There are plenty of exciting travel options available for seniors. (Shutterstock)

Best places to have a mid life crisis

Getting old can be a bugger.

The media would have us believe that 55 is the new 40, and 70 the new 55. But, face it, the spirit may be willing but at some point the body says "whoa, wait a minute."

Mine seems to be saying that more frequently, and more insistently. I average eight to 10 working trips a year, most lasting four or five days, plus one or two longer ones for vacation. Lately I've been paying closer attention to the physical demands of the itineraries.

Getting on and off a tour bus isn't a concern. Getting in and out of a kayak might be. Walking several kilometres on relatively flat terrain isn't a problem. Tackling steep hills would be.

I got thinking more about this after an acquaintance who's 93 and uses a cane asked what sort of travelling was still open to him.

Road Scholar (roadscholar.org), formerly Elderhostel, sprang to mind. It grades the activity level of its excursions from one to seven. On a Level 1 trip, the easiest, participants must be able to handle their luggage, climb a few stairs and get from sleeping accommodations to classrooms and dining rooms. Level 7, the toughest, demands "a high level of physical fitness and appropriate expertise in the program activities."

Walking -- how much or how long and over what sort of terrain -- figures prominently. Level 2, for example, requires the ability to do a few blocks, indoors or out. At Level 4, the ante's been upped a bit: ". . . walk on uneven surfaces for up to two miles at a a 2-mph pace over the course of a day."

Most trips in Road Scholar's catalogues are graded 2 to 5.

Adventure operator Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel.com) rates its tours two ways: The physical challenges, on a scale of one to six; and culture shock, one to five

River cruising in Europe is increasingly popular and sounds relaxing. But the shore excursions can involve a lot of walking.

The trick is to plan ahead. Same goes for regular cruises.

Before a Baltic cruise last year, my wife and I received a sign-up list that spelled out how many hours or kilometres of walking was involved in each excursion. That enabled us to decide if we wanted to do both morning and afternoon ones, and to pass on ones that looked too strenuous.

What about escorted coach tours? I checked with four major tour operators and none has a rating system similar to Road Scholar's or Intrepid's.

Trafalgar Tours (trafalgar.com) and Insight Vacations (insight vacations.com) acknowledged that tours involve "a fair amount of walking." If passengers can't handle that, the tour director will find a place for them to sit and pick them up later.

Senior Tours Canada (seniortourscanada.com) warns in its brochure that anyone participating in a European tour "must be able to walk fairly long distances and climb stairs easily."

Globus (globusjourneys.ca) said it's "happy (and used to) dealing with queries on a case-by-case basis.''

Insight told me travellers with concerns can fill out a form "detailing specific needs/challenges they may have and we can then address this on an individual basis to determine if the tour in question is the best fit for them.''

My travel agent, who I rely on for help with most of my holiday ventures, had this advice: "If clients have no idea what to expect with trips or are worried about mobility issues, they should really contact an agent. Every company is different and there are some things that would take them months to find in the brochures or on the internet."

denglishtravel@gmail.com