Perhaps a spouse can’t travel any more and you have no one with similar interests to travel with? Or perhaps you’re concerned about safety and health or problems with unfamiliar languages and cultures?

If it’s too scary to think of heading off alone, try joining a tour group the first time, one where you’re likely to meet people with similar interests. Find a group that allows for free time to explore on your own and follow your interests. Being alone in a group combines the best elements of solo and accompanied travel. You always have people in the group to talk with and eat with, but you can also explore on your own, close your door, and savor your privacy.

Solo travel arrangements usually require paying some penalties in the form of financial supplements. If this is a deterrent or you don’t like the idea of going with a group, look for an organization that will supply you with a companion of your age and gender (see Solo Travel Resources box on next page). The risk is that you may not “click” with that person. But think of it as a short-term commitment: you’ve at least got to where you want to go and you may even have found a longer-term friend.

Real solo travels—where you decide the destination, read up on it, get your own tickets, and head off alone—is another matter. This is where you weigh concerns for personal safety and where women feel especially vulnerable (nearly all the solo travel advice is directed at women). While it might not be wise to strike out on your own to, say, Burundi, a shake-down visit to a more familiar culture like Mexico will get you started.

Perhaps the most important goal to keep in mind is to learn as much as possible about the people and places you’ll be visiting before you leave home and go out of your way to meet the locals when you’re there. You can do this in small ways: by admiring a gardener’s work, offering to take someone’s picture, asking for information about local landmarks, accepting an invitation into a family home for a meal, etc.

People everywhere, travelers and locals alike, are more willing to take up with singles than with pairs. So leave your shyness at home, pack your bag (preferably a rolling carry-on), and go for it!

Air travel is generally the biggest money outlay—and therefore the biggest deterrent to going anywhere. Consider some key ways around it. One is the extraordinarily low winter airfare to get to Europe that happens every year, usually between mid-October and March or April. Airlines offer transatlantic roundtrip fares of $400 or even less to London, Paris, Rome, etc.

Why would you want to go abroad in the winter? To see and do the same things as in peak seasons and without the crowds and high costs for museums, concerts, theater, language courses. Hotels and all-inclusive packages are generally cheaper at that time too. Book at least six months in advance and pay early to get low-priced promotional airfare, or, if your time is flexible, see what you can get at the last minute for a low price. Most major airlines have discontinued the senior discount fare, making the off-season rates especially attractive. Once in Europe, you’ll find more new airlines to provide cheap travel from nearly all the major hubs to wherever you want to go (see below).

Rail Passes

Once you’re there, even more opportunities to save are available for the over-60 crowd. Most senior rail passes are for single countries or contiguous countries such as Scandinavia or the Balkans.

Eurailpass, good for unlimited travel in about 17 European countries, offers no senior discounts, making individual country passes a better deal. Here are the best ones:

Eurostar, the Channel Tunnel train, and the Thalys train give seniors 25-30 percent off, but you may have to order them ahead.  In many major cities local transportation—subways, buses, and lake steamers—is grouped together in a one-purchase card.

For discounts in general, other than transportation, different countries offer different deals, and the practice is often unpredictable. Some bargains are available to anyone over 60; others are limited to citizens of the EU nations. In Greece, for instance, a few museums and archeological sites are discounted. In Austria discounts vary from one museum or site to another; there is no general rule. You often have to be a member of an association or hold a British pension book in England to get a discount. And so it goes—no hard and fast specifics. Before you go, see what discount cards are available for free or reduced rates to attractions in the areas you’ll visiting.

The point is that discounts are out there. They’re very often available for movies, theaters, museums, tours, local sightseeing, historic buildings, hotels, restaurants, and car rentals. The main rule to keep in mind is that if you think you may qualify for a discount on anything ask. They’re not apt to volunteer the offer—any more than they do in your home town. In the case of hotels and car rentals, ask when you make the reservation, not when you check out. And ask too for weekend or midweek packages at hotels or, better yet, look for lower-priced B and Bs where you’ll often feel like one of the family.

As for evening meals, which abroad are frequently served when American seniors are ready to turn in, look for early-bird menus, often served before 7 p.m.

Another tip: always keep some form of identification like a passport or a driver’s license with you that show your date of birth. You never know when and where a bargain is waiting for you. Finally, verify all published rates and schedules before you assume they’re valid.

If you are interested in bus travel, you can find a variety of routes depending on where you are going, and when you want to go. Some routes will have a lot of stops along the way, but they may not offer you a lot of time to explore the area. There are tour groups that use bus travel to host specialty tours. These tours may go through a certain part of the country to view the countryside, or may go to a specific destination like the Grand Canyon, or Niagara Falls.

If you are planning a trip to a large city nearby, and you want to make a family event out of it, you can use bus travel to get everyone there quickly and relatively hassle free. Bus travel for groups can be arranged through almost any bus company, and the price may vary depending on how many people are going, and where you wish to go. Call around for the best deal on bus travel, and save yourself some driving.

Bands, and other entertainment types, also often use bus travel. They find this the cheapest and easiest way to get from city to city. These aren’t your average buses, however, and they offer many of the comforts of home. Many come with complete bathrooms, great sleeping spaces, living areas, and loads of electronic diversions. If you can afford this type of bus travel, know you will be traveling in style.

No matter why you choose bus travel, when you do, you are choosing a classic American form of group travel. Bus and train travel used to be the main ways Americans moved across the country. Due to major events like the terrorist attacks in New York City, many people are choosing bus travel over air travel for their vacations. Many college students are learning that this is also the cheapest and easiest way to get home when they want to see their families.

So book that fantastic bus trip today!

Examples of accidents whilst on holiday:

• Slips on wet surfaces within the hotel or trips on raised/defective surfaces.
• Accidents whilst on day trip excursions.
• Injuries whilst taking part in sporting activities.
• Vehicle incidents causing injury.

Travel agents have a responsibility to ensure that accommodation is safe and hygienic, meaning non slip flooring throughout hotels, safety glass windows, and no trip hazards in direct path of customers, safe play areas for children, and swimming pools to have lifeguards.

Examples of claims resulting from Accidents Abroad

For example, if your accident was caused due to a badly maintained section of walkway in the hotel grounds you would be entitled to make a personal injury compensation claim against your travel agent. You would also be able to make a personal injury compensation claim against your travel agent if you contracted a form of food poisoning from the hotel restaurant; however, you would not be able to make a personal injury compensation claim against your travel agent if your accident was caused due to a badly maintained pavement in a local town centre.

Equally, if an accident occurred whilst you were engaged in sports or activities that were arranged by you with independent operators in the holiday resort or location, there may be no liability under the Package Tour regulations regime. Potentially dangerous activities on the beach such as paragliding, banana boat rides, waterskiing or snorkeling and diving may not be covered under these regulations as they would not be part of the holiday package deal. One could try and sue the companies in the country they are based but separate detailed local legal advice would then need to be considered and this can be a difficult and costly process.

Even if you have made your travel and accommodation arrangements personally without a tour or travel agent, it is still worth seeking specialist legal advice as to the options that may be available to you.

Even if you are traveling by plane, ship or trains abroad and have not reached your destination, there may be legal remedies available and again you should contact us so that you can be put in touch with specialist solicitors.

If you are involved in road traffic accidents abroad whether as a driver or passenger or whether in a car, taxi, coach or bus, it is possible that you may have a right to seek compensation if another party was to blame and is identifiable.  One must in certain countries however seek medical attention immediately as this can be a pre requisite to compensation schemes in some countries. It is crucial to obtain details of all other persons involved. You must always report the matter to the police and retain all resulting paperwork.

What action should I take after my Accident Abroad?

Collecting evidence after your Accident Abroad

To make a successful personal injury compensation claim, you would need to prove that another person was responsible for your personal injury.  In the case of an accident abroad this would normally be your travel agent or your employer.

To help your case, you should report the accident to your employer / your travel representative at the time, make a note of your accident in the accident book, take names and addresses of witnesses to the accident and if possible take photographs of the area where the accident happened.  You must also keep safely all of the travel documentation, receipts and paperwork including medical letters, receipts for treatment, hospital discharge letters or any other documentation relating to or arising from the holiday and injury.

If you are intending to claim expenses such as prescription costs and traveling expenses, remember to keep receipts as evidence.

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