Traveling with your family is a joyful experience, especially when you plan it with your elderly parents. It is an excellent opportunity to grow your kid’s bonding with their grandparents and foster love in relationships. Our busy schedules and commitments sometimes leave us with no room to have a little time with our biggest supporters. A vacation with your parents can be a lifetime experience for them and a simple gesture from your side to thank them. Also, it is a perfect time to revive your childhood memories.
There are plenty of family vacation destinations that offer activities that engage members of all age groups. Moreover, with excellent medical facilities, the ability to plan and book from any part of the world, things run pretty smoothly. There is barely any reason you want to hold back a fun vacation with the elderly in your family.
It may come with added responsibilities, unlike your usual travel, you might need some planning. Remember, small things can make a world of difference. So, here are a couple of things that might help.
Detailed Planning
Traveling as it requires planning in detail, where one has to sort everything from passports to currency exchange, with elderly accompanying, you might want to take care and book minutes of the things, including airport transfers. Take care of their medical needs which include getting their full medical check-up done, purchasing their medicines, and packing them separately in a clear bag. Supplying yourself with their prescription note and declaring their medicines before a security check can help you save a lot of hassle. Start preparing a checklist of all the items your parents use in a day from morning to evening. This list can help you pack with precision and take care of their basic needs.
Take Care of their Independence
On a family trip, as much as your parents love your company, they would also love to be self-sufficient. Carrying a mobility device such as a foldable scooter gives them the freedom to go local shopping, and explore nearby places on their own. Traveling can be exhaustive for them, right mobility aid can help navigate and sightsee easily without much exertion. When traveling with any such aids, make sure you call the airlines in advance and let them know. So that they can make necessary arrangements for its transfer.
Plan Frequent Breaks
For usual travel, you might not want to miss any tourist attraction. A packed itinerary with your parents, however, can be exhaustive for them. Sneak in some rest hours in between, so that they can get time to relax and regain their strength. Plan some simple indoor activities along with their grandchildren. Simply being around each other will present a carefree environment, these quality moments become the most precious holiday memories.
Communicate before you Start your Day
Before you head out in the morning, it is important to discuss your itinerary with your parents, so that they get a rough picture of a day proceeding. This way they will get enough time and be enthusiastic about the day. Also handout some basic information about the place to them. Prepare them to handle any contingencies by giving them a separate cell phone and geo chart their destination on google maps. Supply their phones with family members’ contact numbers and contact addresses. Let them keep a xerox copy of their passport so that if they are caught off-guard, having their passport and records will help simplify things for them.
Make their Comfort a Priority
An air BnB property over a hotel, a long drive instead of sightseeing, the little accommodations here, and there in accordance with the will of the elderly, can make the entire trip a comfortable experience for them. Always discuss the options with them and give them the liberty to choose, so that change comes easy to them. Let them stick to their eating and sleeping habits so that the natural rhythm of their system does not throw out of balance. Likewise, taking care of their hydration is equally important.
The Bottom Line
Multigenerational travel is amazing fun but it can also be a bit challenging. Since you are the care provider for your family, you might have to juggle between various roles. Despite keeping things in order and planning meticulously, you may face many challenges big or small. That is what makes traveling a unique experience. It prepares you to handle unforeseen situations, equipping you with better life skills. In the end, all your efforts are worth the joy and lighter times with your family. Taking your parents on an exhilarating journey can do wonders for their mental health too.
