Traveling Tips for the Elderly
Travel may be one of the greatest gifts one can give Mom or Dad. The trip may be to visit other family members, particularly grandkids and great grandchildren. It may be an adventure trip somewhere, aboard a cruise ship or even a return to a home of long ago.
Grownup kids may accompany their parent or, if Mom or Dad can maintain some independence, she or he may go on a solo trip, or just the two of them together. Either way, there are certain things to do or keep in mind:
1. Research and plan ahead.
Whether you will travel together or your parent will be solo, planning, reserving and confirming must be accomplished sooner rather than later. When the destination is resolved with target dates, research airlines, buses, cruise lines. For air and land transportation, seek the most direct and shortest travel times.
Choose an airline that gives extras for senior citizens – the lowest fares and possible benefits at the airport and aboard the flight, as well as other special services.
2. Request and reserve special services.
Request seat assignment in the rows designated for disabled travelers. And, importantly, request cost-free wheelchair service at every airport origination, connection and arrival location, if need be. If there is meal service aboard, advise the reservation system of any dietary needs.
If traveling alone, make sure that your parent will have human assistance from the counter, through security, to the gate and then to aboard the aircraft. If staffed by an airline employee, there should be no cost for wheelchair or assistance.
3. Prepare documentation.
A government passport is accepted everywhere as the highest level of identification. If not a passport, a senior citizen’s ID shall be handy. It is most useful in availing of discounts and extra services.
Also have copies of medicine prescriptions for your parent’s physician, in case maintenance medication has to be procured while on the trip.
4. Be practical when packing.
Pack light. For a person traveling with at least some limitation, aim to pack everything necessary in a roll-aboard suitcase plus a medium-size overthe-shoulder carry-on. Do not check the roll-aboard as luggage, as in-cabin flight staff will gladly stash it in the overhead rack. Such will save a lot of time at the destination airport.
All prescription and over-the-counter medications should be placed in a one quart zip-lock freezer bag, including also copies of doctor’s prescriptions in the hand-carry bag. Enclose also any medical appliances such as extra braces or first-aid needs.
If Mom or Dad is toting arrival gifts to relatives, do not wrap them. Place the items in the roll-aboard luggage. If your parent is traveling alone, before you close up her or his carry-aboard bag, prepare and slip in at the top a note stating “I love you” and “I delight in your new adventure.”
5. Think about safety, security and comfort.
There are thieves everywhere and, particularly, in high-traffic travel centers. Don’t give the scalawags any opportunity to steal from your parent.
Mom should not carry a purse but, instead a money belt worn under a blouse or a neat Passage Wallet hidden under her coat by a neck cord. Dad should not carry a wallet in his back pocket but, instead, the same Passage Wallet from the neck cord or as a hidden wallet tucked into his pants and secured by a cord to his belt.
If traveling alone, Mom or Dad, shall always keep their carry-on between their feet when standing, or with the shoulder strap looped around the leg of a chair when seated.
For comfort, a travel pillow, a c-shaped balloon that supports the neck and head when resting aboard transportation is nice.
While the transportation staff has no official obligation regarding the medical dosing of your parent, you can ask in advance that at a specified time, the staff remind Mom or Dad to take medication. The alternative is to provide your parent with an alarm watch.
Before traveling, explain to Mom or Dad that the security process is vital to her or his safety. If Mom or Dad is in a wheelchair at transportation centers, access to and through security may actually be quicker than through the long line of other travelers.
Brief your parent (or mention to the security staff, if you are traveling together) about any medical condition that would set off alarms, such as surgical hip and knee implants. To avoid unwanted delays, get a physician’s statement about the implanted metal beforehand and make sure the senior has that documentation with them.
6. Arrange medication management.
7. Plan for security checkpoints.
8. Consider destination and travel options.
The world of travel is open to just about everyone, even those elderly parents receiving care. Start a discussion with Mom or Dad to learn her or his travel wishes. Determine if your parent can travel solo, or if you want or need to share in the adventure. Start with the mission of fulfilling a parent’s dream; don’t just go online to find cheap air tickets. You may want to book them in package tours and cruises, which can be the ultimate escape and very civilized adventure for them.
9. Ensure those at the destination are prepared.
If your parent is traveling solo to visit other family, contact your relatives beforehand to discuss caregiving support for your elder’s needs, and how to go about it. Advise of your parent’s favorite foods and activities so that host relatives can try to be accommodating during the visit.
On the day of travel, arrive at the airport or other transportation two hours early, to converse with your parent without pressure, share a meal or snack, review the travel plan and itinerary and, importantly, to use the wheelchair-capable restroom shortly before heading to the gate.
Then, your elderly parent may travel safely and well.