State Pensioner limited access to affordable luxury holidays

Age UK has a number of sites offering over 60’s discounts.

Oh, thank you Jaxjacky! I need comfortable short seaside breaks, that might help a lot.

So here we go:

Age UK doesn't run holiday sites itself, but it partners with and lists companies that offer discounts to older people, such as Silver Travel Advisor and Saga Holidays.

Other travel providers that frequently offer senior discounts include Travelodge, Marriott Hotels, Radisson Hotels, and National Express for coach travel.

Holiday and travel providers with senior discounts

Silver Travel Advisor: A leading travel agent for the over 50s.

Saga Holidays: Offers holidays specifically for those over 50.

Travelodge: May offer discounts on stays for the over 60s.

Marriott Hotels & Resorts: Offers senior discounts (age 62+) depending on the hotel and rate.

Radisson Hotels: Typically offers a 10% discount off standard rates for "senior citizens".

Hilton Hotels: Offers discounts for guests aged 65 and over.

Princess Hotels & Resorts: May provide extra discounts on certain destinations.

National Express: Offers a Senior Coachcard for discounted fares on standard and fully flexible routes.

Eurostar: Provides special senior fares for those aged 60+ on continental routes.

Where to find more information

Age UK Solihull:

Provides lists of holiday options for older people, including contact details for companies like Silver Travel Advisor and Saga Holidays.

Age Co Mobility: Publishes articles on senior discounts, including many of the hotels listed above.

Rest Less: Offers a range of money deals and comparisons for those over 50.

Limitless Travel: Specialises in holidays for seniors and the elderly.

Newmarket Holidays: Offers tours designed for seniors.

Purple Discounts: Lists organisations that provide financial assistance for holidays for disabled people.

£900 seems a reasonable price, for that time of year.

The UK population of the UK contains nearly 29 million housholds whose mebers range from 0 to 110 plus and with incomes from very low to very high.

With holidays as with anything else it is horses for courses. Holiday companies offer aa huge range of holidays of many different types at a wide range of prices from the economic to the wildly expensive (to me)

As Wyllow has listed, just as there are £900, and £9,000 and, no doubt £90,000 holidays, there are many offering discounts and special prices to those on modest incomes.

You cannot generalise from a sample of 1.

yogitree

I was just sent a 'special offer' for 3 nights in a luxury, short break 'hut' (including festivities, spa and food) in Scotland for Hogmanay.

It's in a beautiful area, the spa is lovely and the food great, but there's no way someone (like me) could afford it at £900 for 3 days. Also, it looks targeted at younger people (I would need a cottage for mobility reasons) who have a working income.

Has big-business forgotten us older ones?

Gone are the days of Pensioners' Discounts which I remember by grandparents enjoying.

I don't understand your complaint, yogitree. Any business can decide which section of society they want to market to - unless you want State run Holiday Companies of course. Mind you, even then the favoured few would be likely to get the best.

What exactly is it that you think should be different?

I’m afraid affordable and *luxury holidays are an oxymoron.
Why does a holiday have to be “luxury”anyway. We had many in the past which were far from luxury, but nonetheless memorable and enjoyable.
Luxury never came into it!

And sadly by today’s standards a three night holiday for £900 is not extortionate.
If you don’t want all the bells and whistles, spa facilities festivities at peak season and all that, there will be cheaper options - although renting a cottage for one always costs more.

That does sound a lot yogitree but my DGD was could have gone on a 4day history trip and they wanted £1300, beyond the reach of DD and no discounts for her because they aren’t poor enough.

Wyllow3 That’s a great list of sources. Thanks. Hope you find it helpful yogitree

Was it some company you'd signed up to yogitree, or was it just a random brochure?

Sometimes, unless we tick that we don't want marketing mail sent to us when we buy online, companies pass on your details to other companies.

The price doesn't sound unreasonable per se.

But I do get your point re having a selection of different price ranges to hand. Some locations just are expensive. Trying to recall what I got charged last time I had bed & breakfast alone (no spa or anything) back in my home city and I remember it noticeably topped £100 per night and the hotel was nothing expensive - and I'd seen more than one hotel in the area that was charging around £500 per night - and it didnt seem to include breakfast...and, if I were paying that much = I would most certainly expect breakfast and dinner the previous night - and would still find it very expensive for what it is.

There are some traditional style travel agents around still - maybe it would be worth popping in (if you have one nearby) and just asking what they have to say about this....

What RosieandherMaw said !

Going to Scotland for Hogmanay is like going to Disneyland in August. It is more likely that there will be surcharges than discounts, and if the area is beautiful, the resort lovely and the food is great there is no incentive for the company to even consider them.

Discounts are usually for people of any age who can travel out of season, because 'big business' has remembered that such people exist. They target people who can afford what they charge, and only when they are unable to fill the spaces will they open them to other groups at a cheaper rate. When my grandparents were alive, they travelled with Saga in winter, as families couldn't go then, and it suited older people who could recoup a lot of the cost by not using their heating when they were away. It wasn't a charitable gesture - the hotels or apartments would have been empty without the older people who took them off-season.

The days of 'pensioner specials' are probably over, I'm afraid. All we hear now (however partial the story) is about how today's pensioners have a better standard of living than working families.

Business is in business to make profit. Of course there are discounts but they are often restricted and offered to attract customer at off-peak times. There’s a reason why we can’t use an old age bus passes before 9:00am - the same reason festive holidays come at a premium. Supply and demand.

I’m looking at a 7 Night Scottish Highlands New Year Guided Walking Holiday cost from £1359. That does not include travel which will add around £400 with flights and transfer to hotel, so call it £1,800.

That’s a very good price for Hogmanay in Scotland.

Wyllow3

Oh, thank you Jaxjacky! I need comfortable short seaside breaks, that might help a lot.

So here we go:

Age UK doesn't run holiday sites itself, but it partners with and lists companies that offer discounts to older people, such as Silver Travel Advisor and Saga Holidays.

Other travel providers that frequently offer senior discounts include Travelodge, Marriott Hotels, Radisson Hotels, and National Express for coach travel.

Holiday and travel providers with senior discounts

Silver Travel Advisor: A leading travel agent for the over 50s.

Saga Holidays: Offers holidays specifically for those over 50.

Travelodge: May offer discounts on stays for the over 60s.

Marriott Hotels & Resorts: Offers senior discounts (age 62+) depending on the hotel and rate.

Radisson Hotels: Typically offers a 10% discount off standard rates for "senior citizens".

Hilton Hotels: Offers discounts for guests aged 65 and over.

Princess Hotels & Resorts: May provide extra discounts on certain destinations.

National Express: Offers a Senior Coachcard for discounted fares on standard and fully flexible routes.

Eurostar: Provides special senior fares for those aged 60+ on continental routes.

Where to find more information

Age UK Solihull:

Provides lists of holiday options for older people, including contact details for companies like Silver Travel Advisor and Saga Holidays.

Age Co Mobility: Publishes articles on senior discounts, including many of the hotels listed above.

Rest Less: Offers a range of money deals and comparisons for those over 50.

Limitless Travel: Specialises in holidays for seniors and the elderly.

Newmarket Holidays: Offers tours designed for seniors.

Purple Discounts: Lists organisations that provide financial assistance for holidays for disabled people.

Do nmost of them in reality though?

Waited for a Travel lodge one. Never found one.

Wouldnt mind posters posting which ones of the above, they have actually got discount on this year.

Happy to be proved wrong.

Holiday companies are businesses not charities. They aren’t there to offer discounts to old people because the old think they should pay less because they are old🙄
Discounts might be offered as a business decision to fill places because a cheaper full place is better for the business than an empty one.

Not because of some imaginary entitlement to cheaper -but still luxurious- holiday 🤔🤨

Nothing is "cheap " any more.

I am not doing a poor me thing, but we can't afford any holidays at all really.

Things appear on my phone like yoga breaks and so on. The prices are beyond my reach.

Lathyrus3

Holiday companies are businesses not charities. They aren’t there to offer discounts to old people because the old think they should pay less because they are old🙄
Discounts might be offered as a business decision to fill places because a cheaper full place is better for the business than an empty one.

Not because of some imaginary entitlement to cheaper -but still luxurious- holiday 🤔🤨

Exactly this, it is good advertising for the business but there are generally provisos - the reductions are usually on the standard rate, you'll likely find greater reductions shopping around. The reductions offered may also have conditions where there is no refund, exchange or change of dates often not worth it for a few £s off.

Quite often there are reductions available where age does not come into it.

Travel Lodge advertise aspecial offer of rooms at £35 or less, obviously there are restrictions. I doubt any of these offers are in top holiday areas and they may be weekend only in some places and weekday only in others. www.travelodge.co.uk/hotel-deals .

As others have said, holiday companies are busiensses that have to pay their way and make a profit and as others have also said, lots make special offers to groups they think can avail themselves of special offers in the slack times - like those in retirement. My hair dresser offers money off to older people on Monday and Tuesday, which are slack days for her.

You get deals at slack times or last minute.

Last minute deals are the best. If they want to fill a hotel room in a low season the prices go right down, and you can even phone them and haggle. I looked at the prices for a small hotel near my family today just to see, and a nice room and breakfast was £40.

Sunday night is always a good bet for a cheaper stay…

Yes, avoid the "weekenders", and people who stay in small local hotels like contractors have not yet arrived.

I don't think big business has forgotten senior travellers at all, in fact I see lots of marketing specifically for senior travellers. I don't think it's any cheaper, nor would I expect a discount during high season. But there are lots of offers during off seasons.

after a quick google, I found a study by a tourism sector regarding senior's travel, and it seems we are 'a market to watch..." As one born at the end of the baby boom, we have more disposable income than working families, and more leisure time. We spend more days per trip than other segments of the population, and spend more in the off or shoulder seasons.
publications.gc.ca/Collection-R/Statcan/87-003-XIE/0049987-003-XIB.pdf

I think you need to do some shopping around, as others have suggested, and you will find something you can both afford and enjoy.

We recently enjoyed a 2-night stay - dinner, bed & breakfast plus wine in a 4-star hotel by the sea. It only cost £110 per night for TWO of us. It was a special autumn offer. Look around as there are many offers at this time of year.

Holidays have definitely become more expensive here since Covid. Including cruises . It is cheaper for us to go overseas to places like Bali and Fiji than to travel round Australia. Someone’s making a lot of money . Don’t get me started ….🥲