A non-hypothetical question: What's your relationship with tour groups? Travel blogs often debate the worth of these two, but I'm curious about the actual facts of your experience. How do tour groups factor into your travels, if at all? An Indian friend of mine who lives in New York, no stranger to the vagabonding approach...

I'd never thought much about senior travel until a wrinkled yet muscled man sat down next to me on the Pokhara to Kathmandu bus. Preston had lived in Mexico, Hawaii, Nepal, Thailand and more -- he'd been on the road for most of his life. He'd relied on his wits and his skills to take...