Has anyone done a Globus Tour? Is everyone over 60?

In my experience, those organized tours for elders are insultingly slow-paced, even for decrepit old bastards.

They babysit you like children, feed you bland hospital food on the boat (which has no other entertainment or activities), and on the rare occasion they let you off the boat, they lead you around like kindergarteners on a field trip. "Everybody stay with your buddy and follow the purple flag!"

They're also absurdly expensive for what you get. You can borrow their online itinerary and plan out your own trip for half what they charge.

Having said all this, if you're doing a land-based group tour (on a bus instead of a boat), it may be worth it. This is especially true if you're in a truly exotic land with a language barrier, or if you'd simply feel safer in a group.

It can be a great way to make your first journey into an unfamiliar area. See it in broad strokes with a group first, and then come back by yourselves a few years later to dig deeper into specific areas.

R2 the only reason I’m considering it at all is because it’s Egypt and I’m a little skittish doung it independently

You should have a guide in Egypt. When we went into the market the tour company arranged a bodyguard. He had a uzi under his coat. They also know which parts of the country are safe. We lucked out as most of the group could not get to Egypt due to a volcano in Iceland and we had the guide to ourselves.

^not Globus, btw.

The only downside is stops at shops and restaurants that are clearly giving kickbacks to the guide, but they weren’t bad.

I agree about the guide and perhaps, a tour company. We went to Cairo and it can be very confusing alone. Hiring an english speaking guide and driver for the day was well worth it. They know people and where to go so you don't get ripped off. Plus, there is the safety factor of having a local escort you around, especially after 50. Plus, the tour company arranged a cruise down the Nile. That, alone, was exquisite.

Oh, I agree. I'd absolutely do a group in a place like Egypt. They're typically protective of their tourist industry, but tourists are also a target.

But as a broader lesson for the group: Those group tours aimed at people over 50 are often insultingly dull. Proceed with caution!

I'd consider an all-gay guided tour of Egypt (of like-minded eldergays) before joining a mass market travel junket. Both Toto and Zoom Travel have received mostly positive reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor, and their clientle seems to be 35-65yo gay men.

I've taken two Globus-Gateway tours in the past:

1) Fiji-Australia-New Zealand in1985, and

2) Denmark - Norway - Sweden - Finland - Russia in 1994

Both were fine.

Show us the tour, OP svp. Maybe I'll join you.

I was going to do a Globus tour but had a bout of dysphagia.

Fart it out and go on your tour, r11!

I did an African (Kenya) safari tour (with Colette, not Globus) and it was great. Mostly seniors, but definitely a good experience. You're in small-ish Jeep-like vehicles with your own driver/guide. We had three Jeeps in our group. Unfortunately our trip got cut short because of COVID (this was in March of 2020) and we missed the last couple of days.

R13 How do the olds do in a setting like that?

I often worry about being the only tourist under 50 in a group like that, and wonder how they'll behave. Most of the American tourists I spot overseas are loud old fools who get lost and shout their questions in English. But as expensive as a safari tour tends to be, I reckon this will filter out the riff-raff. Old people with money are usually quieter than middle-class olds.

I did an Italy tour with Globus about a decade ago.

My partner and I were in our 30’s. About half of the tourists were above 50 but a number of families with kids in their 20’s . It was really a nice crowd.

I like these group tours because they put us on a rigid schedule so we see everything in the allotted time. Plus, they get discounts to nice hotels and restaurants

Egypt is magnificent. Definitely go and, if you for a good deal with Globus, go with them.

All the tours are basically the same.

[quote] He had a uzi under his coat

Maybe he was just pleased to see you, R4.

We haven't done a tour like that. What we will do is plan our trip and then add on tours from Viator. Viator has great data, so you can see which tours are well-recommended and which suck.

I’ve done Viator too and they were fine.

The best thing about a full tour is everything is taken care of—from hotels, to most meals, to tour guides.

We did a nine-country European tour and it was great. We peeled off and went on our own often enough that we didn't feel constricted by the itinerary. Lots of optional excursions as well.

[quote]My partner and I were in our 30’s. About half of the tourists were above 50 but a number of families with kids in their 20’s . It was really a nice crowd.

I did a few with my Mom, because I did not know if she would get to the countries again, so we did the best of Great Britain etc. and since I was not overly experienced at traveling myself, I thought it would be easier than me getting lost trying to driving to different parts of the country. We did five different tours over about a ten-year period of time (either Globus or its cheaper counterpart Cosmos) and while the make-up varied a little from tour to tour, R15 's summary is pretty accurate. At worst, people got along and coexisted but did not interact outside of their group, but it was more common for people to start to intermingle and socialize. I get along with my mom, but when you are traveling together for two plus weeks, it is nice to mix it up with other people. There were times I could go off on my own and not worry about my mom being alone, because she was hanging out with other people.