Lots of benefits are available for senior travelers including discounts on food, lodging, and airfare, as well as extra assistance on their travels. With more free time and more flexible schedules, seniors can take advantage of deep discounts on low season airfares, cruises, and hotel accommodations. They can also take part in unique travel options such as learning tours.
Though the Elder Hostel program (elderhostel.org) senior citizens have access to lodging and special tours and learning programs in all 50 US states and 90 countries worldwide. Over 8,000 different learning tours are available.
Active senior citizens seeking an adventure vacation can also check out eldertreks.com for walking vacations all over the world. Both the hostels and the trekking tours are a great way for seniors to meet up with traveling companions and friends around the world.
Seniors traveling on their own itinerary may also wish to find a traveling companion. Grandchildren and other family members can be fun traveling partners. There are also many internet resources for matching senior travel companions around the world, ranging from those that pair travel friends to agencies that arrange aides for senior travelers who need extra physical assistance on their travels.
Seniors also have the benefit of flexibility when they travel, allowing them to get some great airfares. Check a range of dates to travel to get the best rates. When traveling by air, seniors can ask for extra assistance with wheelchair transport to their gates and through the airport. Aisle seats offer more convenience and allow for more mobility.
It is vital for people over 50 to get up and move around at lease once an hour on long flights, as well as long bus, train, and car trips. Every decade past 50 raises a passenger’s risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) by 10 percent. DVT is a blood clotting disorder occurring during long periods of immobilization.
Senior citizens should walk up and down the aisle at least every hour during a flight. In between walks, wiggling toes and rotating ankles can increase circulation. Avoid constricting clothing and drink lots of water. For particularly high-risk seniors, doctors may recommend medical compression stockings or anti-coagulant medications for the trip.
Seniors on prescription medicines should make sure all prescriptions are well-stocked. Take enough to last the entire length of a trip, plus at least an extra seven day supply in their original packaging. Seniors requiring frequent medical attention should bring along a copy of prescriptions and recent medical records, in case they require medical assistance while traveling.
For seniors with special medical conditions or drug allergies, a medical bracelet can be a good idea, especially when traveling far from home. Also, when traveling long distances, be sure to get travel insurance. Travel insurance covers ambulance airlifts and many other travel-related emergencies that regular medical insurance may not cover. Not all insurance companies will insure seniors, especially those over 80, but a comparative online search will yield numerous options for seniors seeking travel insurance.