are included on this senior tour to Portugal and Spain. All of the tips and gratuities, baggage handling fees are included in the price. Tour directors are all multi-lingual so you will never have a language barrier problem. Another bonus when you travel with Trafalgar, you never have to experience the long waits in line so common on tours to Europe. You advance to the head of the line for any visit or tour. Visit the Trafalgar website for more information and prices information for this European travel tour for seniors.  Visit www.trafalgar.com.

If you want to stay longer than a couple of weeks in Spain and/or Portugal, you could read our other articles on Senior Long Stay travel to Portugal or Rent a Villa in Spain or European Coach Tours for Seniors for more information. If you want to book your senior holiday travel to Europe on your own, to find the best and cheapest hotel rates, use our HotelsCombined search engine to compare hotel rates of about 30 different well known, major hotel booking sites, such as Hotels.com or Expedia.com – all in one search. European travel for seniors is actually easier than you think!

Tags: coach tours Europe, european coach tours, European vacation, senior travel to Portugal, senior travel to Spain

On a senior trip, taking you sometimes far away from home, you want to bring everything you’ll need with you in one not-so-large suitcase.  Make sure you you have a suitcase on wheels which will make walking through airports, whether to catch a taxi outside or hop on another plane in transfer, a bit easier.  Luckily today, most suitcases come with wheels, but there was a time – a way back when, not all suitcases came on wheels.

When packing, you want to make sure you have all of your essentials with you.  Make sure when you travel, you’ve got a good quality suitcase with sturdy wheels and you’ll have less problems when you travel away to a new land on your senior vacation.  I highly recommend this sturdy Two Piece Carry-On Luggage set manufactured by Travel Select Amsterdam which costs only $48.94 when you shop at Amazon. It’s a great price, good quality and the carry-on bag fits airline regulations on size.

What to take in your carry-on luggage

Your carry-on bag should include all the things you couldn’t live without, just in case your luggage gets lost in transit.  Heaven knows, this is an all too common occurrence when traveling by airplane, especially when there are transfers between planes.  Luggage gets lost and you may only receive it days, weeks or months later.  I’ve had too many friends who’ve had their luggage lost and sometimes it’s never found and you have to claim through the airline and/or insurance to get back what has been lost.

However, in your carry-on luggage make sure you have packed the following things:

Passport

Ticket or E-ticket receipt

Wallet

Medications – in all the original containers and a copy of your prescriptions, just in case you need a refill while you are on your vacation

Travel and health insurance.  Keep these with you.

A map of your destination if need be

Camera – with the battery charge or plenty of extra batteries

A change of clothes just in case your luggage is lost

Sunglasses – two pairs – one pair to wear and one extra pair of sunglasses, just in case one pair gets lost or broken.  In some senior travel destinations, it is difficult to find a new pair of sunglasses at a reasonable price.

Eye glasses and reading glasses – two pairs – in case of the reasons already mentioned above

Emergency Toiletries – bring things you can’t live without for a night such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, moisturizing lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, bug spray (depending on your destination), sunscreen (depending on your destination), liquid soap and shampoo which can be used interchangeably.

What to pack in your luggage

Dress for the climate you are visiting on your senior travel vacation.  There are many resources online which will tell you about the current weather and climate.  Dress accordingly.

Base your holiday wardrobe on one color scheme which will make it easier to create a look

Walking shoes, flip flops or comfortable sandals, evening shoes – three pairs of footwear should do it.  Wear comfortable shoes on the plane because feet are known to swell on an airplane journey

Three pairs of underwear.  This is my rule:  three pairs of underwear.  Along with the pair you are wearing, that makes four pairs of underwear.  You don’t need to bring anymore.  My underwear trick while traveling is to wash a pair of underwear at night in the shower, while you are showering, using shampoo as a detergent.  Rinse it and hang to dry.  Unless you are in a very humid climate, they should dry out by morning.

Personal sewing kit – some hotels provide this and others do not.

Bring a hat to keep your head out of the sun as much as you can.

Tie a ribbon, a few colorful ribbons or a colorful sock around the handle of your suitcase so it is easy to identify when you go to claim your luggage after your flight.  Make sure you are familiar with the weight restrictions on your flight.  Airlines now charge lots of extra cash for “excess baggage.” Make sure also that your carry-on luggage will fit under the seat in front of you.  Airlines have their rules.  Also make sure that any liquid you carry in your carry-on luggage is within the limits of what is allowed these days otherwise it will be confiscated when you check-in to your flight.

These are some of the packing tips you need to be aware off so that your senior trip is as enjoyable as possible and you feel comfortable in your home away from home vacation.  Make your list of things to pack to suit your own needs before you begin to pack to make sure you have everything you need on vacation.  Put this list in your carry-on luggage.  It’ll come in handy if your luggage is lost and also when your vacation is finished and you need to pack up again.

Tags: carry-on luggage, packing tips, what to pack for a vacation