In Case You Missed It ~ Travel Safety Tips For Seniors

Recently I received a request from a follower for travel safety tips for seniors and seeing as I just returned from a trip to TravelCon,  this was actually a subject of discussion  ~ not just for seniors but frankly, for everyone.  In determining how best to answer this request, I decided that not only was a blog post in order, but also WHY NOT an appearance on TV to address these specific concerns as well?

So I reached out to my friends at New Mexico Living Local, who immediately embraced the idea, and then invited me to come on down!

Long time blog followers might remember that I did a weekly fashion segment every Friday for nearly 2 years, but I haven’t actually stepped in front of a TV camera for quite some time.  Let’s just say it felt good to be back.

Anyhoo ~ here’s a summary of my Travel Safety Tips for Seniors.  Now, some of these might seem simply like common sense, but I’ll bet a few of these you might not have even considered, either for yourself or if you’re traveling with a senior, and one of these is a MAJOR game changer!

• BE SAFE:  Don’t get on Facebook and other social media and announce that you’re leaving on vacation. Don’t travel with and/or wear all your finest jewels … in other words, leave the bling at home! Don’t let mail, newspapers and boxes pile up at your doorstep.  Have someone check on your home in your absence and consider setting your lights on timers.  These might sound to you like  fairly *basic* things one might do, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t take these preventative steps.
• PURCHASE MEDJET: Medjet is a global air medical transport and travel security membership program that, in my opinion, provides Seniors (and EVERYONE!) with travel peace-of-mind.  1 in 30 trips ends in a medical emergency and millions of travelers are hospitalized each year.  What would you do if you found yourself stuck in a hospital far from home?  Many people don’t realize that most travel insurance or platinum card travel benefits will only get you to the nearest “medically acceptable” facility and transfer you to another hospital only if a doctor deems it “medically necessary”. Medjet arranges transfer for their members to their home hospital of choice – regardless of whether it’s deemed “necessary.” <<<THIS, folks, is a Game Changer!  It works for domestic travel, too – any time you are more than 150 miles from home.  You can purchase affordable short term and/or long term memberships for yourself and/or up to 5 family members –  and you can literally purchase a membership up until the day before your trip.  Learn more HERE.  

*** I like Medjet so much, I became a member. 

• SENIOR-CENTRIC HOTELS & TOURS: Work with your travel agent or websites like TripAdvisor to request hotel rooms that are closer to elevators, as opposed to being hallways away from them.  Ensure that your luggage is not only delivered to your room after  check-in, but also removed from your room when checking out. Inquire up front what the activity level is on a tour, will there be air-conditioning and whether or not the tour guide will provide earphones. 
• PLAN RX’s IN ADVANCE: Make sure you have more than enough of your daily prescriptions filled prior to leaving and note that while traveling you could potentially be eating foods that you might normally eat. Discuss with your Doctor about any foods you should not eat and/or if certain foods might react adversely with your prescriptions before you leave on your trip.
• STAY IN TOUCH: Although you should not announce your travel plans publicly, it’s important to share itineraries with family and friends, and schedule check-ins while traveling.  If you don’t check-in, someone can then act accordingly.  Services like Medjet can also provide your loved ones with peace-of-mind since, if you end up hospitalized in a foreign country (or another state even), friends or family members can call Medjet to notify the team of your condition.   Be sure to leave information on any health insurance (for domestic travel), travel insurance (for international trips) or travel memberships with your check-in before you go.

*** And if reading all of the above seems daunting and you happen to be more *visual* (like I am) … then simply click HERE to watch my segment.