Biking or boating alternatives don’t do anything for you? Here are a few other options that might appeal. We haven’t tried any of these personally, but we have four different friends/couples who between them have tried each and every one of them. With good success, according to them.
Walking Tours
Walk around Europe? I guess … if I had to. Having said that, this option does seem ideally suited to folks who love to hike or just go on long walks. Friends, who do love to hike, have used one of the companies in Europe that offer walking tours, “HF Holidays”, several times for UK walk-abouts. They have nothing but good things to say about their many experiences.
Again, there is no shortage of companies offering hiking packages. Here is a link to an article in the UK publication “The Telegraph” that reviewed their 12 favourite companies offering hiking holidays in France alone. So, lots of choices.
It appears that most operate along the same lines as the bike touring companies. You can walk with an organized group or strike out on your own. They arrange/provide accommodation, and will transfer your luggage for you to your next stop … I assume. Some of the hikes radiate out daily from the same inn or hotel, while others see you progressing from village to village or from town to town.
There are other ways to walk through Europe that don’t require you to get hooked up with a tour company. Hiking is a big deal there, and the continent is rife with long trails for the most committed of hikers. With most of these, you are generally totally left to your own devices.
Perhaps the most famous of these is the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It is primarily considered a pilgrimage route, but one that can be enjoyed by all. Fodor’s, the guide book people, have a piece about “Europe’s 10 Most Epic Hiking Trails” posted on their website. A simple Google search for long walks through Europe will reveal a myriad of different such options.
And of course, there is an association just for long distance European walkers. The European Ramblers’ Association is a good place to check out some of the potential long, do it yourself routes.
Pros:• Most hikes are in the country; you get to see the rural side of many different countries
• Meet other people if participating in a guided walk
• You get exercise
• Normally get to stay overnight in quaint, out of the way places you might never otherwise get to see
• Probably get to meet lots of localsCons:
• You might make the wrong trail choice, i.e. too difficult for your level of skill
• Weather can be an issue
• Some risk of personal injury
• You may get lost if walking on your own
• You don’t get to control your pace if walking with a group
Road Scholar/Elder Hostel
Road Scholar is the company that used to be called Elder Hostel. Not sure why the name change; perhaps “Road Scholar” better reflects what they do. Or perhaps, “Elder Hostel” simply wasn’t the best marketing choice to begin with … it’s for “elders” ???? … and you have to stay in “hostels” ???? … maybe not so appealing.
Having said that, on their website they identify their target market as those who are “usually over the age of 50”. So, this travel experience is primarily designed for “mature” explorers.
Road Scholar’s raison d’être is to provide an educational experience for the people who join their tours. In their own words:
“Road Scholar inspires adults to learn, discover and travel. Our learning adventures open minds to new ideas and deepen understanding of oneself and of the world’s peoples, places, cultures, history and environments. A true university of the world, not-for-profit Road Scholar’s meaningful – often transformational – educational adventures engage people for whom learning is the journey of a lifetime.”
So, if you want in-depth learning about the places you visit this may be for you. Generally, I would speculate that the pros and cons of this travel experience would likely be similar to those already stated for travelling with a tour group in the first article in this series. With the added benefit of the learning experience, of course.
Pros:
• Gain a deeper understanding about the area you are travelling in
• Great for solo travellers
• They organize and provide all the transport
• You don’t have to find hotels, catch buses or trains, or buy museum and gallery passes on your own
• Relatively safe
• You get to meet new people who probably speak the same language you do
• They offer “FLEX” learning experiences for folks who want to travel independentlyCons:
• Limited control over your own time and what you see and do
• Possibly, restricted opportunities to interact with locals
• No real flexibility in the travel schedule if you go with a group; you don’t get to stay longer in a place you find interesting
• You are stuck with the same people for the entire trip
• Tight time constraints
Untours
This sounds like an interesting way to handle accommodation when you visit Europe. Untours declares that if offers “Independent travel with support”. Looking at it, and talking with friends that have used their services, it does look like a reasonable way to go if you want a bit of a helping hand finding accommodation and feel you might benefit from having a local host.
Their thing is that they will provide you with some planning assistance before you travel, a local contact and orientation when you arrive, an apartment, and some assistance with transportation and other services in some situations. Probably best to read about it here on their own “What Is an Untour?” page.
They do offer places to stay in a number of countries, BUT it looks like the choices are fairly limited. So, perhaps not available in the specific area to which you would like to travel.
Pros:
• Easy way to arrange apartment, rather than hotel, accommodation
• Local contact to answer questions and help solve problems
• Guidebook and orientation help you get your bearings upon arrival
• You are in charge of all of your local travel plans and timing
• Use as a base to travel out to other locales
Cons:
• Appears to be more expensive than arranging accommodation on you own
• Limited selection of locales in each country
• Locales not necessarily located where you might want to travel in a country
• Might involve more travel than what you would like to visit other locales
• The host may be “too friendly”
House Exchange
I suspect doing a house exchange is something everyone has heard about, but with which most have not had any experience. Again, we have never done it, but we have friends who have. In fact, they have done it several times; allowing them to visit Perpignan, Paris, Oxford, Gloucestershire, Vancouver, and Malaga. They are experts at the concept!
The premise is simple, you simultaneously stay in someone else’s home while they stay in yours. No accommodation costs for either party … except for some sort of fee that the organizing website is taking of course.
Our friends use the Home For Exchange website to organize their trips. Reading their How it Workspage will provide you with an overview with how it is all organized. It is interesting to note that there is an option to do a “non-simultaneous” exchange where you get to travel and stay at a different time … probably involving you having a second vacation property, or to be willing to go and stay with someone else locally when your house is in use.
Again, there are other sites doing this sort of thing (e.g. homeexchange.com; who appear to be working in conjunction with tripadvisor). A quick Google search brings up many.
Our friends report that you can often arrange car exchanges with the other folks as well. All of their experiences have been very positive so far.
Pros:
• Houses available in many locations
• No accommodation costs, except for website fee
• You have direct contact with the people you are exchanging with via phone or email
• Listings on the website provide a detailed idea of what you will be getting
• Exchange families often leave instructions and some local area informationCons:
• In spite of what it says on the website you may end up with a dud of a house
• May be very inconveniently located, e.g. can’t even walk to get simple things like groceries
• Your own home may get abused; things may get broken
• Others will have free reign to explore in your home; this may make some uncomfortable
• Lack of certain amenities, e.g. air-conditioning in summer, bed size
Time to Try One?
And there you have it, a wide range of different ways to experience Europe if you are feeling that you are up for a change of pace. Hopefully, one will have resonated with you, and felt like it wasn’t too far outside your own personal comfort zone. Retirement is definitely the time to stretch yourself at bit by trying out new experiences. Time to consider taking the plunge, and try a new travel experience perhaps?
How We travel
If you thought some of these were a bit scary, wait until you hear how the Love-goddess and I travel. We call it the “Wing-It” methodology. And that is what I will be writing about in my next article.
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