by Belt Drive Betty | Aug 28, 2026 | Travel Tips
If you’re over 50 and you’ve been telling yourself that solo travel is for young people, it’s time to update that belief. The fastest-growing demographic in solo travel is women over 50 — and the reasons are straightforward: the kids are grown, the career is established, you know what you like, and you’ve earned the right to go exactly where you want without compromise. G Adventures has built an entire product line around this reality. Here’s why now is your moment.
1. You Finally Have the Time
For most of your adult life, travel has been scheduled around school calendars, work commitments, and other people’s availability. After 50, that calculus changes. Whether you’re retired, semi-retired, or working flexibly, there’s more freedom to choose the departure date that works for you — including shoulder season when prices are lower and destinations are less crowded.
2. Small Group Travel Solves the Solo Problem
Solo doesn’t have to mean alone. G Adventures’ small group tours — typically 8 to 16 people — bring together like-minded travellers who begin as strangers and frequently end as lifelong friends. The shared experience of navigating a new country, tasting unfamiliar food, and seeing extraordinary things together creates bonds that are difficult to form any other way. Many travellers over 50 cite the people they meet as the highlight of the trip.
3. The World Is More Accessible Than You Think
eSIMs keep you connected on any network worldwide. Google Maps works in virtually every city on earth. Translation apps handle the language barrier. And a Travel Advisor who specializes in small group and adventure travel — like Renée at CMTA Travel Services — ensures that transfers, accommodations, and logistics are handled before you even arrive.
4. Travel After 50 Is Richer
You travel differently at 50+ than you did at 25. You’re more patient. You’re more curious. You’re less interested in checking boxes and more interested in genuine experiences. You stop to actually taste the coffee in Vietnam. You spend an extra hour in the museum rather than rushing to the next sight. You have conversations with locals rather than just photographing them. That depth of engagement makes every trip more rewarding.
5. The Alternatives Are Worse
Waiting for the “right time” is one of the travel industry’s great myths. There is no perfect time — there is only the time you decide to go. G Adventures’ small group tours for travellers 50+ are specifically designed for your pace, your interests, and your comfort level, with single supplement options that make solo booking genuinely practical. The world is extraordinary. Stop waiting to see it.
by Belt Drive Betty | Aug 26, 2026 | Travel Features
Some journeys change where you go. The best ones change how you see the world. That’s the philosophy behind G Adventures’ “G for Good” approach — a way of travelling that builds meaningful connections between travellers and the communities they visit, so your trip doesn’t just take you somewhere incredible, it actively supports the people who call it home.
Through a partnership with the non-profit Planeterra, G Adventures supports community-led tourism projects that turn everyday travel moments — meals, cultural exchanges, market visits — into real, lasting benefits: jobs, skills training, education, and environmental solutions. Here’s what that looks like in four destinations that resonate deeply with adventurous Canadian travellers.
Peru — Tradition Served with Purpose
In Peru’s Sacred Valley, surrounded by ancient Incan history and dramatic Andean landscapes, the Parwa Community Restaurant invites travellers to share a meal rooted in tradition. Prepared with local ingredients and recipes passed down through generations, every plate served supports local family incomes while helping preserve cultural heritage. It’s one of those travel moments where you leave feeling like you genuinely contributed something.
Vietnam — Noodles, Culture, and Connection
The Oodles of Noodles project in Vietnam turns a simple bowl of noodles into something much more meaningful. Travellers connect with local community members who share recipes, stories, and skills — creating employment through tourism while building cross-cultural understanding one meal at a time. It’s a simple experience with an outsized ripple effect.
Costa Rica — Coffee with a Cause
Costa Rica’s cloud forests and extraordinary biodiversity provide the backdrop for the Mi Cafecito project, where travellers meet the farmers behind one of the world’s most beloved exports. Supporting sustainable farming and economic opportunity, it ensures that tourism benefits the people who make every cup of Costa Rican coffee possible — not just the exporters.
Tanzania — Clean Energy, Brighter Futures
Beyond the extraordinary safari moments, the Clean Cookstoves Project in Tanzania helps families access more efficient cooking solutions — reducing smoke, improving health, and lowering environmental impact. Supported through community tourism, it’s an example of how travel, done thoughtfully, creates change that lasts long after you’ve gone home.
Small Groups, Real Access — How G Adventures Works
What makes G for Good powerful is how naturally it integrates into the journey. You’re not adding impact to your trip as an afterthought — you’re already part of it. Small group travel means genuine community access, local guides, and experiences that larger tour operators simply can’t provide. For solo travellers, it’s also one of the most welcoming and socially rewarding ways to see the world.
Travel that means something — let’s plan yours
Renée Charbonneau is a Certified Travel Agent and proud member of CMTA Travel Services in Grande Prairie, AB. She’s a passionate advocate for G Adventures and can help you find the small group tour that fits your style and budget.
📩 Contact Renée at CMTA Travel Services
by Belt Drive Betty | Aug 19, 2026 | Travel Features
There are very few places left on earth where wildlife has almost no fear of humans. The Galapagos Islands is one of them. Here, sea lions loll on park benches, blue-footed boobies display their remarkable feet without the slightest concern about onlookers, and giant tortoises — some over a century old — move through the landscape with timeless, unhurried dignity. It’s a destination unlike any other on the planet, and G Adventures is one of the best ways to experience it properly.
A Living Laboratory
97% of the Galapagos Islands is protected as a national park, with the surrounding waters designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Visitor numbers are strictly controlled — which means no crowds, and no compromise to the extraordinary natural environment. The islands were formed by volcanic activity over thousands of years and remain one of the most volcanically active areas on earth. Standing here, watching wildlife that evolved in near-total isolation, you understand exactly what inspired Charles Darwin during his five weeks of observation in 1835.
The Wildlife is Extraordinary
The Blue-Footed Booby is the islands’ most iconic resident — but it’s joined by two other booby species, Galapagos penguins (the only penguin species found north of the Equator), marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, and the Galapagos Giant Tortoise with its lifespan of over a century. At night, with zero light pollution right on the Equator, the stars from both hemispheres are laid out above you simultaneously — a sky unlike anything most people have ever seen.
How G Adventures Gets You There
G Adventures’ small group approach means you experience the Galapagos with local expert guides, on carefully designed itineraries that maximize wildlife encounters while respecting the park’s strict protocols. The minimum safe distance of two metres from wildlife is enforced — because the point here is nature on its own terms, not performance for tourists.
Year-Round Destination
One of the Galapagos’ great practical advantages is its year-round temperate climate — the hot season runs December to May, the drier season June to November. With 12 hours of daylight every day and no daylight saving time to adjust for, it’s a destination that works whenever the timing is right for you.
The Galapagos belongs on your bucket list — let’s get you there
Renée Charbonneau is a Certified Travel Agent and proud member of CMTA Travel Services in Grande Prairie, AB. She specializes in G Adventures small group tours including the Galapagos and South America.
📩 Contact Renée at CMTA Travel Services
by Belt Drive Betty | Aug 7, 2026 | Travel Tips
G Adventures has set out to make 2026 the happiest travel year yet — and they’ve done it by researching exactly what destinations and experiences make travellers feel most alive. The result is nine brand-new trips built around joy, community, and wonder. Here are the standouts most likely to appeal to adventurous Albertans.
Southern Africa: Kruger, Victoria Falls and Zimbabwe
This 17-day Geluxe journey covers four countries with the perfect mix of indulgence and adventure. From lions at sunrise on the Kruger savanna to the thundering roar of Victoria Falls — the world’s largest waterfall by width and volume — you’ll track wildlife with expert guides in Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa. End with a cycling tour of Stellenbosch vineyards and views from Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain. This is Southern Africa at its very best.
Panama: Sandy Beaches and San Blas Sunsets
Panama offers one of the most surprising combinations in travel: a sophisticated cosmopolitan capital (Panama City’s Casco Viejo is genuinely beautiful) and the utterly remote San Blas Islands off the Caribbean coast — home to the Indigenous Guna people, with powdery sand, swaying palms, and zero light pollution. Six days of contrast and colour, perfect for travellers aged 18 to “thirtysomething” — and beyond.
The Silk Road: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
For adventurous travellers who want somewhere genuinely different, the five Stans of Central Asia are starting to appear on the radar. This 23-day National Geographic Journeys itinerary traces the storied Silk Road through ancient cities like Samarkand and Bukhara, dramatic landscapes from canyon country to steppe, and cultural experiences including learning to build a yurt and making traditional manti dumplings. This is the kind of trip your friends haven’t done yet.
Iceland — Local Living
G Adventures’ new Local Living format slows everything down — fewer destinations, longer stays, local guesthouses and homestays instead of hotels, public transport instead of tour buses. In Iceland, that means six days based in the remote village of Bakkagerði, hiking coastal trails, soaking in steaming pools, cooking in a family kitchen, and connecting with a place — not just passing through it.
Arctic Expedition: Realm of the Polar Bear
On the new G Expedition ship — just 128 passengers — sail into Norway’s fjords and Arctic bays to encounter polar bears, seals, reindeer, and colonies of seabirds. Zodiac rides, kayaking, and on-foot wildlife encounters make this the most intimate way to experience the High Arctic. Given Alberta’s appreciation for wilderness and big skies, this one hits differently close to home.
