Will it live up to the brochure?
We turn the everyday worries of travellers over 60 into 11 simple indicators anyone can repeat, and one score out of 100.
Five pillars. 11 indicators.
Every indicator answers a question a traveller would actually ask, and scores 1 to 5 against fixed bands. Open a pillar to see exactly what we check.
1Health & Safety35%
Emergency hospital
“If I fall ill, how fast can I reach an emergency department?”
Driving time from the tourist office to the nearest 24-hour emergency department. 5 = 15 minutes or less.
Source: Google Maps
Health system
“If I need treatment, is the health system dependable?”
The country’s score on the World Health Organization’s coverage index.
Source: WHO
Official travel advice
“Is it safe, and will I be targeted by pickpockets?”
The official risk level, and whether the destination is named for petty crime.
Source: Government of Canada travel advice
Safe tap water
“Can I drink the tap water?”
What the official water authority says about the public supply.
Source: national or local water authority
2Getting Around25%
Arrival
“Can I get from the airport to town without a taxi?”
Fastest public-transport journey from the main airport to the tourist office. 5 = 45 minutes or less. Two or more changes cost a point.
Source: Google Maps, transport operators
Sights without a car
“Can I reach the main sights without a car?”
How many of the top 5 sights are a short walk, or a reasonable public-transport trip with at most one change.
Source: Google Maps
Physical ease
“Can I get there without stairs or a steep, long walk?”
How many of the top 5 sights have a step-free route and a short, gentle final walk: 400 m or less, with no more than 15 m of climb.
Source: Google Maps
3Cost20%
A comfortable day
“What will a comfortable day cost me?”
Per person, in US dollars: a 3- or 4-star hotel night, a mid-range dinner, a simple lunch, a day transport pass and average entry to the top sights. 5 = $100 or less; 1 = over $275.
Sources: Booking.com, Numbeo, official transport and attraction websites
4Climate10%
Comfortable months
“How many months a year can I go without suffering heat, cold or rain?”
A month counts when daytime highs average 16–27 °C with no more than 10 rainy days. 5 = 8 months or more. Very hot months are flagged as a warning.
Source: national weather service, 1991–2020 averages
5Things to Do10%
Variety
“Is there enough to keep me interested, including things without long walks?”
How many of 8 kinds of experience are on offer and well reviewed, from museums and gardens to boat trips and hop-on buses.
Source: GetYourGuide
Day trips
“Can I easily see more of the area on an organised day out?”
How many different places the top 30 day trips go to. 5 = 8 places or more.
Source: GetYourGuide
Don’t take our word for it. Read the book.
The MMI Charter sets out what we stand for, and every rule a score is made from: every indicator, every score band, every source, word for word. We publish all of it, so anyone can check our work.
Checkable in minutes. By anyone.
No paid databases, no site visits, no favours. Every figure comes from a public source you can open yourself.
Our sources
- Google Maps
- World Health Organization
- Government of Canada travel advice
- Water authorities
- Transport operators
- National weather services
- Booking.com
- Numbeo
- Official attraction websites
- GetYourGuide
- Tripadvisor (top-sights list)
- xe.com exchange rates
Some sources, like hotel and tour listings, rely on traveller ratings. We use them only as fixed filters, the same way for every destination.
Six steps, every time.
- Fix the starting pointThe official tourist office and the top 5 sights, set before research starts.
- Capture the evidenceEvery figure, with its link, date and screenshot, captured within one 14-day window, so all the figures reflect the same moment.
- Score each indicator1 to 5 against fixed bands.
- CombineIndicators make pillar scores; weighted pillars make the score out of 100.
- Second checkAn independent checker re-opens every source and confirms every figure.
- PublishWith the method version, capture dates and any warnings that matter.
How one indicator is scored
Fastest public transport from the airport to the tourist office, leaving 10:00 on a Tuesday: 52 minutes, one change.
That falls in the 46–60 minute band, and one change carries no penalty.
An illustration of how the bands work, not a real destination.
- ≤45 min
- 46–60
- 61–90
- 91–120
- >120
How the 100 points add up.
Each pillar earns its share of the points by how well it scores out of 5. A pillar scoring 4 out of 5 earns four-fifths of its points.
What MMI will never do.
- Guess. Missing evidence is left blank. A destination with a gap gets no score until it’s closed.
- Bend the rules for one place. No rule names a destination. Every place is measured the same way.
- Treat AI text as evidence. AI helps us work, but every figure must come from the source itself.
- Count the same evidence twice. One named source for each fact.
- Hide a correction. Every correction is logged and dated.
What the score doesn’t cover.
Hotels and restaurants aren’t scored. Mature travellers choose a destination for what it offers, then find a hotel and restaurants to suit them once they’ve decided, so we give practical advice instead: where to stay, dining tips and senior discounts.
Specialist disability access isn’t measured. MMI is built for active, independent travellers. If you have specific access needs, check with the destination directly.
Personal taste is yours. We measure how well a place works, not whether you’ll love it.
Travelling soon?Ask if it’s MMI certified.What the MMI seal means →
See it in action.
The first monthly Index lands on 1 January 2027. Meanwhile, explore 100 world cities on our map.