Looking for a travel group

[Breedlove]

We have a small travel group from Houston Here that are kind of crazy though. We do not do tours , we just show up and find our way . We do hit museums but our main focus when we travel is to party and do the things we probably would get arrested in the U S . To put it straight we are tired of being just tourists . Over the years we have met international people that we all hang out and vacation together . Send us a private message if this sounds Interesting to you !

 

[Bestwifeever]

Couple years back, at Toronto airport, we chatted with a 70 something lady travelling alone.....told us about going to South Korea.

Not a word of Korean, didn't understand the writing.......some minor misadventures....all worked out.

You have to pluck up the courage to step off the curb.

Courage I have. Lots of ways to skin the travel cat. OP asked about groups.

 

[Nemo2]

Courage I have. Lots of ways to skin the travel cat. OP asked about groups.

I was simply confirming your observation about Japan.

 

[bigreader]

I recently took an OAT trip in a group of 16 people ranging from their early 60's to their 80's. There were singles, couples, friends and minimal drama. The tour itself was very good and I would definitely consider them for another group trip. The OAT groups might skew older since the tours themselves are kind of long for someone who still works (or at least were for me when I was working). However, the tours are "graded" for physical difficulty and you could probably use this as a proxy for fitness if your concern is that the tour will move too slowly.


BR

 

[Gotadimple]

Don't limit yourself by age! A commercial tour that meets your physical abilities and your interests will put you in touch with like-minded travelers (not like-aged travelers). I have been inspired on tours by 80-somethings who are still physically active (bike riding with tour groups, hiking at higher altitudes), and intellectually curious. In addition to seeing places you have never been, you meet really wonderful folks full of adventure. OAT, Adventures Abroad, and Road Scholar are just three to consider.

 

[explanade]

My recollection was that there were street signs in English and other signs as well.

Didn't have problems on Mykonos, Santorini or Crete, where I actually did some driving for a couple of days.

 

[braumeister]

We are in our early 50's and looking for a travel group
...
most traveling couples tend towards late 60's. While we don't mind being with people who are older, we also would enjoy being with couples in our same stage of life.

FWIW, I suspect you may be stereotyping to your disadvantage.

I remember one of our rafting trips through the Grand Canyon, where the group ranged in age from 18 to 80. There was one guy who was honestly the life of the party. He was usually the first one up the cliff during our climbs, the fastest hiker we had, up before dawn making coffee, telling stories around the campfire every evening, and on and on. We were totally surprised and delighted to help him celebrate his 80th birthday during the week.

The point of this digression is that it may be best to evaluate the activity level of the proposed itinerary, rather than the average age of the participants.

 

[sengsational]

Great point about the 80 YO life of the party. If you go for a "don't have to lift a finger tour" it's more likely you'll find people who aren't so energetic (or worse). It's fun to rig your own deal so that there's just puzzles to solve rather than having a handy entity for lodging complaints.

 

[OldShooter]

We are traveling in Bulgaria right now with a private guide/driver. We have changed the itinerary several times to suit our interests. Our departures have never been delayed by others and we have never eaten tourist garbage buffet food. We have also never been forced to visit tourist shops that pay guides by the number of bodies delivered. Tonight we are in a tiny boutique hotel that has never seen a tour bus. Life is good.

 

[Jerry1]

Here’s an interesting group you might want to join. Very expensive, but life altering.

https://apple.news/AqChpM08aSiGxEbHCfQYv0A

Link may only work on in iPad.

 

[friar1610]

Several previous posters mentioned travel with alumni groups. We have been on two trips with my alumni association travel program and throughly enjoyed both. The travel company that organized both of them was AHI Travel (ahitravel.com) and they were excellent! I understand that there are opportunities to join alumni groups that don't sign up enough to reach their minimums or fill out their maximums for trips so you might check with them.

 

[sengsational]

Here’s an interesting group you might want to join. Very expensive, but life altering.

https://apple.news/AqChpM08aSiGxEbHCfQYv0A

Link may only work on in iPad.

You need not spend a quarter million for an adventure. Here's some cheap adventures theadventurists.com

 

[TrophyWife]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. We have definitely traveled solo a bunch. Just look forward to finding a group of likeminded friends that share our love of travel.

 

[audreyh1]

Group size is a major factor for us. Plenty of tour companies do small group trips.

We have done a lot of independent travel in Europe, but it’s so much work for me. On the other hand with a group you are sticking to their agenda, so you have to make sure the agenda is a good match for you. But it sure is nice to sit back, relax, and let someone else manage everything. This year we are combining a couple of small group tours with some independent travel in between.

 

[FFC1964]

G Adventures

Just returned from a 12 day tour of China with G Adventures. There were 10 of us in the group and also in the 54-72 age range and from all over the world. This company specializes in small group and is of great value. The type of trip we took was called National Geographic so was to be more in depth than some. We can't wait to take another G Adventure tour!



Sue

 

[OldConch]

Just returned from a 12 day tour of China with G Adventures. There were 10 of us in the group and also in the 54-72 age range and from all over the world. This company specializes in small group and is of great value. The type of trip we took was called National Geographic so was to be more in depth than some. We can't wait to take another G Adventure tour!

Sue

+1

We loved our 10 Day hike/bike/kayak tour of Vietnam with G Adventures. There were 12 people, ages 30 something to 60 something, in our group and our guide Dang was awesome. A great mix of popular tourist spots and off-the-beaten-path activities. We scored a Southwest companion pass this year so are focusing our travels along Southwest routes but hope to do another G Adventures tour soon.

 

[deserat]

As the other posters have said, one needs to find the right group however, the 'grading' of a tour can help. I did an Iceland hiking knitting tour and it was fun (a lot more hiking than knitting and graded as the most strenuous). I ended up making a friend who invited me to visit her in the northern Netherlands (I just returned yesterday). Had a blast. I think that we were both fairly active people who also like yarn and knitting/crochet made the experience fun.

She's also an avid hiker and has been to Scotland 40 + times - we are going hiking for two weeks in Scotland next year.

I've also been on cruises (the ultimate 'tour) - the cruise line you pick determines the type of people and cruise experience.

I do a lot of DIY travel - I have friends all over the world and have been invited to visit (and vice-versa). That is the ultimate as they help you with local/regional information and many times offer to let you stay with them.

I've also done tour trips with a travel group from Meetup-the comment made that the tour organizer is usually doing it for a free trip is spot on. If you know that, you can adjust your expectations. The two trips I did were a ski trip to Alaska and a hiking trip to Havasupai, Grand Canyon. That particular Meetup travel organizer made going to both of those locations easy for me - I paid the amount and showed up with my gear and went on the trip. I didn't do any logistical planning, which was what I wanted for those type of trips.

Finding companions of the same fitness level, educational level, etc, is also of concern. Nevertheless, I've found that while traveling one meets very interesting people and if one talks with the locals, one can find out a lot of great information: what to see, what not to see, best deals, best restaurants, what is the best feature of their regions, etc. Makes for a much more enjoyable trip.

Lastly, I haven't done any traveling with an alumni group, but my parents have. They've enjoyed those trips as well. I think it depends on where you went to school as to how much you might enjoy the trip and companions. I'm intrigued by the comment made the empty spots could be filled by non-alumni. I might try that someday.

 

[valsdad]

Please check out Rick Steve's tours.

 

[swakyaby]

Lastly, I haven't done any traveling with an alumni group, but my parents have. They've enjoyed those trips as well. I think it depends on where you went to school as to how much you might enjoy the trip and companions. I'm intrigued by the comment made the empty spots could be filled by non-alumni. I might try that someday.

Regarding traveling with an alumni group even when not affiliated with the university, I got a distinct impression they did not care if you were affiliated or not. When I inquired about a certain small group tour to South America, the alumni group sent me a glossy brochure and a registration form that did not ask whether I was an alumni or not. However, it did request a minimum $100 donation to the alumni group for a one-year membership in order to register. I noticed none of the paperwork asked whether I was a former student.

 

[Scrapr]

Regarding traveling with an alumni group even when not affiliated with the university, I got a distinct impression they did not care if you were affiliated or not. When I inquired about a certain small group tour to South America, the alumni group sent me a glossy brochure and a registration form that did not ask whether I was an alumni or not. However, it did request a minimum $100 donation to the alumni group for a one-year membership in order to register. I noticed none of the paperwork asked whether I was a former student.

You finally got that Stanford degree?

 

[explanade]

I just looked at what my alumni group was offering.

A lot of trips but they're like $3300 for one-week trips and up. So these are just land costs probably.

 

[TrophyWife]

+1

We loved our 10 Day hike/bike/kayak tour of Vietnam with G Adventures. There were 12 people, ages 30 something to 60 something, in our group and our guide Dang was awesome. A great mix of popular tourist spots and off-the-beaten-path activities. We scored a Southwest companion pass this year so are focusing our travels along Southwest routes but hope to do another G Adventures tour soon.

We also have the Southwest Companion Pass-we need a travel group for destinations where Southwest flies!

 

[meridiver]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but wanted to mention two travel companies that might work well for the OP. First, G Adventures, which is a Canadian company that was already mentioned upthread. The other is an Australian company called Intrepid Travel. Both specialize in small (max 12-16 people) group travel and they are much more relaxed than the typical bus touring companies. They use trains or local transport whenever possible and stay in small, local hotels that don't have big lobbies and fancy facilities (sometimes don't even have elevators), but are instead well located in the center of town, are often run by locals and have actual personality. There's a group leader who makes sure you get on the correct train, usually leads an orientation tour in every new town and has great recommendations for things to do, places to eat, etc. but otherwise pretty much stays out of your hair.

Prices are very reasonable and the trips tend to attract younger people and DIYers who appreciate that the itinerary is already laid out and that in-country travel and accommodations are pre-arranged, but who want to be left on their own to explore once they get to each new destination. Meals are usually NOT included so you are free to eat wherever and whatever you want. Sometimes you end up wandering around. sightseeing, and eating with others in the group, sometimes not. It's like the best of all possible worlds. Just be aware that you'll be managing your own luggage most of the time so pack light!

 

[gayl]

In 2018 DW & I sat on a park bench, had lunch, (an apple & a banana each), and chatted with an elderly, (even older than me), Israeli lady in Sighisoara, Romania.

She was with a tour, and complained that the other members of her group only wanted to eat..."They're over there in the restaurant right now" she said.

From her perspective they no sooner got on the bus after breakfast and they were talking about lunch......not a happy tourer.

And this is why I don't do tours -- that and having to stick to a schedule.