Skip the tour bus if you want an adventure

"You're too late!"

My heart skipped a beat. A minute before we were sipping cappuccinos when Bill pointed out the train was about to leave. We dashed down the stairs to the platform. A passing railway official made the alarming pronouncement. He pulled out his phone, grabbed Olivia's suitcase and started running with the rest of us in hot pursuit. I didn't know I could still sprint. We barely made it aboard and before we found our seats, the train pulled out of the station.

My suggestion for four seniors romping around Europe was to take a guided bus tour. My three travelling companions: brother, Bill, sister-in-law, Olivia and friend, Gayle wouldn't hear of it. Olivia said: "I'm not interested in racing around Europe ticking off a list of tourist sights along the way. I prefer to select specific places of interest to explore on my own terms."

When my companions objected to travelling with a group of strangers, I pointed out that there was a sense of security in numbers underlining the nationwide advisory in effect for France, one of our destinations, to "exercise a high degree of caution due to the current elevated threat of terrorism."

In the end I lost the argument and cast caution to the wind for the opportunity to assess the positives and negatives of an adventure visiting sites in France, Spain and Greece independently like 20-somethings.

Olivia was happy to spend an enormous amount of her own time researching our accommodation and modes of transport. Rather than generic hotel rooms, we rented apartments for the most part. These varied from being incredible, cosy or just adequate: no coffee pot, no corkscrew for the wine, an ironing board minus an iron or washing machines without English directions. Language barriers proved another challenge particularly in the area of directions.

The instructions to our first apartment read:

"Yes, the railway station is very closed. 10 minutes feet. Straight by the port, go right Saint Sauveur Church … I hope you understand my bad english."

Getting around alone was a lot more demanding than simply taking your seat on a tour bus. Our feet were sorely tired. We achieved a level of fitness recommendable for four septuagenarians.

When it came to eating, rather than bland hotel food or places picked by tour companies that would mostly be catering to tourists' palates, Olivia searched out local restaurants. We savoured genuine eateries serving Pintxos in the Basque region of Spain or Tapas in Barcelona. We also frequented local markets for our own meals. In one large market a tour group in keeping to their rigid schedule came shuffling down the centre isle. They had no time to dally as they followed their umbrella-bearing tour guide leader. In contrast to this regimented visit, we had ample time to browse at our own pace appreciating the local wares.

On the other hand, having experienced bus drivers and professional guides would have saved us a lot of time in locating our place of residence, handling our luggage and making travel connections. We had to wake up around 4 a.m. on a couple of occasions, drag our suitcases clattering over cobblestones to stations or in search of a taxi to the airport in the dark. We disembarked from one train too soon and had to clamour back on board as the whistle was blowing. Misunderstanding directions, we took a regular train rather than the Metro and had to retrace our steps. We also boarded the wrong ferry and barely made it off the boat before the gangplank went up. These hiccups did provide us with much to laugh about.

Perhaps the biggest distinction in travelling in an organized trip versus alone, was underscored when it came to seeing the sites. This was highlighted for me in Barcelona when we set off to see some of the famous works of the architect Gaudi located in the Park Güell.

First we had to locate the bus site and disembark at the correct stop. We traipsed up a steep hill in sweltering heat. At the entrance we faced a long line for tickets to see the exhibition — and a wait time of four hours — which put a kibosh on that. By comparison, a tourist bus pulled up to the entrance. Its occupants stepped down from the comfort of their air-conditioned bus. They were shepherded to the front of the line, as their tickets were prebooked. We in turn had to forego it all.

Then again, we had the leisure of discovering hidden gems and local scenes not visited by tourists. We could go for dips in the Mediterranean and walk along the ramparts to watch a sunset behind the lighthouse in the harbour in Chania, Crete. Or we could check out the latest fashions in the stores for as long and as often as we wished.

Travelling independently in your senior years is not for the unfit or the faint-hearted. You have to take the mishaps and the missteps with a sense of humour. When things went well, we had a good day. When they did not, we put it down to an experience. The strange thing is that on our return home, I found the experiences more memorable and far more entertaining to relate.

Source: Skip the tour bus if you want an adventure