ELDERTREKS

If you want some adventure on the road, ElderTreks has been offering senior-oriented trips for almost two decades. With both land and sea vacations, ElderTreks features some pretty exotic destinations, including Mongolia, Ethiopia, and Antarctica. Most of the offerings tend toward the strenuous, but the Activity Level rank gives an idea of just how active a particular tour is.

A Level 3 (most physical) voyage in Ethiopia, for example, could include climbing down the base of the Blue Nile Falls, a three-hour hike in Lalibela, and camping in the Omo Valley after some serious off-roading. ElderTreks are not for the faint of heart or the physically unfit, and can range from about a week to a month or more. If you’re adventurous, and looking to meet someone else who is, too, consider joining up with ElderTreks.

SINGLES ADVENTURE CRUISES

While the “Adventure” moniker may be a bit misleading considering this company’s emphasis on large-ship cruising. Still, for seniors aged 55+, it could be a good way to meet others. Senior singles in need of a buddy or wingman might like the “Travel Mates” program, which can help to start friendships and meet up with a roommate to avoid a singles supplement charge. Do be careful when exploring Singles Adventure Cruises options, though — seniors should look for cruises specifically targeted to them. Otherwise, you could end up on a cruise full of single, hard-partying twenty-somethings. Their garishly-designed website doesn’t help, but seniors should look for cruises targeted at the “55+.”

They also offer “Ad-Lib Cruises” for folks who don’t like to be overscheduled with group activities. These cruises allow you to be on a ship with significant numbers of singles and participate in group activities when you desire, yet still give you the freedom to pursue your own schedule.

GOLDEN TRAVEL GUIDES

Golden Travel Guides isn’t actually referring to the “golden years”; the company was started in 1997 by Rick Golden. But they do have plenty of options for senior travel, providing seniors with a search engine for exploring options on their own over the Internet. Alternately, they offer a toll-free number to allow you to speak with an actual “travel specialist” to help make your plans. Not all of their trips are singles-oriented; however, a significant percentage of their travelers on nearly every trip are, in fact, single.

ELDERHOSTEL

With more than 8,000 all-inclusive trips in all 50 states and more than 90 foreign countries, Elderhostel has a global reach. But a couple of things make Elderhostel a bit different from other senior-focused tour companies. First, as a non-profit, Elderhostel is dedicated not to making money, but to providing meaningful experiences that help and educate both travelers and their hosts. Second, Elderhostel maintains a strong commitment to community service with many of its tours.

For example, seniors learn about habitat restoration and biological research by helping scientists study endangered Giant Otters and Hyacinth Macaws in Brazil’s Pantanal. Finally, Elderhostel is committed to education as a goal for travel, with many of their trips having significant cultural components to show seniors a more meaningful side to the country than they might otherwise see. Elderhostel also offers inter-generational trips, for grandparents looking for service-oriented vacations for the whole family.

ALUMNI CLUBS

One final idea for senior singles vacations…trips for college alumni. Many university alumni clubs will sponsor trips that can re-connect seniors to long-lost classmates and spark new relationships. The added bonus of these trips, aside from the fact that all the participants will have at least their college in common, is that it will often help the ol’ alma mater, too. Contact your former college for more information on joining an alumni club.

Peter Greenberg is a preeminent expert on travel. His focus is on the journey, providing insider’s tips and recommendations to an increasingly savvy and demanding traveler. Peter is also author of The New York Times best-selling series, The Travel Detective, which uncovers secrets the airline, hotel, cruise and rental car industries don’t want consumers to know. Check out Travel Tips for more insider information.
Article Source

Related Blogs-Sorry the script doesn’t always fetch the right sites

• Travel Destinations
• High-level Trash Talk « Teds Take
• Sonic Pocket Adventure « FeverGame.Com
• Best Idea Ever: William Shatner As Next American Idol Judge …
• TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
• Travel Destinations
• Marin Sun Farms Tour | Bay Area Bites
• Andy Schleck: “I lost the Tour de France in the prologue”
• New UK Prime Minister Sets Example for Obama on Climate Change …
• Rose cites Bale example | Tottenham Hotspur News from The Spurs Web

Geneva is renowned as a global centre for diplomacy, earning the moniker of the Peace Capital of the World, and the Escalade Festival celebrates a defining event in the city’s history when, in the early hours of 12 December 1602, the Genevan army successfully repelled an attack by the invading French. Dressed in period costumes, modern-day residents enthusiastically celebrate this landmark event 400 years later with a weekend-long calendar of events steeped in fascinating traditions and rituals, guaranteed to enthral visitors to Switzerland.

The Escalade celebrations are a chance for tourists to see historic Geneva’s unique culture and traditions proudly on display, with the city’s colours of red and gold emblazoned across all aspects of the festivities. The crowning event is the three-hour torch parade through Geneva’s Old Town, commemorating the company of 1602 who fought off the invaders. Legend has it that these soldiers’ valiant efforts were aided by a matron who poured boiling vegetable soup over the city walls onto the heads of the invaders, and this event has inspired a range of traditions with cauldrons at their symbolic centre.

Visitors with a taste for chocolate will lavish the Escalade celebrations, where chocolate cauldrons are sold as a festive delicacy, as widely available as Easter eggs are in the Spring. As well as savouring these chocolate delights, festival attendees are also treated to mulled wine and soup, with more sweets and marzipan offerings than children could dream of. Traditional songs are sung in memory of the fallen soldiers, and families with children visiting Geneva can take part in a range of celebrations, as the communal spirit flows throughout the city.

Geneva’s winter celebrations are not restricted to the Escalade weekend however, as the city has much to offer travellers who visit throughout the season, taking in the Christmas atmosphere as the city is transformed with lights and decorations. The Escalade marathon also takes place on the weekend prior to the festival, attracting more participants each year in a race around the Old City that has fast become Switzerland’s most prestigious sporting event, offering a stunning spectacle for visitors.

Geneva’s distinctive cultural history and traditions can be experienced to the full in the city’s many museums open throughout the year, making Geneva flights the ideal option for an edifying cultural break in a city with a unique global focus and exceptional quality of life.

The information contained within this article is the opinion of the author and is intended purely for information and interest purposes only. It should not be used to make any decisions or take any actions. Any links are included for information purposes only.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/escalade-festival-celebrates-the-independence-of-geneva-1438129.html