OLDER people are more adventurous than the young when it comes to travelling, according to Britain’s leading adventure tour operators.
Companies such as Explore Worldwide, KE Adventure Travel, Dragoman and Guerba are noticing big differences in holiday choices of people in their twenties and early thirties, compared with those in their forties and older. While young people chase “trendy” destinations such as Peru, Australia and South Africa, older customers are opting for Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia, four-wheel drives across the Sahara, and visits to remote parts of the Himalayas, including Everest base camp.
KE Adventure Travel has found that more than 65 per cent of its customers are over 40, with a quarter of their travellers aged between 50 and 59, 11 per cent between 60 and 69, and 1 per cent over 70.
Tim Greening, a spokesman, said: “We get a lot of people in their 80s who want to do quite hard trips, and sometimes we have to discourage them as it affects the rest of the group.” He said the over-50s in particular are more experienced travellers — and more willing to experiment with new, out-of-the-way places.
Explore Worldwide this month issued a new brochure called “Explore Beyond”, with its most adventurous offerings including Mauritania, Ethiopia, Sudan, Madagascar and Nepal. One of its trips is to Kamchatka in the far-eastern reaches of Russia — “so far east, you’re almost west again,” said Paul Bondsfield, communications manager at Explore. He added: “People in their late 40s and early 50s tend to be more adventurous. Maybe it’s because they have a bit more time, or maybe it’s because they’re just more willing to try new experiences.”
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And Dragoman’s trips from Kathmandu to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, have proved a hit with the over-40s.
Details: Explore (0870 3334001, www.explore.co.uk), KE Adventure (01768 773966, www.keadventure.com), Dragoman (01728 861133, www.dragoman.com), Guerba (01373 826611, www.guerba.co.uk).