Seniors Check Out Tour Operators

Actually it’s been done for you already by TourMatters. Senior travelers are not always sure how to choose their next tour.  As TourMatters says, “They’re your guide to the world.  We’re your guide to them.”

For your information, Globus was selected the top tour company by TourMatters. I won’t give you the entire list as you can read for yourself on this site above, but just in case you did not open that link, Abercrombie & Kent came in second followed by Viking River Cruises and Uniworld. TourMatters offers a variety of Tour Styles, breaking them  down into Accommodations, Traveler Ages, Group Type, Activity and Class, and they get very specific.

So What’s a Tour Operator? They note that the term is used loosely in the industry. Here’s what it means to them and their travelers: A tour operator is a company who sells touring itineraries and manages the relationship with the traveler. Many operators design and deliver the itinerary themselves; however use of 3rd parties to accomplish this is very common in the industry.

Seniors Look For Tours

A tour is considered to be a curated itinerary with clearly defined activities or sightseeing. Typically they have the following elements:

• Movement : Multiple cities and highlights are visited

• Guided : Use of local guides or tour directors who lead and coordinate the trip

• Groups :  A number of fellow travelers will participate in the itinerary

TourMatters listing of the various tour operators will let seniors go to each one and explore on your own. Each tour operator is rated according to ranking, reviews, awards, affiliation and Similar Operators.

TourMatters was founded by Jeremy Loeckler who, after having spent eight years working with one of the largest tour operators in the world, has a deep understanding of how the industry works. Most importantly, he’s toured with and interviewed hundreds of senior travelers who have shared their thought process and frustrations in selecting a tour.

I was introduced to this site when I received an e-mail from Jeremy and was asked to include Tourmatters on my Best Travel Websites. He describes my site as “Wow! I just spent a hour browsing your list of travel resources. I’d describe it as epic.” I still have not discovered how or why more folks don’t use it. In my opinion as well, it is an EPIC.

I hope that you find TourMatters as helpful as I did. It is a great service to senior travelers.  jeb