One of the greatest things about reaching retirement is having the time, freedom, and flexibility to do what you want, or what you always dreamed of. For a lot of today’s seniors, that includes traveling – both around the country and around the world.
But while jet setting around the globe can bring a sense of adventure and perspective that few other experiences can match, it’s not always as simple as going to your favorite travel website and picking a package that looks great. To truly get the most out of the experience, and your money, takes a little bit of planning and preparation.
Luckily, we have taken tips and advice from seniors, travel writers, and other experts who want to see you hit the road in style. And so, we offer you great travel tips, suggestions and advice that can help you enjoy every phase of your vacation, whether you’re headed just across the border or halfway around the world.
21 Expert Travel Tips
Each travel tip is practical and easy to use, and they are all designed specifically for seniors and retirees just like you, so use them to plan your next trip… and don’t forget to enjoy the journey!
1. Shop Around…Seniors should always be able to get Discounts
No matter where you want to go, there are going to be dozens, if not hundreds, of options for you to choose from when it comes to booking your trip. Although many of us have a favorite travel site, airline, or other vendor, it pays to look around and be sure you’re getting the best deal possible.
As you do, be sure to study the details. Does one package have longer flights or a better room? What do the layovers look like, and what sort of points or rewards can you earn from your travel? Are there places where you can find the same hotel for a lower price?
These are good questions for any traveler to ask, but especially important for seniors, who may be eligible for certain types of discounts, either through the travel companies themselves or other organizations (like the AARP) that have standing agreements with a lot of groups.
2. Make sure you get Travel Insurance
Usually, when you book your trip you’ll be given the option to purchase travel insurance that covers baggage loss, medical expenses while you’re out of the country, and even the price of your flight and hotel if you are forced to cancel your vacation or come back early. Given that these are usually inexpensive, it’s a good idea to take the insurance unless you’re absolutely certain you’re covered in some other way.
The reason is simple: Like the other forms of insurance that seniors rely on, travel insurance turns out to be an incredibly good value at the moment you realize you need it.
If things go perfectly on your trip, and you never need your travel insurance, then that’s a great thing. But having it in place keeps you protected, and can help you enjoy your trip even more by giving you the peace of mind that comes with having it.
3. Avoid Hidden Travel Fees
Many seniors assume that their cell phones, credit cards, and other personal items won’t work when they’re out of the country. Rest assured that most of them will… just at a massively inflated fee. To avoid paying them, you need to find out what services are available, and at what costs, before you leave home.
Take the time to investigate things like international calling plans and currency exchange fees with your wireless carrier and bank a few weeks ahead of your trip. If you explain where you’re going, and for how long, the companies you already work with can probably set you up on something that will meet your needs for a modest fee. Wait until you’ve already left, however, and you might be in for a nasty surprise.
If you’ve never had the joy of finding out that a quick phone call made to relatives back home cost you $40 on your international roaming plan, then you probably can’t truly appreciate the wisdom of this suggestion. Take our word for it and avoid hidden travel fees before your trip, because it’s going to save you a lot of stress and money later.
4. Write down your Travel Plans
Once you have chosen a vacation package, decided where to go and what to see, and so on, then it’s time to put it all into writing. As much fun as it might be to simply book a ticket and take to the skies, smart travelers know that the more you have written down, the fewer problems you’re likely to have later.
What sort of things need to go on your travel itinerary? You should start with basics, like a calendar, copies of your airline and hotel reservations (with confirmation numbers), addresses, emergency contact telephone numbers, and other critical details. Having them all in one place makes things more convenient and you’ll want them in case of an emergency.
Don’t stop with just making just one. Give a copy to every person in your group, and one or two contacts back at home. If you really want to be prepared, laminate them or cover them in a plastic coating to be sure that you’ll still be able to read and use them in bad weather.
5. Get Your Shots
Even with the advancements of modern medicine, it’s an unfortunate fact that there are many parts of the world that still harbor nasty bugs and illnesses. If you can help it, you really don’t want one of them to ruin your trip, and the easiest way to protect yourself is by getting a few shots well in advance of your travel date.
In many cases, you can get these from your regular doctor, or very affordably at a local travel clinic. All you have to do is let them know what region of the world you’ll be visiting, and for how long. For a few dollars, they can normally give you all the shots you need and send you right on your way.
Nobody looks forward to getting stuck by a needle, but believe us when we tell you that it’s a much better option than contracting an avoidable virus.
6. Bring the Right Medicines
Speaking of your health, don’t neglect it while you’re away. It’s a good idea to have any prescription medications with you when you travel, of course, but also a week or two’s worth of extra supplies just in case you are delayed.
In addition to existing prescriptions, you might talk to your doctor about prescribing a few other medications that you can bring in case you want them later. For instance, having a mild antibiotic on hand can be particularly helpful, especially if you’re visiting a part of the world you haven’t been to before. The same goes for medicine to help with a sour stomach, and possibly a sleep aid.
In most cases, you won’t have a need for these extra medicines, but taking them with you and having them at the ready can help you save the time you would have spent at a health clinic explaining your problems and needs, especially if foreign languages are spoken in your destination.
7. Have an Emergency Medical Plan
One last note about medical care: If you or someone in your group has a serious condition that could require immediate attention, then it’s not a bad idea to bring the names, addresses, and map locations of some area hospitals at your destination with you.
Additionally, you might bring some information about your medical history and/or condition printed in the local language, as this could drastically cut down the time needed for physicians to help you. This is especially important if you could require the services of a specialist, or if the condition is rare.
Obviously, it’s a personal decision to decide whether or not to undergo long-distance travel with a serious medical condition, and there certainly are risks to factor in. If you do decide to head overseas, however, then make it as easy as possible to get help at your destination if you should need it.
8. Get the Best Kind of Advice
Two big advantages that seniors have over younger travelers are that they know the value of experience, and that they often have friends, colleagues, and relatives who travel around the world. To make the most of your international trip, make use of both.
Often, the best travel advice for a specific destination – not to mention the best restaurants, hotels, and other hotspots – isn’t found in a guidebook, but from a personal recommendation. If you know someone who has already spent a lot of time in the area you want to visit, see if they are willing to share some of their insights over dinner or a cup of coffee.
Or, if you don’t know anyone personally who has lived, worked, or traveled frequently to the place you want to vacation, ask around. There’s a very good chance that someone in your circle of contacts knows someone else who can give you the kind of pointers you’re looking for.
9. Pack Less for Longer Trips
As a rule of thumb, you should pack more for a longer trip, right? Actually, you might want to do just the opposite. Here’s why: The longer time you’ll be spending away from your home, the more things you can affordably buy at your destination.
As an example, you might want to pack five sets of clothes for a journey that will take up most of the week. But what if you are leaving the country for a month? In that case, you’re probably better off packing two or three good outfits and finding a local Laundromat.
The same goes for things like food and toiletries. Why spend a lot of time packing soap and shaving cream, when you could just buy it at your destination? Think very carefully about the length of your trip and the costs associated with buying what you need after you have landed. You’ll find that more often than not, longer trips require you to pack less, not more.
10. Think Convenience, Not High Fashion
We all like to look good, but when it comes to being a good traveler, comfort and utility beats being fashionable every time. Packing items like synthetic underwear, breathable, rain-resistant jackets, and shoes that can work as well on a walking tour as they can a night on the town probably isn’t going to make you feel stylish. What it will do, though, is keep you warm, dry, and comfortable while taking up very little space in your luggage.
If you don’t already own these items, then consider purchasing some of them if you’re going to be doing a lot of travel, now or in the future. You only need a few things to last you through even the longest trip, and so quality travel clothing can actually pay for itself pretty quickly.
11. Document Your Own Belongings
The only thing worse than losing items like luggage, credit cards, or a smart phone while you’re out of the country is losing them and having no way to replace them. Besides the aforementioned insurance, your best protection against this type of situation is to make a quick inventory of everything that’s going with you. Note things like model numbers, serial numbers, colors, and sizes. In fact, you might even want to take pictures of your luggage and belongings that can be kept with you on a thumb drive.
While this is undoubtedly a lot of cautionary work, in reality it shouldn’t take you more than an hour, and the inventory can be reused for successive trips. And like many of the other tips in this guide, you won’t think about it again unless you have a need… but if you do, you’ll be very glad that you took the time to do it.
12. Give Yourself All the Time You Need… And Maybe a Little More
We’ve all seen the men and women sprinting their way through the airport from one gate to another. Some of us may have even been that person a time or two. But when it comes time to depart for your trip, make things easy on yourself and leave extra time in your schedule to get to the airport, find your gate, and do things like go through security.
This is one of those life lessons that could probably apply to just about anyone, but for seniors traveling in airports they don’t know – especially ones that are overseas – it’s important to leave enough room on the clock. That’s because a number of foreign airports require trains, buses, and even long walks to get from one terminal to another. Although you will almost always see signs in English, they may not indicate how far it is from one area to another, so try not to push tight connections more often than you have to.
13. Speak the language
It’s hard to enjoy yourself in a foreign country when you can’t understand what anyone is saying, or vice versa. Besides, knowing at least a handful of words in the local language won’t just make things easier, but can earn you better service and save you some money. From cab drivers to market hagglers, a large number of men and women who regularly work with tourists gauge your ability and willingness to pay higher prices on your command of their native tongue.
So, if you have some time to prepare for your trip, brush up on the language you’ll be speaking. There are all kinds of books, evening courses, and software packages that can help you learn the basics of a new language quickly. If you are a senior who wants to get the most out of your overseas travel, then any of these options is worth investing a little bit of time and money into.
14. Beware the Food and Water
It’s almost cliché to warn retirees about the various illnesses and stomach ailments that you can get from water, ice cubes, and street food in other countries, but the fact remains that these are probably your biggest health concerns. For all the attention paid to things like crime and terrorism, you are far more likely to pick up a stomach bug in another country than you are to be mugged or ripped off.
Aside from drinking water from bottles and avoiding meals from suspicious-looking carts on street, your best defense against indigestion and food poisoning is to read a few reviews of the eatery you are considering beforehand. Even if it’s not in an area frequented by tourists, you’ll probably find that others have tried it and can share their impressions. So long as no one reports having gotten violently ill, there’s probably nothing to worry about.
15. Don’t Stick Out
Hotels, airlines, and tour companies aren’t the only ones who make big money off tourists. In most parts of the world, and not just the poorest countries, there are small but significant industries that spring up around petty crimes like pick pocketing and credit card theft.
The easiest way not to be a victim is to simply not look like a victim. Thieves and con artists don’t go after just anyone; they will typically look for seniors who are wearing expensive jewelry, carrying around large cameras, and squinting at oversized street maps.
Obviously, there may be times when you’ll want to have and use all of these items. Nonetheless, if you can avoid looking like you just stepped off the plane to snap a few pictures, then you are going to seem like a much harder target to the people who would like to steal your things. Keep your eyes open, blend in at least a little bit, and they’ll devote their attention to someone else.
16. Use Your Head
While this goes hand in hand with the last piece of advice, beware of anything that looks or sounds too good to be true. If you find yourself being offered a “free tour” of a landmark you’ve never heard of, catching the aggressive affections of a very attractive person who’s half your age, or getting an unheard-of price on a luxury good, then investigate the situation very, very carefully before moving forward.
Just as low-level thieves look for obvious tourists, most of the worst kinds of crimes that happen to seniors overseas are as much the result of bad decisions as they are complicated deceptions. The people who want to rob you will rarely ever come right out and say so (at least at first), so it’s up to you to keep yourself out of situations that are going to seem like obvious scams when you look back on them later.
17. Be Smart With Currencies
A lot of seniors, when headed overseas, like to just pack a combination of cash, credit cards, and travelers’ checks. While this isn’t a bad strategy, generally speaking, it’s not the best for every circumstance. In some parts of the world, credit cards still aren’t widely accepted, for example, and in others it can be very difficult (or expensive) to cash travelers checks.
Further adding to the problem is that in some regions – and especially in developing countries – U.S. dollars may be preferred to the local currency. All of this can quickly add up to an enormous headache if you have brought the wrong kind of money, or find that you need to make a purchase for something you forgot (like an umbrella, or dinner) quickly without visiting a bank.
The solution? Ask pointed questions about currencies beforehand, and visit a couple of travel forums online. It shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to find out what the locals prefer and what the least expensive options for handling currencies are.
18. Make Your Rest Time Count
Usually, when seniors think of international travel, they imagine seeing ancient wonders, trying new foods, and experiencing the best of the world firsthand. What they often forget, however, is that all of that excitement can really take it out of you.
All the wonderful activities you have planned for your trip won’t feel so great if you’re constantly yawning, dragging your feet, and waiting to crawl back into bed. For that reason, it’s important that you don’t just make the most of the activities on your vacation, but also the rest time that you have.
From long flights to evenings spent in the hotel, make sure to take advantage of things like travel pillows, earplugs, and sleep masks that make it easy to ignore the outside world and get some sleep. If you’re the kind of person who is easily woken, you might also consider getting a prescription for a light sleep medication.
It can be harder than you would think to rest when you’re excited and in a new environment, but tossing and turning all night isn’t going to help you enjoy your travel.
19. Find the Right Tour Group
If it’s your first time visiting a particular city, attraction, or part of the world, then you might want to sign up for a tour group to make the most of your visit. These can be a lot of fun, and a great value, but make sure that you don’t just sign up for any tour.
Although some locations may regularly feature tours for everyone, most will offer guided visits specifically for seniors. These typically move at a slower pace and have longer question-and-answer periods, so you won’t be rushed along by groups of students or those who just want to take a few pictures and move on. Additionally, some senior tours will offer access for those in wheelchairs, or shorter walking distances if you prefer to walk instead.
Remember, your vacation is all about seeing what you want in comfort, so don’t be shy about asking for the tour group that’s right for you.
20. Be Flexible With Your Itinerary
Although we advised you to create a written itinerary and calendar before you leave home, make sure that it has a little bit of wiggle room so that you can change things on the fly when you need to. One of the most fun parts about traveling overseas is experiencing the unexpected – you never know when you’ll come across a person or place you’re going to want to spend more time with.
Having an extra day or two at the beginning of your trip, to recover from jet lag, or at the end of each section, makes the whole experience a lot more relaxing. And, if you find that you’d rather move on to the next part of your trip, changing a flight or train reservation usually doesn’t take much more than a phone call.
21. Have a Great Time, and Take Lots of Pictures!
Ultimately, the point of each of these tips is to help you enjoy your travel more. And no matter what, remember that having a good time is the point of all of this. For most seniors, international travel is something that they’ve worked hard for and dreamed of their entire lives. It’s only right that you take advantage and make the most of every second.
While you’re away, also remember to keep something to take snapshots with handy. Regardless of whether you are a camera buff or the kind of person who snaps photos with their cell phone, you are undoubtedly going to come across some settings and experiences you’ll want to share with your friends and family later. With good pictures, you get to enjoy the best vacations twice, so be sure to use up lots of film.
One last thing: After your trip is over, be sure to tell us and other seniors how it went. Who knows? Maybe you’ll have such a great time that you will be planning another international trip again soon!
