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Age range?

Sr85Sr85
in General Discussion
Im looking into possibly doing a solo italy tauck tour. Im 31 can anyone give me an idea of the approx age range of most tours?

Comments

  • jdurkinjdurkin
    edited July 2014
    Well. This is a difficult one and I don't want to unnecessarily attract censorship. Again. Well, who b***** cares. I will try and tell you like it is. After 18 solo trips & two more in the works, and a non-American to boot I think I'm qualified to give you my opinion.

    You may or may not know that Tauck is an American family company. They travel world wide, but their primary target market is directed at US nationals. That is not to say non-US citizens don't travel with them ... they certainly do. One of the factors determining the age of the majority market is that Americans generally do not travel for pleasure (internationally, particularly) until after retirement. So that bumps up the average age of American Tauck travellers. While many travellers are repeat customers, you will find a high proportion of first time, naive travellers (to anywhere) on a Tauck trip. People will always navigate to a comfortable group and you have to start somewhere, right? Tauck also have a travel product aimed at family groups … mum, dad, grandma and grandpa and the kids … all ages (of kids!). Non-Americans who travel with Tauck are often younger and more experienced travellers.

    I would say you would be one of the youngest people, not travelling as part of a family group, on a Tauck tour. That said, I don't think age is necessarily a good indicator of the type of traveller you will find on a Tauck trip. I can't tell you the number of old luvvies who could run rings around me for stamina! My guess is that if you are considering a Tauck trip, you have done some research already. You will now know that Tauck are one of the most professional travel organisations around. They are very skilled with the design of their trips and their tour directors on the ground are very knowledgeable and very skilled at what they do. The best. You will get excellent value for money. You will always be accommodated in the best hotels in any location. They don't keep piling on lots of hidden extras. The bottom line is the bottom line. As a single traveller, you are already aware and resigned to the fact that you will pay more than a couple does. That's just the way it is … but you don't have to share your bathroom! My suggestion is to stay well clear of any departure dates marketed as Solo Departures. You will find a lot of quite older singles, mostly women, on these trips. (If that sounds good to you … woo hoo!)

    That you are 31 should not impede your enjoyment of a Tauck trip. IMHO. Chances are, a Tauck trip is not the first place you'd head to for a rave up. I'm guessing you already know this. If you want to travel with a very competent and professional outfit, to see and experience new things, places, people and perchance make some new friends along the way ... well you can't go better than Tauck.

    I can't give you an average age. I've had a grandma with her 2 grandies (8 & 15) who were the life of the group. People will say …."oh, they are all really old." Well, that's a state of mind. I've travelled with really old & stodgy 40 year olds. I think age is the least of your problems. It's what's between the ears that really counts and that can be a real crap shoot whoever you travel with.

    Cheers,

    Jan
  • crackers54crackers54
    I agree with Jan on the age. Primarily the average tour is mostly in 60's and 70's. There are usually some in 50's and 40's, also, several older. But it all it, also, depends what tour you are looking at. Tauck has some very active tours that probably attract a younger demographic. I started with Tauck many years ago in my 40's as a solo traveler. I haver let age determine who I hang out with.

    On my recent trip there was a 17 year old traveling with his grandparents. He never let age bother him and had a good time with all on the trip.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    While I agree with most of Jan's comments, two additional observations: the naivety of some travellers is (I think) inversely proportional to the not-the-US environment for the trip. Our recent trip to China was all experienced travellers...if you travel to someplace more "comfortable," you may have a less experienced group. Second point is that it is pretty easy to join or avoid trips with a lot of kids. Tauck clearly describes some trips as family oriented so you wouldn't/shouldn't be surprised if there are a lot of kids. The small group departures offered on many trips is also less likely to have family groups because of both capacity and the surcharge. Personally, I think one of the greatest gifts you can give your kids is to see the world (and the U.S.).
  • judy05judy05
    I think most people find age on Tauck trips to be irrelevant. People just seem to mix well together. There was a 94 year old woman on our Classic Italy trip years ago. At home she taught line dancing. Many evenings after a free afternoon people would talk about how they spent their time. She was one of the few who never took a nap. She was always walking somewhere or going to one museum or another. That trip provided a great lesson on age being just a number!
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