This Survey Revealed The Top Group Activity For Retirement Travelers In 2025

Say the words "retirement" and "travel," and a few images may come to mind: strolling down a beach, browsing in a souvenir shop, or lounging on a cruise ship. Some might imagine folks at a resort partaking in a game of shuffleboard, a sport that requires some movement and coordination but probably doesn't risk breaking a hip. Many mistakenly believe that retirees only travel in passive ways; the most demanding part, they assume, is climbing the steps of the tour bus.

Yet a 2025 survey of retirees by the travel nonprofit Road Scholar paints a very different picture. The organization found that 64.3% of participants prefer "solo travel with flexible itineraries." Then again, 44% consider companionship while traveling as "somewhat or extremely important." Then there's this: When asked about group travel preferences, 49.7% of those surveyed favor "adventure tours with light physical activities" — more than any other kind of group activity.

The Road Scholar website didn't go into detail about what counts as "light physical activities," but embedded images show seniors strapping on rafting gear and gazing at jagged mountains from a rustic wood platform. The message is clear: Roughly half of the retirees in the Road Scholar survey want to stay active, and nearly half seek out good company while they do it. And destinations aren't just domestic; Road Scholar reports that many seniors plan to travel the globe during their golden years. The survey cited Italy as the most popular bucket-list nation (57% said it topped their list). This echoes a similar study conducted by Travelsphere, which found that Italy was the top travel destination for new retirees in 2025, thanks to its history, world-class cuisine, and endless charm.

For Americans, retirement is a finicky thing: While 65 was once the typical age to stop working and start collecting social security, the average age is slowly climbing (and plenty of folks don't retire at all). Overall health will affect what kinds of activities are possible in one's golden years. Yet the adventurous activities available to retirees are extremely wide-ranging — there's no precise age limit for hiking, rafting, scuba diving, or even skydiving, for example. Alpinist Yuichiro Miura summited Mt. Everest at the age of 80, and Yu Te-Hsin was 105 years old when he went paragliding in 2020. "Light physical activities" don't have to risk life and limb, of course; Rick Steves recommends slow travel for adventurous seniors.

As for group travel, there are more options than ever. Road Scholar itself hosts tours of all kinds, including hiking, cycling, birding, and paddling, and a host of other companies specialize in active travel for groups of wide-ranging abilities. Multiple studies have found that socializing and friendships have profound health benefits for seniors — including stress reduction, cardiac health, and brain functioning — and travel can serve as a powerful bonding experience. For many retirees, group activities like cycling and trekking may amplify that bond. Some retirees may also see group travel as a safe and informative way to window-shop for places to live. After all, there are plenty of convincing reasons to retire abroad.