The collection
Find a journey
that suits your legs
33 journeys · per person, twin share
Dates open 12 months ahead Booking closes 6 months before departure Paid in full at booking — no deposits Free cancellation for 14 days
What we hold to
Unhurried is a promise,
not an adjective
One suitcase, one unpack
Where geography allows we base you in a single hotel and travel out from it. Fewer lobbies, fewer six o'clock alarms, more of the place you came for.
A rest day, written in
Every journey over nine days has an unscheduled day in the middle. Sleep in, sit in the square, or take the optional walk. Nobody counts heads.
Guides who stay
Our leaders average eleven years with us and live where they guide. You will not meet a different face each morning, and you will not be handed to a bus.
Verified reviews
What people said
once they got home
Planning guide
Slow travel
after sixty
Choosing a pace
Most people book a pace above their own. It is easy to avoid: think about what you do in an ordinary week at home, not what you managed on holiday a decade ago. If you walk thirty minutes most days on flat ground, a pace two will feel comfortable and a pace three will feel like work.
Cobblestones matter more than distance. Two miles across Venice is harder than four along a river path, and no itinerary can flatten a medieval street. Where a day involves uneven ground we say so in the day-by-day notes rather than burying it in the small print.
Where we send people first
For a first unhurried journey we tend to suggest Portugal or Tuscany. Both give you a single hotel, short driving days, food worth planning a day around, and towns compact enough to explore without a bus. Japan is our other regular first choice for a different reason — the trains are punctual, step-free and genuinely restful, which does a great deal of work on a longer itinerary.
River journeys deserve their reputation. You unpack once, your hotel follows you, and you decide each morning whether to go ashore. For anyone weighing mobility against curiosity, that combination is hard to beat.
Travelling with limited mobility
Ring us before you book. We will go through the itinerary day by day and tell you plainly which sites have steps, which have handrails, and which we would quietly skip. Some journeys are genuinely step-free; others are not, and we would rather say so than sell you a difficult fortnight.
We can arrange a private vehicle at any point in a group journey, hold a ground-floor room, or split a long transfer in two. None of it is an exception — it is ordinary work for us.
When to go
Shoulder season is not merely cheaper, it is materially easier. May and late September in southern Europe mean fewer crowds at the door of every church, shorter queues in the sun, and hotel staff with time for you. In Japan, late November for the maples and early April for blossom. In Scotland, June, when the light lasts until eleven.
Insurance and medication
Buy travel insurance the day you pay for the journey, not the week you fly — cancellation cover starts when the policy does. Declare every pre-existing condition, including ones that feel long settled. Carry medication in hand luggage in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription, and take a fortnight more than the journey needs.
Common questions
Before you book
Is there an upper age limit?
None. Our oldest traveller last year was 91, on a pace two in Portugal. We do ask everyone over 75 for a short conversation about the itinerary before we confirm — about ten minutes, and it saves a great deal of worry later.
How far ahead should I book?
Between six and twelve months. We release dates a year out and close each departure six months before it leaves, so the group is settled well before insurance and visas are due. There is no cap on how many places you may take — tell us the number and we open the capacity to match. The popular months, though, fill early: Tuscany in May, Japan in November and Botswana in July are usually spoken for within weeks of release.
Must I travel with a group?
Every journey here can be run privately for two or more people on dates you choose. Private departures cost roughly 20 to 35 percent more per person and follow the same itinerary and pace rating.
What is the single supplement?
Between $600 and $1,400 depending on the journey. We hold four solo rooms on every departure at the lower end of that range, and we never pair strangers in a twin unless both people ask.
How much walking is really involved?
The pace rating is the answer, and it is measured rather than estimated. Full daily distances and terrain notes sit in the day-by-day itinerary on each journey page.
Can you cater for dietary needs?
Yes — coeliac, diabetic, low-sodium and vegetarian included. Tell us at booking and we brief the restaurants directly, rather than leaving you to explain at the table each evening.
What happens if I need to cancel?
Because we take payment in full at booking, you may cancel free of charge within 14 days, provided departure is more than 180 days away. After that a sliding scale applies, set out in the booking terms. For medical cancellations we will always help you claim, and we will move your payment to a later departure where we can.
Not sure where to start
Tell us how far you walk in an ordinary week
We will send back three journeys that fit, with the difficult days flagged. No obligation, and a person writes the reply.
1-800-555-0142