Having just gotten back from a vacation, travel is on my mind. Not necessarily the exciting, adventurous parts, but the mundane logistics and ideas to ease the way.
AgingWithPizzazz has included previous posts on travel such as: 13 Tips to Avoid Injury & Save Money during Senior Summer Fun and Best Tips on Air Travel for Seniors
With this post, I am expressing a few less-common travel points on my mind.
1. Car Rentals
- I used to rent cars more often, but no matter the frequency, when out -of-town, it’s often unavoidable. If you plan on driving a bit, consider bringing car sunscreens (especially if in sunny locales). They weigh little and pack up easily but can make long parking stops or a quick snooze more comfortable.
- When picking a rental car, I often start with a filter check for the features I know I want at no extra (read that as ‘hidden’) cost. For me, this often includes unlimited mileage, an additional driver, and 4 doors (best, even if you plan on luggage riding in the trunk). However, still read the fine print. On this past trip, I used the filter, made the deal and later found the additional driver was actually not included. Despite my protests, I was $91 poorer.
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2. Shared Luggage
Do I mean “pack-light?” Oh, please. If only I could. No, that’s not the point. If you are traveling by plane and with a spouse or partner, pack some outfits in each other’s baggage. Aside from the absolute necessities and fresh underwear in your carry-on, pack a few changes for a couple days in the other’s luggage. That way, if one of the bags is lost, you will still manage nicely for a few days. (The airlines once delivered a bag to me on day 7 into a 10-day trip in British Columbia).
3. Washing Clothes
- I hand-wash any needed essentials the first night in a new hotel, assuming I am not doing one-night stays. Planning on this as a routine, reminds me to do it early, allowing clothes extra time to dry.
- Moist clothes are miserable. If you have a wet bathing suit or other moist clothing items that need to be packed immediately, don’t fret. Look for the plastic laundry bag placed in many hotel closets (of course, I realize that the idea is to pay for your dry-cleaning or laundry service, but often I don’t have that much). If that bag is not available use a shower cap. The latter is almost always either provided or available at the front desk. One last option is to check underneath the bag in your current waste basket; housekeeping often places extras there. Also, I often bring numerous plastic bags along for any number of uses.
4. Give your Stomach a Break
Eating every meal out can be too rich on my digestive system, or simply an over-load of fat and sugar. I try to book rooms with a minimum of a small refrigerator and microwave. Then I hit the local grocery store (hopefully in walking distance) for one of my daily meals. (This makes the restaurant outings more special.) An added benefit is that this gives you a peek into the local scene – especially if in a foreign country.
5. Water Bottle
Remember the reusable water bottle. When we are flying, we can’t bring liquids through security, but we can bring an empty water bottle. I carry mine in an outside pocket of my carry-on and use the filtered-water machine in most airports to fill up. This way I’m never without water on a flight, or at the mercy of the flight attendant’s schedule. Further, I pack my water bottle when not flying as well. Dehydration can be a problem when you change your routine; this helps. Finally, it aids my mental health. While not a totally perfect environmental steward, I am driven nuts when I see all the disposable water bottles that people throw out. This is such an easy way to avoid an unnecessary contribution to waste.
6. Infrequent Sports
You might think I am about to issue a warning about injury, but it’s really about an injury to your pocketbook. I try not to go over-board when trying out a new sport or renting equipment for an activity. I forgot that rule on this last trip. I remembered later. I like snorkeling, although don’t go often. I used to have my own gear, but it wore out; now I rent. I am most often content to stay near the shore. On the last trip there were lovely coral reefs easily accessible and loads of fish to see. My forgotten lesson was that putting on your fins in a hard shore-break is one of the more difficult parts of the activity. I had forgotten that for me it was better without the fins, just using snorkel and mask. I ended up putting down enough money to include the fins that would have paid for a nice lunch and yet then decided to skip the hassle of using them. (If you’re an adequate swimmer and near the shore; it’s not a problem.) Anyway, best to take it slow and not over-buy, or even over-rent stuff you don’t need or won’t use.——
7. Wearing Nail-Polish?
Perhaps mostly for my women-readers, but here are a few tips regarding nail polish, whether for fingers or toes.
- Bringing packets (like wet-wipes) of nail-polish remover helps ease the look of chipped or smeared nails.
- Applying a protective top coat before you leave home may prevent chipping and maintain a recently-painted look.
- My bonus tip. When I was in China, they confiscated a bottle of nail polish for containing a flammable ingredient (they pointed to the bottle to show me exactly which one). Frankly, I felt that the Chinese examiners seemed obligated to find as much as possible to seize in the luggage of we Americans. Especially so when I noticed similar nail-polish being sold beyond the security check point. I was surprised and chagrined to later discover that technically, American airlines have the same restrictions. OOPS.
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8. Traditional Layering
Whether traveling in hot or cold or changeable conditions, the advice has always been “layering.” I make certain that one of my layers is a light-weight, but long-sleeve “undershirt” not made of cotton, but a wicking, micro-fiber. They can stand alone in the heat (with sleeves rolled up) or serve as a sleeping top when camping in the cold. One is an essential. More than one, handy.
9. Bring the Binoculars
I don’t go anywhere without binoculars. I don’t always pack my larger / better pair, but the item is noted on the packing list. You might want to opt for buying a pocket-size pair, if you don’t have them. It’s well worth it. We use them both regularly, but the palm-size item probably gets out the door twice as often as the big one. They aren’t just for bird-watching either. I’ve used them to locate where a trail is leading, or read a road sign otherwise undiscernible. They have entertainment and safety value.
10. Planning
- Itinerary. I have taken tours with companies like O.A.T. (Overseas Adventure Travel) and it’s grand having someone else lay out the itinerary. However, if you aren’t taking a tour, do your own itinerary. Some of the fun is in the planning, and I find it forces me to narrow down the ‘absolutes’ I want to do or see. Also, it lets me know if more time may be needed along the way. My friend Rozanne used to say as she got older that she learned to plan only ONE activity per day. I haven’t quite learned the lesson yet, but think it’s a good one.
- Planning Flexibility. Don’t be afraid to add a few extra stops. Websites can be out-of-date. Opening hours could change, places closed unexpectedly, or you simply may wish to spontaneously change your plans (like our spur-of-the-moment visit to a Pumpkin Festival in upcountry Maui). I have no compulsion to stick to a self-designed time map and am quite willing to say “I don’t feel like it.” That’s good too.
- Guide Book Marking. On the last trip we forgot this approach and suffered for it. I like to use sticky notes to mark activities or sites I wish to do or see. However, the trick is then to write cross-reference pages on the sticky note. Some guide books are rather ill-designed and have different information on one place in 2 or more sections. I was frustrated many times and sorry I hadn’t stuck to this method.
- Trip List. For probably over 30 years, my husband I have had a “trip list.” It’s our packing list and reference to chores needed to be done before leaving home. It has been revamped numerous times over the years (didn’t use to need so many “chargers”) and remains handy. We don’t need to re-think each article every time we go away. It has saved many a forgotten item, or vacation time hitting a drug store. I highly suggest this.
Final Thought
I have no clever phrase to turn this into a way to age with pizzazz, although I do believe travel is an element of our continued development. Still, hopefully this provided a few more ideas to make your travels smoother. Travel and aging both bring some wisdom, and let’s hope we all have more travel in us. Making it easier is a big plus.
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Title picture: “Parmiter Antiques Southsea Luggage” by geishaboy500 is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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