Comments on: How Families and Senior Travelers Can Use this Website

By: Mike Hawkins

Mike Hawkins — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 02:01:15 +0000

‘m an early 50’s solo traveller who (after their mom said “Oh, if you want to take them on a vacation, you’re welcome to it,”) is thinking of asking my niece/nephews on trips once they hit their late teens.

They would have to sign on to my idea of travel, which includes research of the destination, a non-itinerary that allows for tons of time to wander an explore as opposed to an itinerary.
I

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 06:49:02 +0000

We took a 2-1/2 month long trip this summer and used Airbnb 5 different times in Italy, France and England. We had great experiences from a 2-bedroom condo in Rome to a room in an Italian apartment to an “oast” in Surrey, England. We highly recommend this for saving money and gaining unique experiences. By the way, we fit the “senior” category.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 23:31:29 +0000

In reply to Starr Smith. What countries are you going to visit? I will be in Bangkok in Feb

By: Paulo Tan

Paulo Tan — Sun, 17 Nov 2013 01:49:34 +0000

Great tips! Few tips I can share are:

1. Do not be overly ambitious with the itineraries with family travel. Main objective is to keep everybody and not overwhelmed by the planned items.
2, There are often discounted price for children and senior for transports and attractions. Make sure you watch out for them.
3. Get a local guide with transportation for traveling around. A lot of time, it proves to be more economical.

By: Kim

Kim — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 22:24:34 +0000

Matt, are you listening in on our conversations? Haha! We fall into that “other” category of travelers, as we are 46 (Mike) and 36 (me, Tara) and recently retired early from executive jobs, donated everything we owned and hit the road to slow travel and enjoy the deliberate, minimalist marriage that we created for ourselves. Of course, it goes against everyone’s rules, but that’s commentary for another time! Just last week we were in Sweden and stayed at a boutique hostel, our first, and it blew us away. Hesitant at first because we don’t fit the backpacker profile, we were pleasantly surprised to fit right in, make some great acquaintances, and even prepare all of our meals in the common kitchen, which saved us a bundle and allowed us to travel on to Rome via Ryanair. The morale of the story: there may be rules of the road, but hey, rules are made to be broken! So glad we checked in to the hostel and made a wonderful memory.

By: Anita

Anita — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 14:54:49 +0000

Hi Matt. My husband and I fall into the older traveler’s category (I’m 56 and he’s 63) and we’ve been on the road for 14 months now. We’re homeless by choice and prefer slow travel combining all the accommodations that you discussed including short-term apartment rentals. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is house and pet sitting which we’ve really enjoyed. We’ve had 2 housesits now – one for 3 months in Antigua, Guatemala and the 2nd in Atenas, Costa Rica for 3 weeks. Obviously, these help save money but they also allow us to recharge our batteries and treat ourselves to some extra amenities that we don’t even know we’re missing (extra pillows, fully equipped kitchens, etc.). Since our plans are fairly flexible all we need is to find a place in the direction we’re going within our loose time frame. Most of the online housesitting sites have a small, annual membership cost but the money saved in the long run makes this a great option!

By: dawne

dawne — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 02:36:52 +0000

In reply to Rashad Pharaon.

im 66 and stay in hostels all the time; usually being the oldest one there; i use ear plugs and eye cover; there is no age discrimination
there are alot of older travellers on the road; some choosing to be homeless and making the road their home; \
its all a matter of how we choose to live…the most important thing is to not loose sight of what you;re passionate about…

By: Marilynn Smith

Marilynn Smith — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 21:50:43 +0000

Just came back from 2 months in Europe. I am a 65 year old female who traveled solo. I started with a wheeled bag, that was too heavy for stairs in Europe and ended splitting the load between that and a back pack. A good alternative since at times being able to tie my back pack atop my wheelie was grand and i could do stairs with part of the load on my back. Yes i road trains, trams, subways and busses. I did stay in some hostels, for the seniors check out the ones with a room and bath. You did not mention one other common European accommodation. the pension. They are like a lower end hotel. The one I had in Prague had a huge private bath and the room itself was large, but no frills. I also loved B&B’s. I agree, street food is grand. I found every few days i would want one nice meal a day and if you are in a B&B you get breakfast with your room, yeah! Europe was grand, I think my next adventure will be the trans Siberia rail from China to Moscow and a revisit to Saint Petersburg. I learned I can go budget as a single senior and do it well. But do sit at that sidewalk cafe with the red checked table clothes in Florence and eat spaghetti, yum.

By: Rashad Pharaon

Rashad Pharaon — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 02:45:29 +0000

I LOVE hearing more and more about senior travelers doing the backpacking thing when they’re in their 60s and 70s – how cool is that? I wish some hostels wouldn’t discriminate based on age. Personally I hope when I’m in my 60s I’ll still be traveling and living it up.

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 08:23:02 +0000

I think most travel advice is universal: travelling as a family isn’t inherently different, it’s just going to be more expensive whichever way you crack it. Finding Airbnb apartments that suit a family (and where you can cook) rather than cramming into a hotel room is probably the single biggest tip.

We travel as a couple, which is probably the cheapest possible way (on a per person basis) to do it