Travel can be enormously beneficial for older people and presents a great opportunity to meet new folk, explore new environments, and stimulate the mind by learning new things.

While travel is an opportunity to have fun and adventure, it isn’t entirely without risk.

However, there’s plenty you can do to ensure your journey is safe, affordable, and hassle-free.

Many seniors may recall a time of spontaneous youth – an age when, during times of travel, you never knew where the next day would take you. Not only have times changed but you are also older and, hopefully, much wiser. This doesn’t mean you have to forfeit all fun. You can have enough freedom with the added safety of a planned travel itinerary.  

• Book in advance: Plan your trip with plenty of time. This will give you more options, potentially better pricing, and flexibility to make changes if needed.  

• Documents: Make sure your passport, visas, and any other important travel documents are up to date. Check the entry requirements for the counties you are visiting when making bookings to make sure you have left enough time.  

• Keep records: Ensure you have copies of all travel bookings including flights, other transport, accommodation, events, and tours. Keep a copy for yourself and leave a copy with a friend or family member back home so that there is someone aware of where you are and what you are doing. 

• Investigate destinations: Do thorough research of the country or countries you wish to visit. Here are the questions you should be asking:

  1. Has there been any recent political or religious unrest?

  2. Any threats of terrorism, war, or natural disasters?

  3. Any incidents involving tourists or visitors?  

  4. What are the language or cultural barriers? 

  5. Will I need any special documents or requirements to enter the country or cross any borders?  

  6. What is the best time of the year to visit?  

• Be on time: Even better, be early, especially if you have mobility issues. If you are flying, check in online and arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure for a domestic flight or at least three hours for an international flight. 

Get in touch with your travel agent, accommodation host, and airline or transport/tour agency, especially if you have any special travel requirements. It’s important that you do your research by checking these services, along with emergency and medical facilities, are set up to assist you. 

Leave your contact details and travel plans with friends and/or family members back home. A trusted emergency contact will also give you peace of mind while you’re off exploring the world.

Travel insurance: The unexpected can still occur, no matter how well you’ve planned your trip. You may want to consider getting travel insurance before you depart. While you can generally get travel insurance at any time prior to departure (or sometimes after), a good rule of thumb is to secure it once you’ve put a substantial amount of money down on your trip (such as paying the full fee for a cruise or booking your flight).

When comparing travel insurance products, you may want to check your policy will cover you for the following:

• Medical assistance and hospital transport.

• Emergency medical treatment.

• Accidents and injuries.

• COVID-19 cover.

Some insurers have age limitations or have exclusions for some existing conditions, so you may want to research this before you make travel bookings. You can usually find this information out in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).  

Ensure that you thoroughly read and understand the PDS to see what’s covered and what’s excluded. Check that all the activities you plan to do are included.
 

In case of emergency: No one really wants to think about it, but accidents can and do happen and often you need to act quickly. If you’ve chosen to get travel insurance, make sure you’re familiar with the claims process and keep a copy of the claims contact information so you can lodge your claim as soon as possible in case of emergency.  

Follow this up by checking out the emergency and medical facilities at your destination. Find out the country’s emergency call number and make a note of it. It’s best to know there’s medical help at hand if it’s needed.

Take extra care with your precious items, including money, when travelling. Incidents of these items becoming lost or stolen are more common than we’d like but there are ways you can safeguard your valuables and money while travelling. 

• Ask your bank if you can use your ATM card overseas.

• Tell your bank your travel dates.

• Investigate safe ways to access money while travelling such as traveller’s cheques, debit and credit cards, and cash.

• Take your seniors’ card. Some countries may honour it.

• Always keep your valuables, including money, credit cards, passports, jewellery, and medications with you on the plane in case your luggage goes missing or is tampered with.

• Use lockable bags.

There are travel bags you can purchase that strap securely to your body under clothing. Some people prefer to walk with their backpack secured to their front so they can always have their eyes on it. 

Budgeting: It’s easy to overspend while you are on holiday, but if you plan a schedule ahead of time and have a basic idea of how much you think you’ll be spending each day, budget for just that little extra to cover your bases. Be mindful of different currencies. There are several great currency conversion apps such as XE Currency Converter, All Currency Converter, and My Currency Pro which you can download on your mobile phone.

Visit your doctor before you depart to make sure you have an up-to-date health check, current vaccinations, and any medical scripts you require in advance. Be mindful that some countries may not permit certain medications, so do your research. 

Rest, diet, and exercise: If there’s a time you can most value your own health and wellbeing, let it be when travelling. A trip away, especially overseas, is not a good time to become unwell if you can help it and, in most instances, you can! Do these things.  

• Get plenty of sleep and plan rest days.

• Drink lots of water, especially when you are active or the weather is hot.
  

• Drink sealed, bottled water when possible. 

• Check the food and water quality where you are staying. 

• Stick to your normal diet where possible. 

• Stretch and walk as often as you can.  

Seniors can enjoy happy and safe travelling with good communication, destination research, a thorough travel action plan, health awareness, and good travel insurance. What are you waiting for? Bon voyage!