Old Age Travel Travails: Things To Check Before You Hit The Road

For seniors, travelling is more than just an experience. They need to ensure the destination is suitable to their health and other requirements. We have a checklist

-  Versha Jain

This year, when Moradabad-based Anil Jain and his wife Beena (both 73) visited their son Akshay (39), who works in Bengaluru, in October, the family planned a few outings nearby. The senior couple visit their son and his family once every year.

On their itinerary was visiting Shravanbela Gola, a Jain pilgrimage in the Hassan district of Karnataka on the first day, UB City Mall in Bengaluru the next day, and then go to Ooty, a famous hill station in Tamil Nadu, for a week the following day. But by the time they reached Ooty, the hectic schedule took a toll and worsened Anil’s persisting knee issue, which made walking difficult for him. He also fell ill and had to spend most of the time in the hotel itself.

The Jain family later realised that they should have made a more laidback plan, with ample time for rest and relaxation, and should have chosen a destination that was easier on the knees of the senior couple.

THE TRAVEL BUG

Travelling has become one of the top choices for the elderly. According to a recently published PGIM India Mutual Fund Retirement Readiness Survey 2023, travelling is one of the major goals of people (67 per cent) who have their retirement planning in place.

Over the years, seniors have become more adventurous. While earlier, their travel plans, especially in India, typically, included visiting friends and relatives in different cities, taking tours with family or travelling to pilgrimage destinations, things are now changing.