Ithaca’s Lifelong offers group travel for those 50 and older

If you ever wished you could explore Ireland’s most picturesque landscapes or tour the ancient sites of Peru without having to do all the research, book the flights, and plan every meal, Lifelong offers group trips all over the world.

Lifelong, Ithaca’s community center for those 50 years of age and older, partners every year with Collette Tours to offer multiple travel opportunities with destinations across the globe.

A “Painted Canyons of the West” trip is coming up Sept. 24 to Oct. 2. The experience includes visits to Colorado National Monument, Moab, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah’s Scenic Byway 24, Capitol Reef National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and Las Vegas.

The trip includes dining at a family-owned vineyard in Colorado wine country, climbing aboard Zion’s open-air tram with an expert guide, and exploring the famous hoodoos – vibrant rock formations likened to fairy chimneys.

“We’ve passed the initial booking date, so now it’s first-come, first-serve, with eight seats left,” said Liza Burger, Lifelong executive director.

Lifelong has had a travel program since 2011, and in the past couple years since the COVID-19 pandemic it’s picked up significantly in popularity, Burger added. Typically they have five or six trips per year.

The trips vary in the amount of physical activity required. Some have a lot of sightseeing that can be done while sitting and relaxing, and others have itineraries that are more physically demanding.

One of the main advantages to traveling through Lifelong is that travelers get transportation to the airport.

“Everything is handled for them,” Burger said. “They just need to pack their bags. Lifelong serves as a local contact for making arrangements and that sort of thing.”

This February Lifelong has planned a trip to Peru for 12 to 24 people. Participants will visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Machu Picchu.

Every day of the 10-day trip is packed full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. On day nine, for instance, the day begins with a morning cruise to the floating islands of the Uros people of Lake Titicaca and experience walking on the island’s spongy surface. Later that same day, the travelers will cruise to a local rustic village for a home-hosted meal and swap stories with Peruvian families before visiting the mystical Chullpas de Sillustani – an archaeological area boasting 13th-century funerary monuments.

For those interested in Europe, in April 2025 Lifelong is offering a springtime river cruise in Holland and Belgium. In May 2025 there will be a trip to Ireland called “the countryside of the Emerald Isle.”

Lifelong will round out its 2025 offerings with a trip called “National Parks of America” from Sept. 29 to Oct. 10.

An African safari is in the works for 2026.

The trips vary in price, but many include options between $4,500 and $5,000 for a single person or $5,000 to $5,500 per person for two people traveling together. Anyone can sign up; members of Lifelong save $100 on every trip.

Burger said the trips organized by Lifelong present great opportunities for groups of people who already know each other to travel together.

“The other thing people should know is that if they are interested in any of these trips but need a different date that’s a little different, Lifelong can still arrange that for them with the service of being picked up here at Lifelong,” Burger said. “We are happy to help arrange that.”

Burger also highly recommends Collette’s cancellation insurance. Collette’s cancellation waiver offers travelers a full cash refund for the price of the tour, right up to the day prior to departure, minus the small cost of the waiver, so people can plan for their trip worry-free, knowing that if anything changes, they are protected.

For more information, visit tclifelong.org/lifelong-events.