Retirement gives seniors time to enjoy their ideal life, including catching up on all those vacations they may have put off until after they were done working full time. While seniors with limited mobility face challenges that can narrow their travel options, with proper planning, seniors can still have as much fun and enjoy the vacation as much as everyone else. To learn more about planning the perfect getaway for yourself or your senior loved one, check out our guide below.  

How to Celebrate Fun as You Age

Vacations for seniors should be personal and meaningful. Destinations should reflect the senior's passions and activities that inspire and excite them, whether exploring museums, serene walks in botanical gardens, or just lying on the beach. Once that’s down, the second most important thing is your itinerary.Foresee any possible challenge due to age and limited mobility and find a solution beforehand.

Things to Consider When Planning

Elderly adults may struggle with walking for long periods or going upstairs. Some need a wheelchair, walker, or cane to help their mobility. While these issues may make going on a vacation feel intimidating, planning can make it a walk in the park.Growing old should not bar a senior from enjoying vacations and traveling. Here are crucial things to consider on your next trip.

Medical Considerations

All prescription medications should be in their approved containers when traveling by air. Many airlines require medicine to be in their prescription medication packaging. The easiest way to handle this is by transporting them in a zipped bag in your carry-on. Ensure you prepare a medical history, medication checklist, and ample supply of medication. Medication management is integral to the success of this trip, so set reminders for your own or your senior loved one's dosage times.

Mobility Needs

If you’re not traveling with your senior loved one, drive your elderly loved one to the airport. Obtain an escort pass a day or two before the travel date. An escort pass will allow you to take the senior through security to their designated departure gate. If you cannot be there in person, arrange a taxi to get them to the airport or seek transportation services for seniors. Speak to the airline beforehand to arrange free assistance. Alternatively, hire concierge services to help them check-in, manage their luggage and get through the security services. If they need extra assistance according to their mobility needs, you can still hire a dedicated escort and flying company to provide full concierge traveling aid; they should accompany the senior from their home until their final destination.

Remember to coordinate their mobility needs on arrival and have a family member get an escort pass for domestic flights. For international flights where an escort pass may be unavailable, arrange for a wheelchair attendant to meet your loved one at the gate on arrival.

Transportation

Plan your route. If you travel by car or bus, you will need to make frequent stops. You can also carry portable potties for long stretches. If your loved one suffers from leg cramps or arthritis, pack some leg wraps. Check that the car or bus has hand vars that will make mobility easier. Seniors need to stretch often. Map out points of interest before the trip and make regular stops there. Ensure that mobility assistance items like walkers and canes are accessible along the way.

If traveling by plane, consider booking mid-morning or after-noon departure times to ensure that your senior loved one has enough stamina for the trip. Consider taking direct flights, and minimize having to switch planes. If the senior has had surgery involving metal medical devices in their body, inform the security before they pass through the scanners.  

Safety Tips for Traveling Seniors With Limited Mobility

Traveling with limited mobility does not have to be a risky affair. Take up the following safety tips to prevent challenges on your traveling days.

Plan Ahead and Make Your Bookings Early

Due to the unique requirements, traveling with a senior will require you to book early. Speak to airlines and hotels about their special needs and ensure they are met.Communicate dietary restrictions and get solutions, mobility limitations, and any accessibility requirements you may need early on.

Book Accessible Lodging

Accessible accommodation is one that can be enjoyed and used by everyone regardless of their degree of mobility. Such hotel rooms are designed to accommodate individuals with limited mobility or any disability sufficiently. When booking your accommodation, inquire about their bathrooms, elevator access, and spaciousness.

Inform the Airline, Hotel, and Transportation Providers of YourMobility Needs

Call the airline to request that they assign the senior a seat in rows designated for the disabled. Request a cost-free wheelchair service at the origination, connection, and arrival airport terminals. If they have a meal service aboard, inform the reservation system of the senior’s dietary needs.

Bathing in hotels may be difficult, so it's essential to pack a portable shower bench. Call the hotel and inform them of the senior’s mobility limitations. They should share any services they have that can assist the senior. Make sure to ask your senior loved one's hotel about the accessibility of wheelchairs and the availability of lifts.

Consult With Your Physician

Contact your senior loved one's doctor for any special instructions or precautions they may need to take prior to traveling. Only travel when the doctor approves that your loved one can manage the change in routine and stress of traveling. Share your mode of traveling and prospective destination with the physician and ask if they suit the senior’s limitations and abilities.

Inquire whether the senior will need a supplement or medication to ease anxiety or possible behavioral issues. Make sure to also ask if they require a particular vaccine for their destination. Exhaustively discuss your trip with the physician and find out if they have any additional concerns or suggestions for your preparation.

Plan Shifts for Caretaking

Vacations, especially family vacations, are loaded with fun activities, which can be tiring for everyone, including seniors. If your senior requires dedicated caretaking, planning your caregiving shifts beforehand is safer. That way, everyone knows their turn and is careful to avoid getting lost in the vacation activities and failing to meet the senior's caregiving needs. You can also consider traveling with a caregiver.

Obtain Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is crucial, especially when the trip involves leaving the country. Some health insurance policies may not cover a senior when they are outside the U.S. Find a policy that will cover them in case of any medical emergency while abroad. If your trip has pre-paid, non-refundable costs, travel insurance can help you get some cash back if your elderly loved one falls ill and can not travel.

ConsiderSpecial Gear

It's always essential to have rolling luggage for seniors with back issues, and luggage on wheels would prevent causing further back problems. Compression socks are a must-have to keep the blood circulation in the feet going. A neck pillow is another great item that will make senior travel more comfortable, especially when they need to nap. Folding canes are easy to tuck into compact places when not in use which can help make traveling more convenient.

Packing Essentials

If your elderly loved one is seated on a plane or car for an extended period, consider buying them supportive stockings to help prevent numbness and blood clots in their legs. Pack light clothes that they can layer easily. Have some snacks, water, and medication at hand.

Here are some other packing essentials you should have:

●     Assistive Devices

●     Prescription Medicine

●     First Aid Kit

●     The Right Footwear and Clothing

●     Prescription Eyeglasses (for those who experience vision problems)

●     Carry-on Bag

More Tips

Here are some bonus tips to ensure your senior loved one has fun on the vacation.

Address Emotional Concerns

One of the best ways to address a senior’s emotional concerns is to share all your travel plans with them. Inform them of the arrangement you’ve made at the airport and hotel. Share your itinerary and daily activities with them and address any concerns about traveling that they might have.

Balance Rest and Active Time  

For younger people, vacations could involve round-the-clock sightseeing, cruising, and partying. Seniors, however, require more time to recharge. Balance the rest and active times on your itinerary to ensure the senior always has enough energy to enjoy the active time.

Have a Backup Plan

It's normal to hope everything goes according to plan, but sometimes, there’s an unforeseeable turn of events. Have a backup plan for your essentials, including back up modes of transport, backup accommodations, and a backup itinerary.