50s+ Travel

The over 50s traveller is spoilt for choice. From long weekend breaks in Paris or Amsterdam to cruising the Caribbean, swimming with the dolphins in Hawaii, lazing on the beach in Spain or snorkelling in the Florida Keys.

With numerous options available, unless you have a specific location in mind, the first thing to decide is what type of holiday you want. With so many different kinds of holidays available, covering just about every interest you can imagine, you should be able to find what you want in a location that you will be happy to visit. If you are retired, you have the added advantage of being able to take your holiday out of high season which will keep the cost of your holiday down.

If you are just wanting to laze on the beach, there are plenty of travel companies who can offer accommodation only, half or full board holidays at resorts throughout the Mediterranean. Beware, though, of the hotels in major resorts, or holidays where the company only lets you know your hotel on arrival at the resort. You may find yourself in a hotel full of 18 year old all night revellers - faced with sleepless nights and blaring music. If you want to be in or near a major resort town, opt for accommodation in peaceful locations away from the attractions. You can always walk or bus to take part in the nightlife - you don't actually want to be sleeping with it!

If you are looking for some type of activity holiday there are a wealth to choose from. Air ballooning, art, cookery, cycling, fishing, golf, health/pamper, hiking, horse riding, mountaineering, music, safari, sailing, skiing, tennis, walking, watersports are just a number of the many different types of activity holidays on offer. If you think you might get bored with just one type of activity, some companies offer multi-activity holidays. Whatever the holiday, it is always wise to check out the location of the accommodation. Activity holidays are usually very social and you could make a lot of new friends.

If you like being with lots of people, love sight-seeing and visiting lots of different places then a cruise will probably appeal. Most cruises on offer do not spend days out at sea. A Mediterranean cruise takes in a number of locations including such locations as Lisbon, Gibraltar, Malaga, Palma (Majorca), Mahon (Menorca), Barcelona, Nice, Cannes, Ajaccio (Corsica), Portofino (Italy), Civitavecchia (for Rome), Naples, Messina (Sicily), Valetta (Malta), Piraeus (for Athens). As the cruise ships often dock in the early morning and sail overnight to the next location, there are normally opportunities for all day sight-seeing. There are also plenty of Caribbean island and Florida cruises available, cruises of Scandanavia and also the Red Sea taking in locations in Egypt and Jordan. For a cruise with a difference, you might want to take in the spectacular scenery of Alaska. Some very acceptable cruises are on offer for in the region of £500-£800 with discounts provided for last minute bookings. Prices given are usually based on two sharing. For that touch of luxury, a 6 night cruise on the Queen Mary II from New York to Southampton, including flights to New York from London, starts from around £1,800 going all the way up to £28,000 for the most lavish suites which include large lounges, upstairs bathrooms, balconies and whirlpool tubs. Out of reach for most of us but then there is always the lottery.....

If you are on your own, check out the many singles holidays that are on offer. Whilst many just provide the location, company and weather, a number of these holidays offer a combination of activities such as hiking, sailing and watersports. The advantage of this type of holiday is that even if you elect to do solitary activities in the day such as sight-seeing or just lazing on the beach, you can have company in the evenings. It's not much fun sitting in a restaurant on your own when everyone else appears to be enjoying themselves. Singles holidays are available throughout the UK and worldwide.