Travelling With Seniors — Ireland
By: Kim Johnston (Social Media Manager)
If you’ve been reading our blog over the years you may have followed along with my adventures with Ray, my friend’s grandfather, and my travel buddy. We went on several adventures in Nova Scotia and I was honoured to make his lifelong dream of seeing New York City a reality. Check out the blog: https://www.canes.on.ca/blog/making-90-year-olds-dream-come-true
This year I won’t be travelling with Ray —though he’s going to be making his way to Vancouver this spring! I will be taking him to the airport and ensure he gets on the plane safe and sound. And picking up when he returns so I get to hear all about his adventures. Honestly, I can’t wait to see the pictures from his adventure.
This summer I have the honour of accompanying my senior in-laws to Ireland!
My father-in-law is 82 and my mother-in-law is 72.
My husband's father Patrick is Irish but was born in Scotland in 1939 shortly after his birth his family moved to England and then back to Ireland during the war. He spent most of his childhood in the south of Ireland in Cork City.
Obviously, Patrick made the move to Canada where he met his wife and had two sons. One of which I married and that is why I’m able to be part of and share this story.
Patrick turned 80 just before the pandemic. We had planned a family trip to Ireland so he could show us where he grew up, reconnect with some family and just be part of taking him home for a visit. I know that travelling to Ireland with his son was at the top of his bucket list and we wanted to make it happen. We booked our trip for September 2020 but of course, with the pandemic, our trip was promptly canceled. I’m happy to say we’ve rebooked and are all ready to go!
Our flight takes off the night of September 29th and we’ll be spending 9 full days exploring Ireland. Our first night will be in Dublin City where we’ll just spend one evening taking in the sights and sounds close to our downtown hotel. In the morning, we pick up our rental car (my husband will be doing all the driving) and we drive south through the mountains toward Patrick's hometown. After a few nights, we’ll leave and drive back north taking in the sights along the West coast.
We’re all very excited. I’m looking forward to sharing some pictures on our social media channels during our trip. If you’re not following us be sure to follow along on our adventure.
Planning any trip with seniors comes with considerations and some challenges. Planning this trip was no different.
Here are a Few Things to Keep in Mind
Accommodations
Of course, when travelling with seniors it’s important to consider the best places to stay, and finding accessible accommodations is key.
I’ve succeeded in booking very accessible accommodations except for one night. The area of Dingle where we’ll be staying one night doesn’t seem to have many hotels with elevators —or they were all booked when I was searching. So, one of our stays comes with a flight of stairs that will be a bit inconvenient. Though my in-laws assure me they’re fine — I know they are I just worry.
Travel Distances
It’s important to keep travel distance in mind whether you're driving or flying (in our case both) seniors need some breaks and reminders to stand up to stretch their legs.
During our 7-hour flight, I will encourage my senior travel companions to stand up and stretch their legs. I will take them on strolls to the restroom every couple of hours just to get them and myself out of our seats.
Once we have our car we’ll be doing a lot of driving. We have planned some stops along the way and will routinely stop for snacks, stretches, and of course sightseeing.
Pace Yourselves
When travelling with seniors it’s important to keep the sightseeing and attractions to the must-have options. Jumping quickly from place to place is exhausting for anyone and for seniors, it can be overwhelming and take the joy out of your trip.
There were many things we all want to see and do in Ireland on this trip but we needed to be realistic and avoid jumping around too much. We needed to avoid too many one-night stays in a whole bunch of different places and instead narrow down our trip to key sights and stay in areas for a few nights. We have cut down our itinerary to accommodate slower walking and leave room for breaks and naps if needed.
Medications
Medication and any medical equipment are also important considerations when travelling with seniors.
Before leaving Canada I will be calling up my in-laws to ensure they have packed more than enough medication for the trip. Having extra meds ensures they have what they need if we run into delays when coming home. We wouldn’t want an unseen flight cancellation to interrupt them from getting the medication they need. Having extra on hand makes them much safer.
We have rented a larger car so we can accommodate walkers, canes, and any other equipment they may need to ensure their safety and comfort. Of course, the roads of Ireland can be narrow and tricky I’m just glad I’m not driving :)
The last thing that will be top of mind for us travelling this time around is COVID. We all have been vaccinated and will bring several masks with us to ensure safety protocols are followed and my senior travel companions are feeling safe during our travels.
We are all very excited to finally make this trip a reality and get my father-in-law home to see his family.
Be sure to follow our adventure next month on our social media channels
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/canescommunity?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CANESCOMMUNITYCARE/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canescommunitycare/
Check out more tips for travelling with seniors https://www.canes.on.ca/blog/5-tips-travelling-seniors
