Best Senior Travel Web Sites

= Reviewed by Senior Travel Editor Alison Gardner

50plus Expeditions, www.50plusexpeditions.com, Adventure Travel for People Over 50. Active, off-the-beaten-path, small group tours around the globe.

About.com, SeniorTravel.About.com, is offers useful articles and resources for senior travelers.

Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel Online, www.frommers.com. Features a section on senior travel with articles and Web links.

Connecting, Solo Travel News, 689 Park Road, Unit 6, Gibsons, BC V0N 1V7, Canada; 604-886-9099, fax 604-608-2139; info@cstn.org, www.cstn.org. With its slogan "Travel Alone Not Lonely," CSTN offers a densely-packed bimonthly newsletter, as well as a comprehensive Web site and a valuable Single-Friendly Travel Directory. With close to 50 percent of members in the 50-plus age group, special attention is paid to mature single and solo travel; about 60 percent of members are women. All tours featured must have either no single supplement or very low single supplement. New membership includes 6 issues of the newsletter, a copy of the annual directory, unlimited travel companion advertising in the newsletter, and access to online advice, networking, and much more.

Elderhostel, www.elderhostel.org. Begin your adventures in lifelong learning from this stalwart friend of active seniors.

ElderTrav.com, www.ElderTrav.com, is a promising new Web site for senior alternative and adventure travel featuring links to senior tours.

Eldertreks, www.eldertreks.com, is the world's first adventure travel company designed exclusively for people 50 and over. With 15 years of experience, they offer active, off-the-beaten-path, small-group adventures in over 50 countries. The all-inclusive land journeys focus on adventure, culture and nature. Choose a wildlife safari in Kenya, explore Mongolia by camel, hike to Patagonia's Torres del Paine, or navigate the awesome ruins of Angkor Wat.

JourneyWoman.com, www.journeywoman.com, offers excellent articles and resources for the adventurous woman over 50.

The Mexico File, www.mexicofile.com; 5580 La Jolla Blvd., Ste. 306, La Jolla, CA 92037; 800-563-0345, Tel./fax 858-312-6094; mf@mexicofile.com. Eight-page print newsletter in color, published 10 times a year, and the continually updated Mexico File Web site both speak to the independent traveler who wants a deeper, richer experience of the country than beaches and margueritas. Over 50 percent of subscribers are senior travelers, with both publication and Web site increasingly addresses retirement issues and destinations. Mailed subscription: $39 in the U.S.; $49 outside the U.S. PDF format available for $18 per year.

Rick Steves is the ultimate grassroots respectful and respectable American ambassador to Europe with his Europe Through the Back Door country guides, city guides, and acclaimed video/DVD series. Check his Web site, www.ricksteves.com, for all resources, mostly available through bookstores.

Senior Women's Travel, www.poshnosh.com, trips for 50+ women with a passion for travel.

Smarter Living’s Senior Travel Web site, www.smarterliving.com/senior, encourages older Americans to travel creatively both domestically and abroad. While much of its focus is mainstream in theme, there are many tempting deals, especially in heavily discounted transportation, and excellent travel tips and articles on destinations that make this site a valuable addition to the alternative traveler’s information portfolio. Also sign up for the free Senior Travel E-Newsletter to learn about late-booking travel discounts.

Third Age Travel, a resource guide with an on-line community, travel companions matching service, feature stories and travel related subjects geared to seniors: www.thirdage.com/travel.

Travel with a Challenge web magazine, www.travelwithachallenge.com, is a global travel resource, updated monthly, that speaks directly to the mature/senior traveler through richly illustrated feature articles and fast-breaking travel news around the following alternative travel themes: ecological, educational, cultural/historical, and volunteer vacations worldwide. Also check out prize draws and discounts on the homepage. This 5-year-old publication attracts 940,000+ dedicated readers a year.

Walking the World, www.walkingtheworld.com, adventure travel for people 50 and better. Adventure travel is a way of experiencing the world, not as a passive observer, but as an active participant. And walking, more than any other type of activity, allows you to experience firsthand not only a country’s majestic natural areas, but its rich and varied human cultures as well. With Walking The World, you’ll be walking through small villages, meeting the local people, and sampling some of the world’s finest food and drink.

Wired Seniors, www.wiredseniors.com. A general Web site of interest to seniors with a section on tours featuring “senior friendly” itineraries. Look under “Senior Search.”