Why take a group trip? There are reasons aplenty

FINDLAY — According to the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, roughly 4 in 10 retirees like to spend their time traveling. For members of that group, or anyone 50 and up looking to travel more, 50 North and JB Tours of Ohio offer group trips designed specifically for seniors. 50 North destinations 50 North is a center that provides services and programs to community members 50 and up. Carolyn Copus, the executive director, prides the center on the number of trips they offer yearly. "All of our trips have been sold out for this year. So now we're planning for 2027," Copus said. Along with two one-night trips, they also "had 10 extended trips this year (and) 15-day trips." The only day trip that has yet to sell out this year is their trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan. "The only one that hasn't [sold out] is 'The Big House', which we're going to because we went to the Ohio State Stadium, and then the Michigan fans were like, 'Well, hey, we want to go to The Big House.' But we're finding we don't have as many Michigan fans as we do Ohio State," Copus said. So far this year, 50 North has offered a Caribbean cruise, a trip to Washington D.C. and a "Southern Charm" trip. The next trips they plan on going on in 2026 are all sold out, but they include a Rhine River cruise, a trip to the Canadian Rockies, Ireland, Utah, Vermont and New Hampshire and Nashville. 50 North has released its 2027 extended trips, which people can sign up for now. The first trip of 2027 is to Yellowstone National Park on Jan. 30 through Feb. 4. "That's going to be fun because we're going to be doing (kind of) a sleigh ride and then we'll be getting in a vehicle that's more of a winter toboggan, but in a car, so that we can go out and see the wildlife," Copus said. On March 30 through April 8, they are offering a trip to Portugal, including stops in Lisbon, Evora, Lagos and Cascais. Next is a trip to Southern Italy and Sicily from May 4 to 17. "We're going to go to the Amalfi Coast, and then the southern part of Italy, and then into Sicily," Copus said. From June 6 to 15 50 North will be traveling to Britain, including stops in Scotland, Wales and London. After, they go on an Alaskan cruise and land tour from July 22 to Aug. 2. "Four-day land, and then a seven-day cruise down the inner passageway, where we'll go to Skagway and Juneau and then you go see a couple glaciers, big glaciers," Copus said. Next, they're offering a river cruise on the Danube, going through the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary from Aug. 18-28. Moving back to the United States, they're offering a trip to South Dakota's National Parks from Aug. 21-29. Stops include the Black Hills, Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park and Deadwood. From Sept. 12 to 20, 50 North is offering a trip to Nova Scotia, including stops in Halifax, Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island. They are then heading to the Adirondacks from Oct. 2 through 8. "We'll be up in New York and we'll see the fall colors," Copus said. From Dec. 3 to 9, they will be in Victoria and Vancouver, Canada. "Then we're doing a Christmas trip to the Christmas markets in Vancouver and Victoria," Copus said. Extended trips range in price from $2,699 to $9,166, depending on the destination and choice of room. Along with their extended trips, they are planning their day trips now, according to Heather Sensel, the assistant director. "We'll always do two or three La Comedia [Dinner Theatres.] Those are just very popular … We're gonna do wine tripping to the lake as one … Also, we're looking at … going to the Football Hall of Fame … They've been requesting the Toledo Zoo lights," Sensel said. "We will do a couple casinos this time around, so at least one, we've got on the list to do … They do want to go back to a Mud Hens game … We do two mystery ones, which are fun because it gives us more time to plan them, and they have no clue where they're going, and they'll sell out like hot cakes." The day trips usually cost less than $200 to attend. "We've had as low as $99. Usually it's $169 or $139. $139 seems to be a good fit for us," Sensel said. JB Tours of Ohio destinations JB Tours of Ohio is a touring company located in Fostoria, according to Robin Welly, an escort, or tour guide, for the company. "We are an actual touring company, and we actually hold your hand from the first phone call until we drop you off at the end of the trip," Welly said. "We actually do 95% of our trips. We choose our own hotels, we choose our own destinations, we set them up, we pick all the restaurants and stuff." Unlike 50 North, people of all ages can attend the group trips, but most people attending are in the 40 to 70 range, according to Welly. This year, JB Tours of Ohio has many trips that are already sold out, including trips to New York and Budapest to Munich. JB Tours of Ohio has not yet released its list for 2027, but it still has many trips available for 2026. On June 18, they are offering a trip to Hartville, Ohio. "We're going to go down to Hartville, which is a big marketplace and flea market, and they have an Elvis impersonator in June," Welly said. From July 1-6 they will be hosting a trip to Boston, Mass. "We've got seats still open on the Fourth of July. We're going to celebrate the Fourth of July, where it all started in Boston. We're going to be there during Harbor Fest, which is really exciting, and our hotel is all on the Charles River," Welly said. "We're actually having a barbecue up there on the rooftop [of the hotel] and watching fireworks for the Fourth of July in Boston. How cool is that?" The first week in August, JB Tours of Ohio is putting on a mystery trip, but they haven't released any information on that as of publication. On Aug. 15 they are going to Sugarcreek, Ohio to see a Neil Diamond tribute. This year, they are offering three trips to Cleveland Guardians games, and there are still tickets available for Sept. 5 when the Guardians face the Detroit Tigers. On Sept. 24 they have a day trip to Marysville, Ohio called the 'Covered Bridges' tour. "There are seven covered bridges. We're going to go tour the covered bridges, and then we're going to have lunch on one of the covered bridges and have a wine tasting," Welly said. "We're going to stop at a winery and brewery and have a wine tasting. We're also going to visit the Honda Heritage Center with that one." From Oct. 13-17 they will be hosting a "Mountain Rails" tour. "It's called Mountain Rails, and we're going to do Pittsburgh, Maryland and West Virginia, which is really neat, because we get to take an old steam engine and the steam engine was built in Lima, Ohio. So there's a lot of history with that," Welly said. Prices for day trips range from $170 to $180 and extended trips range from $1,600 to $8,845, depending on room and destination. Traveling with 50 North In order to travel with 50 North, you have to be a member. "To be a member of 50 North, it doesn't cost anything, but we just have to have you in our database. All you have to do is give us your name and contact information," Copus said. If you live outside of Hancock County, its $47 a year to be a member. A perk of traveling with 50 North is the amount included in the price. "Gratuities, transfers, hotels, meals, a lot of meals, not all, all of the excursions, the motor coach, when you're there, all that transportation, is paid for. All included in the price of a trip," Copus said. A host from 50 North and a tour manager from an outside company attend the extended trips with the guests. "There's a tour manager that goes on the trip that is an employee at the travel company, and they're in charge of logistics of each place that we're going, making sure that when we arrive to dinner, the restaurant knows that we're coming, or if we're going to a museum, or we're going on a whale watching that we have all of our tickets," Copus said. "What we do as hosts is we're there for our members. So sometimes we've had people forget their medicine. We help them get their medicine to the next hotel, confirm with the hotel that the package will arrive and notify us as soon as it does." If you need a caretaker, like a child under 50, they are also allowed to attend. "If there's someone that needs a caretaker, and they're not 50, they're able to participate. We do put them in the database, but they're under a care caregiver," Sensel said. Traveling with JB Tours of Ohio Welly finds it important to stay with travelers who may need extra assistance. "If someone has a walker or a little slower, I usually … put them at the front, because then we lead the pack. Everyone's falling behind us, and while they're walking, everybody else has a little bit more time to look around," Welly said. When choosing a touring company, Welly said it's important to do your research. "Make sure they're reputable and they're local,... Know who you're booking with. Well, it [getting scammed] happens. It happens a lot, unfortunately, and it's not a good feeling. No one likes to be taken advantage of," Welly said. Why travel with a group Copus said there are many reasons that group traveling is important, especially during your senior years. "The biggest thing is going to new places and learning something new. That's great for brain health, too … A lot of people wouldn't go to these places if we didn't schedule it for them and put the package together. So it's making new friends, simplifying their planning and the safety in numbers," Copus said. Sensel agrees with this message and adds that it's all about getting out there and exploring. "Stop dreaming and do … I think they're [members are] at that age where they need to experience those things still, the more you move, the more you get out, the more you experience, it's all good for their health … On the way back, then they're chattering, right? It's something for them to talk about," Sensel said. "There's like 1 million things if you Google straight down and just put 'why should seniors travel,' you will get a list a mile long."