BootsnAll Travel Community

I'll be travelling with my grandparents in June and wanted to hear some advice about traveling with senior citizens! They are good sports with lots of energy but I'd love to get some feedback on protecting their health when traveling, scheduling, etc. Anyone have any experience?

Hey Cosmic,
There's a forum called Golden Oldies that also might be a good spot for your query.

update:
Did this thread get moved? What's going on?

Hi CosmicTraveler,
Just some advice from my experience. My mom and my aunt just came to visit me in Japan (their first visit) and while they are not quite seniors, they are almost there. The biggest thing for me was getting used to the fact that even though they are enthusiastic and energetic, they get tired much faster than I do. (This was actually quite shocking and made me realize that my mom is getting old )

The following of course are generalizations - just wanted to give you some things to think about. Don't want to offend any seniors on the board

When my momo and aunt visited, we did a lot of walking and it really tired them out. There were daily afternoon naps or extended rest periods. If you are used to go-go-go travelling, this will be hard to factor in at first.

You live in a big city (Chicago), so you are probably used to a high pace. Seniors aren't. Be prepared to walk in what feels like slow motion (this is actually good because it makes you stop and look at things instead of rushing past them).

Older people are often pickier about what kinds of food they eat, and may have special dietary requirements. Be flexible. Bring snacks and water if you will be out for long periods of time, or think there may not be food that they will like at meal time. Low sugar levels and dehydration do not make for fun travelling.

So I guess my main advice is be flexible. Be prepared to take much longer to do things than you expected, and willing to cancel or omit things in case everyone is tired that day. Be aware of things like stairs and steep inclines that may cause problems for them, especially if there are knee or hip issues. Look into sight seeing options like bus trips or boat rides that allow you to see a lot of things without having to walk.

Hope this is helpful.

Liz

My mother is an avid traveller and slowing down at age 73. We did a backpacker trip of turkey and greece two years ago and here is what I learned.First, everyone loves my mother and can't do enough for her.
Pick central hotels, we all need a nap!
Plan taxis into the budjet, especialy when transporting luggage from train stations to hotels.
Plan on eating/drinking more often, keep everyone fed and hydrated! english teatime was invented for a reason.
yes they pack more, have medicine etc..
I leave lots of room in my bag and consficate extra stuff.
Make sure they have great shoes and boots, Insist they build their walking endurance before they go.
I carry sleeping pills and insist everyone take them at night, no "I was up all night"
I bought mom a "walking stick" which is a fancy name for a cane, it collapses and is wonderful, She needs a stick now for balance, and not always my shoulder on stairs. the walking stick was one of my best ideas.

have fun!

I am a senior and my hubby is 75. We are planning an 11 week trip. Fortunately or unfortunately we don't have to stay in hostels. My plans are to stay in centrally located, self contained accomodations and stay as many nights as we need to see the area we are visiting. We have some 1 nighters , but I avoid it if I can. An example is South Island of New Zealand. 3 nights, Franz Joseph, 6 nights Queenstown. We will take the bus/boat tour to see Doubtful and Milford sounds. We will self-drive in a wide perimeter of the area, and if one of us is having a rough day (probably him), I'll go shop. I find great accomodations surfing the net, and have rental houses in neat locations from Bali, Tasmania, Cairs, Sydney, etc. If it is a very long flight, I schedule a break inbetween. I do have a car rental almost everywhere we go, so driving (which isn't very tiring) allows us to see the most with the least physical drain. Hope this helps.

Don't let age be a barrier! We just had the most wonderfull four visitors from the usa here on our farm, the youngest was 62 the oldest was 84, and they had a ball! They were here for three days on the farm, both men took a turn going out with hubby on the four wheeler to watch the cattle being moved by our working dogs, one lady had a very quiet trip on a very quiet pony up to the top of the farm-age isn't a barrier to most things as long as you are carefull- we took time off teh farm to take them for a day drive and I must admit by the time we got back they were all tired, in the car and out throughout the day, but they all had a ball and they were so much fun to be with

My 84 year old mother still travels independently or with tours and has no mobility issues. However, she tires easily and can often get sensory overload.

I recommend that when escorting older travelers, plan one day to travel then one to sight see. With at least two nights at all locations they have time to experience the sights and don't feel rushed. Try and limit the number of objectives per day to just a couple of the major sights.

I also recommend they travel very light with only a carry on size wheeled bag and possibly a daypack.

It is wonderful to experience travel with older people because they usually have a different perspective and experiences of their own to share. Enjoy your time with your Grand Parents and have a wonderful adventure.

I plan to take my parents to a nearby hill station for just three days. Another piece of advise, carry a pair of spare eye-glasses (spectacles), if they wear them