Traveling may become more challenging as we get older, be it different dietary needs, mobility issues or even a higher level of comfort. But actually despite this your retirement years can be the perfect time to travel.
Here are YEI’s 15 Top Tips for travelling:
- Get discounts on your travel. The costs of Accommodation and travel related expenses can put a real damper on your holiday. Make sure you check out where Pensioners can get discounts or deals and contact them in advance to see how you can shave these costs. Websites such as Youve Earned It can help tremendously in this regard. Have a look at this Ultimate Travel and Accommodation guide for South African over 60’s
- Remember that most National Parks offer Seniors a discount, CapeNature for instance offers Seniors a whopping 30% discount on their accommodation.
- By checking-in online when you fly (some airlines allow you to do this up to 24 hours ahead of your flight), you are cutting out a huge chunk of time and stress. You will then be able to either print it out in advance or keep it on your phone to show when you go to the airport.
- You need to carry out necessary research about the airport, the flight you are taking, and get all the help you need. This information will be beneficial for you if you as a senior is wheelchair-bound. You need to be able to get assistance to help with movement around the airport. If you are booking your flight, you must inform them about these needs in advance.
- It is important to ensure that your health is good before you travel. It will put a major damper on that once in a lifetime holiday if you end up in hospital for a non-medical emergency. A good tip therefore is to go to your doctor for a quick check up before you leave.
- Keep a copy of your medical history with you, it may save your life if you have an emergency.
- Also ensure that you have enough medication available for the full duration of your holiday and to label these correctly for when you get to your destination.
- Older people are more prone and susceptible to air or water borne diseases and might already be facing health issues which cannot be left unattended. General purpose medicines are a ’must-have’ on your journey. Hand sanitizers and a first aid kit may prove really helpful too.
- Our friends at Clicks offer great advice for your Getaway in the article “8 ways to stay safe and healthy on your weekend getaway”. Click here to read this article.
- You can make your travel easier by taking some accessories with. Some useful items are travel pillows and noise-reduction headphones. These items help to create a better environment for rest, especially during long flights.
- Packing compression stockings can help in reducing the possibility of blood clots during flights.
- You may think that it is cheaper to take your car on a road trip but with insurance, tyres and other vehicle related expenses it may be worth your while to have a look at what a Car Rental would cost you for that period. Check out what our friends at Bluu Car Rental are offering SA Seniors.
- Plan for any Tech emergencies on your travels, we may not be Millenials but most of us cannot work without our Cell phones or tablets. YEI’s own Tech Tim has put together Top Tech Travel Tips for Seniors so have a look by clicking here.
- Tennis balls can be the perfect solution to in-flight discomfort by helping you deal with some of the most common negative side-effects of flying. Tight muscles and joint pains in hard-to-reach places are easily dealt with by applying the ball to wherever feels uncomfortable and massaging the pain away. Popping a tennis ball on the floor is a great way to work out any nagging pain you might be feeling in your feet, and slipping one between yourself and your seat is the perfect way to deal with any pains that might be emerging in your back.
- Take a photo of your stove before you leave may be a strange thing to advise but an article on the popular blog “Lifehacker” advises just that. “According to Lifehacker, one way to stop worrying that you forgot to turn something off is to create a little “proof” by snapping a photo and adding it to a “vacation ready” photo album on your phone. Yes, really, go in and take a photo of your closed garage, unplugged beauty appliances, and even your stove dials, so that when you start to worry, you can just look at your photo album, take a deep breath, and get back to your vacation.”
And lastly, our Facebook top fans say:
- Ginny D. recommends – “Leave most of your valuables at home! If you must take some – wear them or hand luggage them! Roll or fold – whichever works for you! My sister swears by rolling but I don’t seem to be very good at that so mine kind of become half-half!
” “Take a tour and even though you wont have a choice of companion, just make the best of it & remember you are on HOLIDAY!!
“
- Linda K. gave us a list of these 9 tips:
1 Always have liquid to drink if thirsty.
2 Cater for the aged and keep a urinate bottle under the seat.
3 Keep a toilet roll handy for spills.
4 Make sure you have the App “Waze” available on your phone.
5 Check water, oil and tyres before riding.
6 Charge cell phone while driving.
7 Leave extra set of house keys with friends or family, anything could go wrong.
8 Have something to munch on if you’re driving far and don’t want to stop.
9 Stopping and stretching your legs does wonders.
Relevant Articles:
The ultimate accommodation guide for South African over 60’s
We are going overseas at the age of 75 and need a travel insurance that is not too expensive. Can you recommend one that is reliable?
Dear Rosalind, that is a question we have investigated many times on the YEI platform, the problem being that most companies offering travel insurance have an age cap of 65 which does not help you at all. We do not have any companies to recommend at this time but would suggest that you contact your Credit card company, some of which offer some type of insurance for their clients. You may also wish to google the term “travel insurance for pensioners south africa” which may give you some results but we do not have any experiences or recommendations for any of these companies. We will ask for recommendations on our Facebook page and will let you know if any solid recommendations come up. Kind regards Angela(YEI team)
Dear Rosalind, we put the question to our readers on Facebook and they replied as follows:
– Try your bank if you used your credit card to pay for the tickets. Our insurance was very reasonable and we had a claim that was paid out within a month. We traveled this year May/June
– if you used your credit card to purchase the tickets you have an insurance automatically. Then top up with Brytes Insurance. Not expensive but good insurance.
– When I travelled last I got my travel insurance through my medical aid, Discovery
– Investec Bank top up is very reasonable, tried an insurance company tried to charge us R13000 each!
– When using medical aid cover or any other its it’s good to read fine print…e g do they cover pre existing condition, Up till what age are you covered. As you age premiums increase because for the insurer risk also increases.
– If you are flying with Emirates their insurance is very good. Just go to ‘manage your booking’ and add it
Here is a link to the Facebook post for you to follow for more information https://www.facebook.com/youveearnedit/posts/pfbid02CkmNRnp4YAjYomfLgJoy3nH6ryF3QKgf1fskMfQKGKYRsbe6RQV1dTtoxazXNcvCl )