For seniors
Advice, resources, & tours for mature travelers in the U.K.
Being a senior citizen entitles you to some terrific travel bargains.
Most major airlines only offer senior discounts sporadically, though British Airways does give AARP members up to $200 off standard airfares (in Business or First class; in Premium Economy the discount is $130, in Economy it's just $55).
In most U.K. cities, people over 60 get reduced admission at many museums and other attractions.
For the British rail system, you can buy a £30 railcard that will get you 33% off all train tickets for one year (also works for PAYG Oyster Cards on the London transit system). » more
Just carry your passport as proof of age.
In an entirely unquantifiable benefit of travel in Europe, seniors are most often treated as respected elders and not marginalized, as they so often are in American society.
In most of Europe, the older you get, the more vital a role you play as a wise elder, not just within the family but in the community at large. You'll routinely see three and four generations eating out together, and older people are viewed with dignity and respect. It's quite refreshing.
- Travel50andbeyond.com - A quarterly magazine devoted to mature travel.
- Aarp.org - The famed AARP discounts won't count for much in Britain (save on British Airways), but the magazine comes with great general travel tips and articles. (Disclosure: I sometimes write travel pieces for AARP The Magazine.)
- Travelwithachallenge.com - A Web magazine of challenging, adventurous, and intriguing cultural trips and volunteer vacations for mature travelers.
- Roadscholar.org - Road Scholar—the tour company formerly known as Elderhostels (and, briefly, Exploritas)—is devoted to "Adventures in lifelong learning." These are educational trips, often coordinated by universities, with nearly 70 trips in or including England, Scotland, and Wales. Your days are packed with seminars, lectures, field trips, and sightseeing, all led by academics or expert tour guides. Programs range from one to four weeks. They also offer cruises, intergenerational trips (i.e.: bring the grand kids), and outdoors adventures.
- Oattravel.com - Overseas Adventure Travel is devoted to budget-priced, small group adventures with a focus on mature solo travelers.
- Gct.com - Grand Circle Travel is a top tour company for the senior set, aimed squarely at the over-50 market (though skewing older than that—and no, I'm not implying that over 50s are seniors; I'm just trying to provide a sense of the typical tour participants). Usually the full soup-to-nuts tours, including nearly nearly all meals, sightseeing, etc., and paced reasonably—you see a lot, but not a a whirlwind clip. Prices are guaranteed (no surprise fuel surcharges or anything). Usually a handful of U.K. tours.
