While suggestions from friends are always welcome, don't base you decisions upon what other people have done. They may have absolutely hated New Zealand - but it might have rained on their "highlight" days. Unlucky. If you go, you might just love it - millions have and continue to do so every year.

Visit several travel agents and obtain brochures on your destination. Each agent might have loyalty to one tour company and may not offer you information on a competitor that might just cater to older clientèle. Shop around.

Look at the websites of the companies you are considering. Look at the photos contained there - do they show teenagers riding camels, or seniors riding camels?

What is Your Budget?

While cost should not be the most important consideration for seniors, it will quickly cut a swathe through the list of products on offer. Many companies will offer the same itinerary - but the price is very different. Why? The answer is usually that the hotels used are of a lower standard and may be a little out of town. Big deal! The sheets and showers will be clean, and a walk into town should not be an issue unless you have mobility problems.

Another big price differentiator is "inclusions". Find out what meals, excursions and entry fees are included, and how many will see you putting your hand in your pocket. Quite often it is more economical to take the more expensive option and have all of these "extras" prepaid - at least you will have a better idea of your on-tour expenses this way.

How Active Are You - Be Honest!

When you look at an itinerary, take into consideration the number of times you will get on and off the coach every day. You will very likely be boarding early in the morning - off and on again for a coffee and bathroom stop - off and on again for a photo stop - off and on again for a lunch stop - off and on again for a visit to an attraction - off and on again for afternoon coffee - off late in the day for your overnight accommodation. And then you will do it all again the following day. Will your sore hip, knee, back etc cope with this? If the answer is "no", then you really need to consider your itinerary very carefully.

It is very disappointing to travel a long way to find that while your mind is willing, your body is letting you down. Perhaps a cruise will suit you better, on a tour where you spend more than one night at a location will afford you some "recovery" time.

Mobility Aids

If you have a walker, or collapsible wheelchair, will you be able to take these? Usually if you require such aids, you will need to be accompanied by a "carer", whether this is your spouse, family member or paid companion. If tour companies know in advance, it is possible to take these items. Do let them know - if they are aware of special requirements, they can make sure you do not have to negotiate obstacles like stairs at hotels and showers over baths.

Willing to Share?

Some tour companies offer the choice to single travelers of sharing a twin room with another single of the same sex. This works well very often, but before you decide to go this way, bear in mind the biggest problem that these people encounter…. Snoring! Do you snore? How would you feel if the person in the bed next to your snored all night? If you picture this as a tour-destroying problem, whether you are the snorer the one lying awake each night, the best advice here is to choose to pay for a single room, or simply take ear plugs.

Happy Touring!

Kerry Anne Finch is an accomplished marketer, with proven successes in corporate and NFP PR, event management and hugely successful product launch programs.

She has worked in the private sector for many years, in fields as varied as celebrity calender publication (notably Anne Geddes, Kylie Minogue and Elle Macpherson Calenders) to education and food ingredients. Her versatility as a writer has seen her in demand for the production of media releases, health reports, staff, consumer and B2B newsletters, and direct marketing material.

Currently Kerry divides her time between writing and gathering material through her role as a tour director, managing tour groups in West Australia and New Zealand. The life experiences related by her passengers has shown her that just about everyone has a story to tell.

With a love of research, Kerry's passion is to "look behind the news" to bring out the background to a story into the foreground. Her marketing, writing and research skills combine to present such information in a way to which audiences with a broad demographic profiles can relate. Visit her website at Kerryannefinch.com .