The most welcoming destinations for senior travelers
Retirement is the perfect time to enjoy traveling, but where to go? New research shows the best places for seniors to travel.
The Retirement Travel Index, created by AgingInPlace, compiled the list using several data points to reveal the most ideal places for older travelers to visit. Countries were ranked on their public transport links, sightseeing opportunities, weather and hotels.
Highlighting the countries that offer the most accessible places can help seniors narrow down where to spend their tourism dollars.
In the 2022 Retirement Travel Index, the U.S. took the top spot. One of the main reasons the country scored a 9.14 out of 10 was because of its transportation systems and the Americans With Disabilities Act, which ensures that so many facilities in the country are wheelchair accessible. In fact, nearly half of the hotels in the U.S. (46.85%) are marked as wheelchair-accessible on TripAdvisor.
Australia holds the second spot on the Retirement
Travel Index. With a score of 9.04, Australia has the highest percentage of wheelchair-accessible hotels out of all countries on the list, at 50.89%, and an intricate network of public transportation offerings.
In third place, Canada is a senior traveler paradise. The country scored 8.49 out of 10 across all criteria.
The list also revealed some of the worst places for seniors to visit with Iceland, Luxembourg and Slovenia rounding out the bottom of the list of OECD countries.
The biggest problem for seniors traveling to these destinations is that there are far fewer hotels that are accessible for those with disabilities. Weather and transportation were also hindering places like Iceland, which had the highest rainfall totals as well as a low amount of transportation infrastructure. Luxembourg was dinged for its lack of accessible hotels and fewer options for sightseeing, which was also the same for Slovenia.
Top 10 countries for senior travelers
1. United States
2. Australia
3. Canada
4. Italy
5. Spain
6. Germany
7. United Kingdom
8. France
9. Japan
10. Turkey
Top U.S. destinations for seniors
The research also highlighted the top places to visit in the U.S. for seniors.
Las Vegas topped the list with a score of 7.95 out of
10. Las Vegas is home to more art galleries, areas of nature and wildlife and attractions than most other cities on our list, according to AgingInPlace.
San Francisco was second on the list with a score of 7.73. Chicago ranked third with a score of 7.35 out of 10.
These are the top 10 cities:
1. Las Vegas
2. San Francisco
3. Chicago
4. Los Angeles
5. New York
6. Tucson, Ariz.
7. Austin, Texas
8. Seattle
9. Orlando, Fla.
10. Portland, Ore.