You may want to take a break from your hectic responsibilities of office and home, and find some time to touch base with your parents and grandparents. Traveling with our families is an excellent way of spending quality time with them, as well as telling them that they still form an important part of our happiness. However, if we are not careful about planning for a few exigencies in advance, our vacation may be ruined.
Here are a few things we should keep in mind while traveling with old people.
- Plan out enough low-pressure leisure activities, Do not make plans of climbing the steps of a steep lighthouse. The exercise may pump up your adrenaline, but is definitely not good for your 70 year old mother who has been complaining of knee pain. Go for relaxing activities instead, like a picnic by a lake or some paddle boating.
- Try to book rooms in extended stay hotels that provide self cooking options. It is pocket friendly and gives older people the facility to prepare food according to their dietary requirements, instead of depending purely on hotel food.
- Book a stay in a place that has a doctor on call.
- Carry medicines for minor ailments like fever, acidity or muscle pain. You never know when a small problem like indigestion may escalate into bigger life-threatening issues if not addressed in time.
- Carry umbrellas and winter clothes. A chilly wind or a mild downpour will affect an elderly person way sooner that it will affect you.
- Always make sure you confirm tickets before boarding a train. Dragging your grandfather all the way to the railway station only to realize that your tickets are not confirmed till the end, or forcing the poor man to share his seat with the rest of the party is not a good thing to do.
- Reach the airport or railway station well in time. You can run across airport lounges and up railway station stairs. Your mother cannot.
- Carry a large number of magazines to read. And also some snacks to munch on the way.
- Also carry waste paper bags and old newspapers to discard waste. Believe me, you will need them in plenty.
- Do not plan the whole trip on your own. Ask for their preferences and input while making your travel plans. Do not shrug off any idea they may have to offer. If it does not fit in with your plan, sit with them and explain why it will not work.
- Always remember to give them a guide map of the places of travel. Keep them well informed about the itinerary and any changes during the trip. This will boost their self confidence. Also, their long years of experience may prove more useful than you think.
- And most important – take lots of pictures. They are keen to create memories with you, and this trip means much more to them than it does to you. So have patience, talk with love and make lots of happy memories for posterity.
Image credit : Ethan Prater