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Informed Aging
A podcast about health, help, and hard decisions for older adults.
Informed Aging
Episode 69: Traveling and Aging
Robin Rountree: [00:00:00] Welcome to Informed Aging, a podcast about health, help, and hard decisions for older adults. I'm Robin Rountree. I'm a former family caregiver. I've worked in the home care industry and now work for the Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center. With me is my co host.
Edith Gendron: Hi, I'm Edith Gendron. Thank you for joining us today.
Edith Gendron: I'm the executive director here at ADRC. Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center. I have about 40 years of experience working with aging adults. I am a positive approach to care certified trainer and consultant.
Robin Rountree: The thoughts and opinions expressed belong to Edith and I, not our wonderful employers and sponsors. This podcast is a service of the Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center. We are not affiliated with the Alzheimer's Association. Before making any significant changes in your life or your person's life, please consult your own experts.
Robin Rountree: Today we're talking about traveling [00:01:00] as an older adult. Edith has some stories to tell. We'll be back right after this.
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For over 37 years, the Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center, ADRC, has served as a Central Florida based grassroots non profit and community resource center. They are dedicated to providing support and hope for families and individuals caring for someone they love who is living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementia related [00:02:00] illnesses.
ADRC empowers caregivers with the knowledge, support, skills, and strategies they need to help them confidently prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. To learn more, visit the website ADRCCares. org.
Robin Rountree: We are back, and I think you and I are both , traveling quite a bit these days. I know my calendar is filling up, but it's not the fun trips of just throwing a pair of change of underwear in the car and hitting the road.
Edith Gendron: Right, right, right, right. Grab my toothbrush and go. Yeah. You know, as we age, the implication is, and you see it. , seniors, older people. What does that mean? People over 50, guess. Um, have the money and the wherewithal, and some of us have the time to be able to travel more. Those of us that want to, , but in some recent travels, I've run across some things that I didn't run across before.
Edith Gendron: Okay. And so I thought, you know, Well, maybe we should be talking about this to give a heads up or a warning or at [00:03:00] least some thoughtful suggestions, right? I don't pretend to be Rick Steves by, by any means, which by the way, feel free to read his stuff. It's great. But just some things that occur even in larger airports that I think we need to be aware of.
Robin Rountree: All right. So flying as a . senior. , get to the airport early.
Edith Gendron: Absolutely. Get to the airport early. , if it's internal, they like to say two hours. , and I'm going to say two hours if you have TSA pre check or global, whichever one you get or clear. If you don't and you're going to a large place like Orlando MCO or Sky Harbor out in Arizona or one of the bigger ones in New York, you know, the bigger places , don't plan on that two hours doing it for you.
Edith Gendron: If you've got to go through
Robin Rountree: TSA.
Robin Rountree: Right, because you just really never know. And I have myself missed a flight because of TSA. And, uh, because of that, I got the . The clear or whatever you call it so I can go through faster, but you get burned once. Boy, you learn your lesson.
Edith Gendron: Yeah, we had something like that happen a little bit [00:04:00] ago when we were changing planes in Canada.
Edith Gendron: , and fortunately for us, we were going to miss the flight because of their version of TSA and fortunately, we got someone to listen to us and she just kind of bumped us ahead and so that was helpful. So number one rule, be polite, be sweet, be friendly, be kind , bat your eyes, but seriously being ugly, , taking your frustration out on the local people.
Edith Gendron: That's not going to do any good. And you know, as, as you know, we had a pretty poor experience here locally and it was down to the attendants and yes, we were sweet and nice and kind and sometimes it just doesn't matter, but at least you know that you haven't been ugly with people. Right. You know,
Robin Rountree: and something that I understand not everybody can do this, but my husband and I will stock up on 5 dollar gift cards for Starbucks or, you know, Walmart, anything just to say thank you or to smooth things over.
Robin Rountree: And it, I mean, The reactions we've [00:05:00] gotten is, shock and they're like, well, you know, a flight attendant at the end of the flight, she's like, I didn't do anything special for you. I'm like, no, but there was a kid traveling alone and you took good care of him. So I just want to recognize that. So even just a compliment goes a long way.
Robin Rountree: Yes.
Edith Gendron: Yes. Politeness is, you know, they have to deal with so much. Um, the, you know, Last trip we were on, we were waiting on the plane, you know, we stopped, everybody got off but us because we were going through to the next place and one of the pilots came out and she sat down to eat and I had an extra packet of hand wipes, so I gave those to her.
Edith Gendron: So yes, something like that. If you're traveling internationally, fistful of pens is good because sometimes they need them anything like that. I have had other cabin attendants say to me when I was done with the magazine. Are you done with that? Could we have it? So that's what kind of put me in mind. I don't know why we don't do that more often because, you know, we tip everybody and I'm not saying [00:06:00] we start tipping them, but giving somebody a cup of coffee is a good way to do that.
Edith Gendron: Right.
Robin Rountree: And before you get to the airport packing, you want to make sure you've got your medications with you.
Edith Gendron: Yes. Absolutely with you. Bring more than you think you need because things happen. Um, we travel only now, my spouse and I, with carry on. I had a three hour wait one time to get my , get my checked luggage.
Edith Gendron: I don't do that anymore. , so we have 19 inch cases with little ones that fit on top and it's a sweet little setup. But that, um, we have had to gate check them before because there's just no room. Right. And that one on top always has the medicine and the extra underwear, you know, whatever, whatever you're going to need for the first 24 hours, right?
Edith Gendron: The toothbrush. Yeah. The toothbrush. , if you wear contacts, you need something to keep your contacts in, always expect to be delayed. Always expect to be delayed.
Robin Rountree: And be thrilled if you [00:07:00] aren't.
Edith Gendron: That's right. Grateful. Happy. Holy cow. We made it on time. But, air travel is a real challenge. Um, I would recommend that even if you only travel a few times a year, do look into pre check.
Edith Gendron: TSA pre check. Again, or CLEAR. You know, I think with some credit cards now you can get CLEAR at no cost. . I hit clear years ago when they first started, and oh boy, oh boy, I felt like a celebrity. They take your bags and carry them, you know, TSA PreCheck isn't quite as elaborate, but it's very, very helpful.
Edith Gendron: One of the things, it's a little bit newer, that you'll see in a lot of airports. I, I looked them up. before this podcast and I went, okay, I'm just going to say there's a whole bunch of airports in the United States that offer the sunshine or sunflower lanyard program, sunflower lanyard program.
Edith Gendron: And basically what it is is a discreet signed airport personnel that you might need extra help that you might need a quiet room. And it's meant for anyone for. from someone who [00:08:00] may have a child or an adult traveling with them with autism to persons with some form of dementia. Um, it's just, yeah, it's, it's a nice way.
Edith Gendron: We did not have that situation, but we did have, a mobility challenged elder with us. And that's where a lot of my thoughts came together. So what did I learn from this last experience? We will always know the policy of helping someone that you're traveling with before we book again. , the airline we happen to be on allows two adults per child.
Edith Gendron: So you can board together those three. But if you have an elder, and we did, who was mobility challenged and really needed two people, only one could board with them. So that, , and yes, to the listening audience, I did indeed write an email discussing ageism, but we'll leave it at that. Um, so, and you want to be prepared for Even though we did [00:09:00] request, and we always request when we travel with this particular person that assistance in the, you know, the wheelchair person to help, , they were not available.
Edith Gendron: Um, she was, had to get up and walk down the gangway and then when we had mechanical failure back up. Ooh. So that, , gets to be a challenge. We also learned that if you don't have an airport person, and you book these through the airlines, right? Not the airport. So, but if you don't have one of those official people, you cannot push your person through the,,
Robin Rountree: through the security line.
Robin Rountree: The
Edith Gendron: sec, well, the, not the line, but the, what is it called? The gates? The scanners. The scanners that you go through, right? Oh, you cannot push them through that. So she had to wait. I'm, I'm telling you like a solid 20 minutes for somebody to come along and push her through. , so that was kind of a drawback.
Edith Gendron: Also do know, certainly know the policies that would the airline you're flying with for things like delays and [00:10:00] mechanical failures and what they will do. And then I'm sorry, do not expect them to live up to them in the moment because we knew the policies and they did not live up to them. , after the fact, we got an apology email, you know, unbidden, they sent out by themselves and, and a small credit, but that didn't help us then 11 hour delay.
Edith Gendron: So it was, it was pretty stressful. So always, always, always have extra monies with you. Or if you hate your airport food, make sure you have an extra snack, in that case more than a snack, right? . We always, we have to be able to, everybody has to be able to manage their own luggage.
Edith Gendron: If you don't check it, you better be able to lift it over your head or it better be a single piece that will fit under the seat in front of you. And we're very good about that. I can manage my own luggage. What I didn't count on was not having a Jetway. So, you know, the plane pulls up and you roll yourself off on this nice, flat, you [00:11:00] know, easy to walk hallway, if you will.
Edith Gendron: They didn't have one, so they rolled up a long flight of stairs, it was like 30 steps, and now I'm trying to get down the steps with my rolling cases, and yeah, it was not a pretty sight. Fortunately, someone took pity on me. Right. And said, um, would you like some help? another passenger and I said, well, it'd probably be quicker, you know, so, , always expect the unexpected.
Edith Gendron: , even when you think you're doing a good job, you might be surprised. , one of the things that we learned is that. You need to make sure that you understand all the help that is available. Most people who need to borrow a wheelchair know that they book that help through the airline, but , TSA Cares will also help you if you book it ahead of time, help you get through that security line, right?
Edith Gendron: Because that can be [00:12:00] a real challenge. Now, Most TSA agents know that if you appear to be 75 or older, then you don't have to take off your shoes or remove your jacket. Again, don't count on anything, right? Right. Some of the things that we've also learned that if you book your sightseeing, plans, not, I don't mean tours, but like, okay, we want to go see the Louvre this afternoon or what have you.
Edith Gendron: If you do it in the afternoon, it tends to be less crowds. People like to get out there in the morning and get things going, right? If you happen to be in Ireland and you're, and you are, um, traveling, the Ring of Kerry, go the opposite way. Go the other way. The tour buses will be coming at you head on.
Edith Gendron: That's okay. You don't want to get behind them.
Robin Rountree: Okay.
Edith Gendron: And another thing that we've learned, although we had very, very good luck this past fall with the tube, as they call it in London, really, really easy to do, you know, take your credit card and go. [00:13:00] That's probably not the best for people that have mobility challenges or who don't walk real fast or can't walk far.
Edith Gendron: So your city buses will probably get you closer to your destination, right? Because you've got an okay I've got to walk three blocks over eight blocks over to get on the subway if you will or of course taxis are always Oh, always wonderful. Just make sure you know who you're getting in the car with.
Edith Gendron: Make sure it's a legitimate taxi, right? , I know there's alternate ways of doing that, but make sure it's a legitimate taxi. There'll be notifications inside and outside. The other thing that we have learned is, , if you're going to book rail tickets to travel around, which is a great way to move from big city to big city in part, make sure you have the ability to do it online because it's a lot .
Edith Gendron: cheaper.
Robin Rountree: Really? Okay. Like, like,
Edith Gendron: yeah, like 100 or 20 versus 100. It's a lot cheaper than buying it that day at the window or even in [00:14:00] the dispensary things they have. Yeah. That's a technical term, dispensary things. , they have them sometimes in, uh, train stations where you just go in and stick your credit card in, but those are not the most.
Edith Gendron: efficient use of your dollars, um, just always and forever be ready for the unexpected and leave enough time to be spontaneous. Right. You know, you and I have talked to people, well, well, at 115 we're doing this and 322 we're doing that.
Edith Gendron: And yeah, no.
Robin Rountree: No. No, thank you.
, have an idea, okay, if we're, , if we're in Ireland and we're in Dublin, yes, we want to get to Trinity, we want to see the Long Hall, we might want to go over to Grafton Street for a half an hour, but don't, don't have every moment scheduled. Save time to recover.
Robin Rountree: Yes, I have learned you add on the extra day off to Return to normal. Yes.
Edith Gendron: Yes. Yes, and if You like us we do a [00:15:00] lot of walking when we travel you got to build in recovery time, right? You can't at least we can no longer go, you know 12 hour days of walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, right? . We're going to do a lot of walking one day, and then the next day we might take a train ride.
Edith Gendron: Something like that.
Robin Rountree: So tips for everyone that I have, wear appropriate shoe wear. Absolutely. Go for comfort over cute. And have everybody on the trip have a copy of the . the trip itself. Yes. Flight numbers and all of that. It's just good if everybody has the same information.
Robin Rountree: So if you get separated. It's not a panic. You know, you'll meet at the right gate. Yes,
Edith Gendron: and have copies of important things like your passport.
Robin Rountree: Yeah Oh, that's a good one Yeah
Edith Gendron: But you have a you have a good point there in case you get separated or if you're traveling in a group, right? We're traveling with with a family.
Edith Gendron: We've we've traveled with as many as 20 family members and But trust me, you don't want to spend every minute of every day with them. So pick a [00:16:00] place or have a routine like, okay, every evening we're going to meet in the hotel restaurant wherever we happen to be at seven. Maybe not even for dinner, but for some refreshing drinks, snacks, whatever.
Edith Gendron: Um, you don't have to do everything with everybody.
Robin Rountree: No, you don't learn to say that lovely word. No. Yes. So, you know what? Part of a vacation for me is having a nap. So, from, uh, one to three, I will not be available for fun. Right,
Edith Gendron: right. Don't, don't book me. Um, and be real careful about putting too many people in one room, or one accommodation, one cruise cabin, so to speak.
Edith Gendron: We have learned, without being extravagant, that spending a little extra is usually better. So, get the better seat. You know, that 15 hour flight to South Africa. Can you imagine having done that in economy? I would still be pretzeled up, you know, so spend a little extra on, on a better seat. We certainly couldn't afford [00:17:00] the 8, 000 sleeper piece, but we certainly were able to get one with much more room, get our legs up, those kinds of things.
Edith Gendron: Yeah.
Robin Rountree: Sometimes three inches makes a world of difference. It
Edith Gendron: does. Especially when you're short like me, you
Robin Rountree: know,
Edith Gendron: but yeah. And also, if you're using things like VRBO or Airbnb, read the descriptions carefully. We have, , been caught out before by, for example, one we rented, it was listed as home. So we thought we were renting the entire home.
Edith Gendron: Well, no, we weren't. It was essentially an apartment attached to their home. Not a big deal, but it's not what we thought, you know, we're pretty private people , and if stairs are an issue and you can't really tell, don't assume that there aren't stairs, right? You know, write. The manager or whomever is, is listed and ask them because we've had that happen to where you had an upstairs and all the bedrooms were upstairs.
Edith Gendron: It's like, okay, how are we going to get her up there? You know?
Robin Rountree: Now, if you don't travel a lot and you're listening to us and go, Oh [00:18:00] my gosh, I might as well just stay home. It's so much work, totally worth it. It's worth it to, to plan in advance and to go on these vacations. And I always like to have something to look forward to on my calendar
Edith Gendron: yeah. One of the things we've learned too is not, not. only because of being more cost effective, but we have found we like to travel on what is known as the shoulder seasons, those just coming into season and just ending season again back to Ireland for a minute.
Edith Gendron: We had our best trip when we went at the end of March and into April. That's the shoulder leading into the summertime, right? Um, when we were in South Africa, through no, , good design of our own, it just happened that way. We ended up being there in their summertime, which, um, you know, for us, we miss the coolness here, but it was, people don't travel so much in the heat of their summer, so it wasn't necessarily a shoulder, but it was, , more cost effective, uh, thing to do.
Edith Gendron: Sometimes we [00:19:00] will, but I just said, spend more money, spend more money where it counts. If you can get a lesser accommodation that's safe and clean and meets your needs. So extend your travel. You know, that's, that's a good idea too.
Robin Rountree: Yeah. Well, now I want to go book a vacation.
Edith Gendron: And if you're, you know, just, we, we talked a lot about public travel, but if you're driving, make sure, unless you've got that brand new car that has no issues whatsoever, it's probably a really good idea to buy AAA, the auto club here in the US and Canada has their version too.
Edith Gendron: Besides, they'll get you some decent. discounts too.
Robin Rountree: Yes. And if you're going out of the country, mention it to your doctor because there could be some certain shots you should have before going into that country.
Edith Gendron: Yes, we have here in Florida and I'm sure there are other places too in the United States and elsewhere.
Edith Gendron: , travel doctors or travel health facilities. And we visited one for, , before we left for South Africa and learned that we didn't need a lot of things that we had been reading [00:20:00] about, you know, um, so that is good. We did get a couple of extra shots and some extra, um, precautionary medications to take with us.
Edith Gendron: But yeah, you want to, and you want to make sure that you tell your doc what you're going to do. You know, if you, if you think you're going to, to climb K2, your doc better know about it and better clear you for that. Right.
Robin Rountree: Got it. Got it. All right. So hopefully we've inspired you to plan some vacations, just a little, some precautions, some things to know that you didn't need to know, but I think it will make for a better trip.
Edith Gendron: Absolutely. Just to have fun, try something new. Yes. And you know, Learn a new phrase, deismudahwit, that's what the Irish greet each other with, and go to mahaggots, thank you, right?
Robin Rountree: Ah, nice, or try a new food that you've never tried before, all sorts of reasons to go on vacation. Well, please make sure to subscribe to our podcast, send us your vacation pictures.
Robin Rountree: You can find us on Facebook at Informed [00:21:00] Aging, and if you'd like to support the work that we do at the Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center, please go to adrccares. org slash Donate. Today's episode was recorded at ADRC's podcast studio. That's it for now. We're looking forward to our next visit.