Elderly Travel: Key Tips Before you Depart

As we all know, the travel bug has hit us hard. While young people often grab the headlines as they venture on gap years and other longer-term trips, let’s not forget that this is a pastime that is open to everyone.

As today’s title has probably already been given away, the elderly are included in this.

Unfortunately, there are a few more risk factors when it comes to traveling as you get a little bit older. This is what we are going to use today’s article to concentrate on, as we now take a look at some key tips that you should keep in mind before you jump on a plane.

Elderly Travel Key Tips Before you Depart

The Paperwork-Factor

It’s certainly not going to get your juices flowing before you depart but like it or not, there are various paperwork requirements you need to look at before you jet away.

The main one comes in the form of insurance. This is something that is, fortunately, being taken more seriously, with some horror stories in the press highlighting the huge bills that can sit with you if you travel without this paperwork.

Like it or not, these risks are slightly higher for an elderly person. This is one of the reasons why the likes of Staysure over 50s cover is essential – just to make sure the worst-case scenarios are covered when you take to your trip.

Be Aware of the Heat-Factor

Unfortunately, the elderly are extremely at risk when it comes to warm weather. Considering the fact that a lot of getaways tend to specialize in hot breaks, this is naturally a problem.

It means that you either need to rethink your destination, the time you are visiting, or even the activities you are considering. Sometimes, it might be about basic trip planning and making sure you stay out of the sun at the peak lunchtime hours.

It can Stem as far as your Luggage

The previous two points were probably completely expected, but something else that should pose as food for thought is your luggage.

While airlines are attempting to squeeze the amount we travel with, in some cases you can still have cases that are able to take over 30kg.

For an elderly traveler, this can prove to be extremely tiring. It means that you should aim to pack lightly, but also make sure that you have small carry-on bags which contain all of your essentials. The last thing you need is to be up in the sky, attempting to wrestle with an oversized bag in the cabin.

A Warning on Medication

In truth, this is another one of those points that are applicable to everyone – it’s just that elderly travelers are probably more likely to experience it.

If you do need a lot of medication, in most cases this is completely fine to take. However, you do need to make sure that it is allowed in your destination as a choice, and in some cases, you might need to accompany it with a note from your doctor that explains what it is needed for.

This is essential advice and you need to plan months in advance to ensure that you are carrying the correct documentation.