Travelling With Elderly Parents
When everyday life can be so busy, it’s wonderful to be able to spend quality time on holiday with elderly parents. Elderly does not necessarily mean disabled or unwell, but many of us develop medical needs or mobility difficulties as we get older. Whatever the age or health of your parents, by combining the right holiday plan with appropriate travel insurance you can enjoy a holiday that is memorable for all the right reasons.
Planning a holiday with elderly relatives
Choosing a holiday destination
Apart from the obvious considerations of what your parents enjoy doing, and where you and your elderly parents would like to go on holiday, think about the following points
- Consider the location. Is it easy to get around? How accessible are places of interest, your accommodation, and local facilities? Will you be close to medical care?
- What will the climate be like at the time of year to plan to visit? Might it be too hot or too cold? Older and very young people are more vulnerable to extreme temperatures.
- How easy will it be to get to, and to move around when you arrive? Is there good accessible transport available?
- Think about how accessible your accommodation will be. If one of your group uses a wheelchair, will they be able to get into your accommodation and use the bathroom?
- Will any assistance be available on your journey and at your accommodation?
- Will you have good access to medical facilities?
- Will you need to take equipment with you? Might you be able to hire larger equipment when you get there? Will equipment fit into your holiday accommodation?
- Will you need to be in a ground floor hotel room, or does the accommodation have a working lift?
- Will any specialist dietary requirements be catered for?
Getting the right travel insurance
Travel insurance is essential when you are going away. Make sure that everyone who is travelling are properly covered before you leave. Confirm that your policy provides cover you for any pre-exisitng medical condition that you may have. If you have an annual policy ensure that you are covered for the country that you are travelling to and if you are travelling to Europe a GHIC/EHIC is a good addition to your travel insurance. Remember that travel insurance will cover you for much more than medical treatment abroad, so you will still need insurance. Get a Quote
Travelling with medical conditions
If someone in your group has a medical condition, encourage them to speak to their GP to make sure they are well enough to travel. Make sure they have plenty of any prescription or non-prescription medicines with them, to last for the length of the planned holiday and possible delays.
- Check the rules for bringing medicines into the country you plan to visit. Keep all medicines in their original packaging. You may need a medical certificate, especially if you take any medicines using syringes.
- Understand the rules for travelling with controlled substances
- Make sure you are clear on how to access medical assistance, and where your nearest Dr or Hospital will be.
- If you are travelling to Europe, make sure you have a valid and up to date GHIC/EHIC card
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