Travelling with elderly parents or grandparents will be quite different from your usual trips with the kids. Considering their age and needs, you need to adjust your itinerary accordingly.
However, that is not a reason for not bringing them overseas. If you are planning one, here are ten tips to make the trip hassle-free.
1.Choose a comfortable accommodation
Unlike travelling alone or with young people, it does not suffice to stay in a dorm and sharing the room with a few other fellow travellers.
Make sure that the place you will stay at has elderly-friendly facilities to ensure safety and comfort.
2. Opt for closer destinations
12 hours on a plane may not be ideal if you are travelling with the elderly. Long commuting time easily drains their energy, causes fatigue, discomfort and pain.
3. Pay attention to dietary needs
For the elderly, it is not advisable to indulge in hefty meals like they used to do. Be sure to maintain a balanced diet even though you are overseas.
If you stay in a villa, you can ask the staff to help with the food to ensure that it follows any food restriction and diet plan.
4. Buy a travel insurance
Travel insurance is especially important for senior travellers as they are more prone to risks of being injured or falling sick.
Nothing worse than running out of medications as the trip is extended due to unforeseen circumstances. Better be safe than sorry, as the saying goes.
5. Bring medications
Make sure that you bring enough medications for the trip. When packing the luggage, put the medications in a place that is easy to access and organise.
Be careful not to put them in check-in luggage as you may need them during the flight.
6. Pack light
Be practical and pack only the things that are necessary. You are on the move, so it’s better to be light and mobile.
7. Prioritise safety, security & comfort
New adventures are indeed exciting. Although it is tempting to sign up for an exploratory tour or try adventurous activities at the new destination, always double check if your parents’ health permits.
8. Read about tourist scams
Scams are everywhere, and old people from a foreign country, who may not speak the language and understand local customs, make easy prey.
Therefore, it’s advisable to be on guard and inform the elderly about the common scams so they can be prepared.
9. Ensure that those at the destinations are prepared
Inform the hotel or villa you will stay at to make sure that they are aware that you are coming with the elderly to have proper preparations.
Request services such as airport pickup, private chef, etc. if you need.
10. Get a local number
Give your parents or grandparents a local cell phone and set the dial shortcut to your number and emergency numbers to make them easy to access.
Plus you can also save the address and map of the hotel into the phone so they can find the way back on their own.
With careful preparation, the trip aboard with the entire family will definitely be a sweet memory you will remember for years.
The article was written by Khanh Tran from Villa-Finder.com, the leading villa booking platform in Asia, with villas in Bali, Sri Lanka, Phuket, Samui and Mauritius.