DESTINATIONS GAP YEARS ESCORTED TOURS LEFT:
Homestay in Ecuador
RIGHT: The Deccan
Odyssey, India BELOW:
Itsukushima Shrine, Japan
tourist traps should also consider tours that encourage clients to develop a greater understanding of the country they are visiting. G Adventures’ Local Living tours see clients lodging in unique residences for most of their trip, with a local host to give them insider access to a destination. An escorted tour affords
experiences that career-breakers would struggle to arrange on their own: think watching a Waorani warrior hunt in the Amazon in Ecuador, or helping to make byaslag, a local cheese, while living on the Mongolian steppe.
w THE GREY-GAPPER The kids have flown the nest, the pension pot is full – what better time to start ticking off that bucket list? The grey-haired gap year market is getting bigger, and that’s reflected in the type of holidays that tour operators are offering. Cosmos Tours & Cruises
Activities include cycling in Xi’an, riding a Vespa in Saigon or hiking in the rice terraces in Longji
has launched a new range of ‘bucket lister’ holidays for 2017 which offer adventure without scrimping on the older market’s penchant for luxury. Its new Hidden Treasures of Gujarat rail tour, for example, offers clients old-style glamour aboard the Deccan Odyssey while tagging on excursions to experience local traditions and cultures. “Travellers often want to see the sights but also enjoy a more authentic travelling experience,” says Ben Briggs, head of
marketing at Wendy Wu Tours, whose core client age is between 40 and 65. “Our Discovery Tours offer activities including cycling along the city walls in Xi’an, riding a Vespa through Saigon or hiking in the rice terraces in Longji, which can run alongside well-known attractions.” For retirees, trip lengths range
from month-long adventures to full-on round-the-world trips. Colin Wilson, group sales director at Travelsphere, says its customers tend to opt for longer breaks, be it 30 days touring around Australia, two weeks in China or 32 days circumnavigating the globe. “We are seeing a real increase in the demand for escorted holidays to India, Bhutan, Burma, China and the US, while closer to home Iceland, Italy and Croatia remain popular,” he says. An escorted tour can also be a great way for retirees to begin
a longer ‘gap year’ adventure. Wendy Wu Tours has a number of short stays that could work well at the start of a trip, such as its five-day Classic Cambodia journey. “These allow guests to experience a new culture in the safety and comfort of one our tours, allowing them to settle into their travels. Shorter trips could also be a great way to end a larger journey with expert guiding and authentic experiences,” says Briggs. With retirees increasingly opting for more-adventurous destinations, an escorted tour allows clients to soak up the sights and sounds of a destination while travelling safely alongside a local expert guide. Among Collette’s new destinations for 2017 are India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, providing further evidence that grey-gappers have a desire to explore long-haul.
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travelweekly.co.uk 25 August 2016
PICTURES: BOA CAMPBELL; CARINDA HARRIS; BENJAMIN PALMER; STA TRAVEL; COSMOS; G ADVENTURES; WENDY WU TOURS
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