{"id":29349,"date":"2014-06-27T09:16:39","date_gmt":"2014-06-27T14:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=29349"},"modified":"2018-03-05T10:31:11","modified_gmt":"2018-03-05T16:31:11","slug":"trip-saving-senior-travel-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Trip-saving senior travel tips"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The

The author’s husband and father-in-law in Pointe du Hoc, France<\/p><\/div>\n

One Saturday, my husband\u2019s 87-year-old father announced he was going to Normandy for a D-day celebration. He hadn’t used a passport in more than ten years, so we didn\u2019t think he could go. A day later he called and said he had his passport, tickets and was headed to France. My husband\u2019s aging dad with heart disease who has been taken off a plane twice before with acute symptoms was going to Normandy alone in two weeks. There was only one thing to do: We started packing. As we’d see, there was a lot to learn about traveling with an older family member. Follow these senior travel tips to make your next trip with a love one safe, comfortable and enjoyable, for everybody.<\/p>\n

Planning<\/strong> Find out what\u2019s important to your senior. For example, ask about meals: Do they need three square meals or are they okay with just eating on the go? What kind of evenings do they prefer? Early bedtime, early rise? Our dad likes routine, and thankfully we were able to provide that.<\/p>\n

Flying<\/strong> It\u2019s important to make sure your senior doesn’t feel like they\u2019re an inconvenience. Over the years, airlines and airports have improved their care for seniors and their needs. Many airlines offer priority boarding, and in most airports you\u2019ll find wheelchairs and assistants, and electric carts that can take you from gate to gate. Some airlines even provide a concierge service, you just have to ask. Be sure and call your airline ahead of time to notify them of your needs. Also, checked bags may cost more, but it’s better than trying to negotiate a carry-on with a senior who wants to save a few dollars.<\/p>\n

Hotels<\/strong>\u00a0 Stick with the chains. While that bed and breakfast may look cute or a boutique hotel may have the right price, they may not be senior friendly. Call ahead to ask if the property has an elevator, if the rooms are set up for a disability, do they have someone to help with luggage, is there a dining room? What works for a young family may not work for an older one. Large hotel chains\u00a0such as Marriott<\/a>, which comes recommended by the National Disability Rights Network for its accessibility, typically have valet\/bell service, concierge check-in, wheelchair ramps and accessible rooms. You never realize what it\u2019s like to be limited with stairs until traveling with a wheelchair or a stroller. Most hotels also offer senior citizen discounts.<\/p>\n

Slow down<\/strong> No matter what the age, there is a limit to how much you want to see and take in every day. Do you want the 4-hour tour of the Vatican or will the 90 minute tour do? Discuss this before you commit your group to something too challenging.<\/p>\n

Plan your meals<\/strong>\u00a0 Eating and staying hydrated is crucial for all travelers, but especially seniors. Being stuck at the Eiffel Tower at noon with no place to sit down and eat, and a hungry senior is stressful. Traveling on a tour that caters to seniors works, but if you want to drive, know that many seniors can only spend a few hours at a time in a car. Get a mini-van; it’s easier. Better yet, get a driver and relax and enjoy the trip.<\/p>\n

For more articles and advice related to family travel, check out April’s blog Eat Pack Go<\/strong><\/a> or follow her on Twitter @EatPackGo<\/a>.<\/em>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the go with mom or dad? Read this family-travel blogger’s advice first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":29416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5,41,1],"tags":[1646],"class_list":["post-29349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-travel","category-hotels","category-uncategorized","tag-france-vacations"],"acf":{"api_active":null,"api_title":null,"api_excerpt":null,"api_featured_image":null,"api_lob":null},"posts_api_cpm_point":[{"name":"","description":"","thumbnail":"","address":"France","latitude":"46.227638","longitude":"2.213749000000007","icon":"\/images\/icons\/marker.png"}],"yoast_head":"\nTrip-saving senior travel tips | Orbitz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Traveling with an aging parent or relative? Follow these senior travel tips for a great vacation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trip-saving senior travel tips | Orbitz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Traveling with an aging parent or relative? Follow these senior travel tips for a great vacation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orbitz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Orbitz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-06-27T14:16:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-03-05T16:31:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"331\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"April Simpson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@orbitz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@orbitz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"April Simpson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"April Simpson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/24652b88b9067db8a3686024f0c3bf43\"},\"headline\":\"Trip-saving senior travel tips\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-06-27T14:16:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-05T16:31:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/\"},\"wordCount\":601,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"France Vacations\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Family time\",\"Hotels\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/\",\"name\":\"Trip-saving senior travel tips | Orbitz\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-06-27T14:16:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-05T16:31:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/24652b88b9067db8a3686024f0c3bf43\"},\"description\":\"Traveling with an aging parent or relative? Follow these senior travel tips for a great vacation.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":331,\"caption\":\"Normandy, France\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Trip-saving senior travel tips\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Orbitz\",\"description\":\"Travel Blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/24652b88b9067db8a3686024f0c3bf43\",\"name\":\"April Simpson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/orbitz-logo2-150x150.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/orbitz-logo2-150x150.png\",\"caption\":\"April Simpson\"},\"description\":\"April Simpson has shot, edited and hosted travel features from Beijing to the Amalfi Coast, and now blogs with her husband on their family travel site, EatPackGo.com. Find them on Twitter @EatPackGo.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.eatpackgo.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/author\/asimpson\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Trip-saving senior travel tips | Orbitz","description":"Traveling with an aging parent or relative? Follow these senior travel tips for a great vacation.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Trip-saving senior travel tips | Orbitz","og_description":"Traveling with an aging parent or relative? Follow these senior travel tips for a great vacation.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/","og_site_name":"Orbitz","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Orbitz\/","article_published_time":"2014-06-27T14:16:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-03-05T16:31:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg","width":500,"height":331,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"April Simpson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@orbitz","twitter_site":"@orbitz","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"April Simpson","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/"},"author":{"name":"April Simpson","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/24652b88b9067db8a3686024f0c3bf43"},"headline":"Trip-saving senior travel tips","datePublished":"2014-06-27T14:16:39+00:00","dateModified":"2018-03-05T16:31:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/"},"wordCount":601,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg","keywords":["France Vacations"],"articleSection":["Family time","Hotels"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/","name":"Trip-saving senior travel tips | Orbitz","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg","datePublished":"2014-06-27T14:16:39+00:00","dateModified":"2018-03-05T16:31:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/24652b88b9067db8a3686024f0c3bf43"},"description":"Traveling with an aging parent or relative? Follow these senior travel tips for a great vacation.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg","width":500,"height":331,"caption":"Normandy, France"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/trip-saving-senior-travel-tips\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Trip-saving senior travel tips"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/","name":"Orbitz","description":"Travel Blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/24652b88b9067db8a3686024f0c3bf43","name":"April Simpson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/orbitz-logo2-150x150.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/orbitz-logo2-150x150.png","caption":"April Simpson"},"description":"April Simpson has shot, edited and hosted travel features from Beijing to the Amalfi Coast, and now blogs with her husband on their family travel site, EatPackGo.com. Find them on Twitter @EatPackGo.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.eatpackgo.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/author\/asimpson\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/NormadyFrance.500.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}