With the Beatles generation entering retirement age, there’s been a surge in travel among older adults. While a bus tour to Bandon or a day trip to Derry isn’t to be sniffed at, older adults are proving an adventurous lot.

“Our long-haul trips are incredibly popular with older adults,” says Bryan Harkin of The Patt Club, explaining that Patt stands for ‘people alone travelling together’, (www.thepattclub.ie ). Specialising in long-haul and European travel, destinations include China, South Africa, the US, as well as Europe and Ireland.

“We cater for people who want to travel in the company of other like-minded people be they single, divorced, separated, widowed or have a partner or spouse who can’t or won’t travel,” explains Harkin. “The bulk of our travellers are between 55 and 70, largely because this is the stage at which you have the money to travel. But, on one of our recent trips to China, we had a 28 year old and an 82 year old.

“We’re all adults so you can opt in and opt out of whatever you want. Some people just like the idea of dining with others but do their own thing during the day,” he says, explaining that this type of holiday is perfect for those who want the freedom of independent travel without the inconvenience of going alone.

“Single supplements can be exorbitant and can add up to 75% onto the cost of some trips. We can cut this back by offering shared accommodation to those who want it,” he adds.

Another organisation that caters for senior travel options with a difference is www.elderhostel.org, an international non-profit group that offers 350 learning-based trips in up to 100 countries. Trips vary from ‘tracing Japanese history’ to a course in ‘the temples of Cambodia’.

For older adults with plenty of cash, or maybe celebrating a special occasion, UK company www.saga.co.uk run exotic three-month world cruises aimed at older travellers. All trips leave from Southampton in the UK.

On the domestic front, travel is equally popular, with many groups taking several trips a year. “There are lots of travel options for older people in Ireland,” says Helene Boran of Active Retirement Ireland. “There are great deals available, particularly off season. Some of our members would avail of trips abroad several times a year. But there are great mid-week breaks in Ireland too. A lot of the hotels offer Golden Breaks, with special discounts for older customers. You can get four-day breaks in an Irish hotel for as little as €160 and these are really popular with our members.”

Mary Nally, chairperson of Third Age Foundation, agrees that travel is hugely popular among older people in Ireland. “This generation of older adults really enjoy travelling. For the last 16 years, we’ve been organising holidays in Ireland and abroad, with exchange trips to Tuscany, Paris, Scotland and Wales,” she says.