The travel industry is finally catching up with the statistics: Between 1985 and 1989, the number of Americans 55 and older walking for exercise more than doubled, from 8.5 million to 18.1 million, according to the National Sporting Goods Association.
In 1990, only a handful of travel companies, including Walking the World and Rainbow Adventures, catered to seniors who wanted to walk while on vacation. Most walking-tour and adventure outfitters aimed trips at younger vacationers, offering treks through Nepal or wilderness hikes that involved camping out or stays in low-budget accommodations. Only a few exceptionally intrepid seniors joined such trips — and still do.
Older Americans had few choices if they wanted to join a walking or hiking tour with those in their own age group, minus the 20- and 30-year-olds out to set a scorching pace. If they wanted a good mattress, a hot shower and a glass of wine with dinner after an active day on their feet, their options were even more limited.
By the end of 1996, the association says, another 2 million had joined the ranks of 55-plus exercise walkers; an additional 2 million listed themselves as hikers. In 1998, those who want a walking vacation have a much wider choice of companies and destinations, as well as levels of creature comforts, pace and price than at the start of the decade.
Walking the World, whose trips are strictly for travelers 50 and older, offered just six itineraries in the Rocky Mountains and Southwest, plus one in Hawaii, when it opened its doors in 1987.
By 1990, the company had doubled its number of destinations. This year, Walking the World is marketing tours to two dozen spots as far afield as China and New Zealand.
Similarly, Rainbow Adventures, a 16-year-old company whose outdoor programs are for older women, finds walking and hiking tours more popular.
At the same time, dozens more walking-tour companies have opened or expanded, any number of which are specifically aimed at senior travelers or whose customer list is dominated by seniors. Scenic Walking Tours/British Coastal Trails has added a line of less expensive tours. Country Walkers began as a bicycle-tour company in 1979 before switching to walking trips, with 1997’s business up 130 percent over the previous year.
Solo travelers often make up 30 or 40 percent of group members. Many companies customize tours for individuals, couples or groups of family or friends.
Now that so many choices exist, senior travelers need to find out a number of things about a company and the particular tour that interests them.
– How strenuous will the trip be? Is it easygoing over relatively flat terrain, or designed for those who want to challenge their physical abilities? Some companies offer a choice of routes each day.
– What are the accommodations and food like? You could be camping out or staying in moderately priced motels, family-run bed and breakfasts or posh inns and country-house hotels. Will you be cooking over an open fire, or sitting down to lavish dinners?
– Who are the guides? Will there be local guides with an intimate knowledge of the region’s culture and natural history, a staff member from the company, or both? Guides should be trained in such things as first aid and CPR.
– Find out the maximum size of the group. Fifteen or 16 is a good number; smaller groups may cost more.
– What do you carry while walking — a hefty backpack with all your clothes, sleeping bag and food, or a daypack with water, lunch, rainwear and maybe your camera or binoculars?
Unless you’re a regular exercise walker who has already developed whatever stamina is recommended for a particular trip, begin preparing yourself and breaking in those hiking boots at least several months in advance.
IF YOU GO
– INFORMATION
Walking-tour companies often provide advice on trip preparation.
Among walking-tour companies and organizations designing trips specifically for — or primarily attracting — senior travelers are:
Country Walkers, P.O. Box 180, Waterbury, Vt. 05676; 800-464-9255
Outdoor Vacations for Women Over 40, P.O. Box 200, Groton, Mass. 01450; 978-448-3331
Rainbow Adventures, 15033 Kelly Canyon Rd., Bozeman, Mont. 59715; 800-804-8686; e-mail, rainbowadv@aol.com. Trips are for women only.
Scenic Walking Tours/British Coastal Trails, 703 Palomar Airport Road, Suite 200, Carlsbad, Calif. 92009; 800-473-1210
Shott’s Walks in the West, P.O. Box 51106, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80949; 719-531-9577; e-mail, Shottwitw@aol.com
Smithsonian Study Tours, 1100 Jefferson Drive S.W., Room 3077, Washington, D.C. 20560; 202-357-4700; e-mail, tours@tsa.si.edu
The Wayfarers, 172 Bellevue Ave., Suite 212, Newport, R.I. 02840; 800-249-4620
