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| Tips for Senior Travelers |
| The joy of travelling doesn’t diminish with age. Senior travelers fly, cruise, and road trip their way to great vacations. The CheapOair-Experts Top 10 Senior Travel Tips article covers important topics about planning a trip, traveling with a medical condition, packing, things to avoid and much more.
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| Tips for Senior Travelers |
Published
On: March 23, 2009 |
- Pre-Planning for your Vacation:
- Consult your travel agent for destinations you’re interested in traveling. Today, many Travel agents specialize in senior travel.
- Make sure that you find about out about medical facilities surrounding the destination(s) you’re planning to visit.
- Do some research online about climate, language and the culture of your chosen destination.
- CheapOair-Experts suggest you purchase a guide book and read it before you go.
- If you’re traveling with a wheelchair or a guide dog, be sure to make the necessary arrangements, including airplane seating well in advance.
- Buy travel insurance and make sure that it covers pre-existing illness if needed.
- Packing:
- We suggest that your carry-on bag contains everything you would need for the duration of your flight.
- Always include a medical kit in your carry-on bag. Whatever your “must haves” are, like, medications, painkillers, antacids, band-aids, etc.
- We suggest you carry and utilize a pill-box filled with the pills required for each day of the week. Pill boxes are clearly marked with the days of the week, like, M (Monday), T (Tuesday), W (Wednesday), and so on. Being away from home, your daily routine will be disrupted. To ensure you don’t forget to take your medication, the daily marked pill box already filled with your daily dosages will keep you on track.
- Using a suitcase with wheels for your travel would be convenient and much lighter to travel with.
- Travelling with a Disability:
- In case you are traveling with a disability, we suggest you call airports and airlines well ahead of your departure time to find out about services, including seating arrangements, special meals and shuttle services.
- Make all the necessary reservations beforehand to avoid any hassle.
- Notify the airlines about your requirements. Inform your travel agency or company you are booking with, including the airline and let them know that you have a disability and what your requirements are.
- Make sure to book direct flights wherever you can. If direct flights aren’t a possibility, give yourself plenty of time for any necessary transfers between planes, or other forms of transport.
- Contact the local tourist authority at your destination to find out if the public transport system accommodates your disability.
- If you’re traveling abroad, contact the relevant embassies to check rules and regulations about your aids, whether it’s about the availability of a wheelchair, guide dog or medication.
- Pre-Trip Medical Check-Ups:
- Always consult with your doctor for a complete medical check-up prior to departure. This is especially important if you have any coronary heart disease, hypertension or any other chronic condition. If you’ve recently undergone surgery or experienced a heart attack, it’s equally important.
- Make sure that you discuss your trip and plan with your physician. Be sure to mention any particular health concerns you might have, such as dietary changes (local cuisine), time zone differences, and anything else with respect to your health.
- People with diabetes will need medical advice on how to safely stagger their medications to fit a different time zone.
- Consider having your flu and pneumonia vaccinations before you go on your trip.
- If you intend to travel to areas where infectious diseases are present, make sure you are fully vaccinated.
- Travelling with Medication:
- When visiting abroad, you should check to make sure that your medications are legal in the country you are visiting.
- You can do this by simply contacting the country's embassy, high commission or consulate.
- When planning to travel overseas with medicine it is important that you:
- Make sure you talk to your doctor and discuss the medicine you will require.
- Carry a letter from your doctor that describes your medication, how much you will be taking, and also mention that it is for your own personal use.
- Leave the medicine in its original packaging, so that you are aware of the dosage instructions. If you’re using a pill box, bring the bottle with you.
- In case you have to inject your medication, it might be preferable to carry your own needles and syringes. When buying needles and syringes overseas ensure you buy packs that are sealed and sterile.
- Do not try to save luggage space by combining medications into one container. Keep all medications in the original, labeled container to avoid troubles with Customs.
- Clothing:
- Comfortable clothing will make air travel more comfortable, it also allows blood to circulate more easily during periods of inactivity.
- Sitting for long periods of time is associated with blood clots, especially for people with poor circulation. So make sure that you check with your doctor.
- Use compression stockings, which can stimulate lower leg circulation and may be helpful for some seniors when flying.
- Always avoid tight socks or stockings.
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Exercise:
- Exercise In-Flight: The inactivity of air travel can really take a toll on muscles and joints, as well as circulation. One of the best remedies is to take small exercise breaks during your flight by standing, walking the aisles, and stretching or shaking your arms and legs.
- Drinking Fluids: The atmosphere inside the airplane is notoriously dehydrating due to low humidity, and the best defense against this, is to drink plenty of fluids before, after, and during a flight. Water is ideal.
- Beverages to Avoid: caffeinated beverages and alcohol. If you have diabetes, you might be prone to dehydration and should take extra care.
- Crossing Time Zones:
- In case your travel requires you to cross time zones, make sure you speak to your doctor about the proper time to take your medication and how you should be taking it.
- Ask your doctor if there are any foods that you should avoid during your vacation and if anything specifically could interfere with your medications.
- Extra Care:
- Guard yourself well against any kind of infection.
- Wash your hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after traveling on a crowded plane, train or bus, and before eating.
- Must have information:
- Your doctor’s number in case of an emergency.
- Your travel agent’s numbers if you booked through a travel agency.
- Contact Number of the airlines you’re flying with.
- Number for the U.S. embassy
- Emergency contact numbers
- Airline Numbers and websites:
- Follow the news: Make sure that you are following televisions, newspapers, and radios for any changes in weather, flight cancelations or rescheduled flights. You don’t want to get stranded at the airport or arrive too early or too late for a flight.
h.Knowing problems beforehand will enable you to act appropriately and be prepared to find solutions.
Check out the ChepOAir News Desk for the latest travel news. Whether you intend to tour the countryside or jet off to a far away destination, or take part in a packaged tour, it’s all out there waiting to be explored. So get ready to explore the world up close and personal and be sure to follow CheapOair’s-Expert advice, travel article series. |
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