hinsopa

I did a search but didn’t fine much here. I also follow blogs and didn’t find much. I used seniors, older travelers, etc. Any suggestions?

SanDiego1K

There isn't a senior forum here. There was for about one year but it never gained traction. Occasionally you'll see discussion of AARP or senior rates, primarily at hotels.

sdsearch

What's special about over 60 specifically?

AARP full membership is available to those 50 and over, and there's a type of AARP membership that's available to even younger.

Most hotels that have senior rates (when not tied to AARP), those don't kick in until you're 62, not 60.

The USA National Parks (and more) lifetime pass for seniors isn't available until you're 62, not 60.

Airlines have generally gotten rid of senior fares AFAIK. (That's the answer I always seem to see when someone occasionally asks in some airline forum about senior fares.)

And what exactly are you looking for, discounts, or other stuff? (There's nothing else I can think of besides discounts that suddenly changes about travel when you hit 50 or 62 or whatever, at least for independent -- not group -- travelers.)

Efrem

I'm over 75. My wife is over 70. Other than prioritizing comfort over saving money a bit more than we used to, and a recognition that we might not be able to do this as easily five or ten years down the road, not much has changed in our travels.

Example: We spent the last week of 2017 in Rome, where we had each been separately long ago but where we had never been together. We planned the trip at the last minute. The lowest economy fare we could find, with a connection (or two of them, I forget) was $1,600 or so. Alitalia was willing to sell us business class seats on non-stops for about $2,500. We went for those in an instant. Thirty years ago, we probably would have opted to save the $1,800 or not to go at all until we had enough advance notice to get a reasonable fare.

But is this sort of thing enough to warrant a special forum? I don't think so.

hinsopa

beckoa

Please follow the redirect as we send this thread to TravelBuzz.

~beckoa, co-moderator Information Desk

GeezerCouple

There is a "senior" sub-forum on www.CruiseCritic.com , and they call it at "55":

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=276

However, most of the interesting/useful topics tend to be those that are more relevant to the travel insurance or the traveling with disabilities sub-forums.

GC

darthbimmer

Thanks for clarifying your specific area of questioning. My wife also has health problems that sharply limit what we can do on travel, compared to just a few years ago when she was healthier. FWIW she is closer to 30 than 60! If you've got questions about difficulty or comfort, just ask them in the appropriate forum for the airline, destination, etc. you're considering. I'm always happy to offer insight about how what I've done may or may not work well for people with different levels of ability. Let's not classify such things as age-related matters.

Carl Johnson

At 60, or some other age that feels appropriate to you, you cross over to "young-old." I helped edit somebody's research write-ups, she observed older people in the hospital, and she drew a distinction between "young-old" and "old-old." 60, or some other age representing "young-old" is, as you say, not distinctive. Your physical limitations, whatever they are, are basically the same as before. "Old-old" is different; it starts when you begin to lose capabilities. I want young-old to last as long as possible and old-old to never occur, and that does happen with some people.

I think travel for 60-70 is maybe something to break out as part of a discussion group for older people; here it would just be confusing.

sdsearch

But do your health problems really have to do with age? Ie, far from everyone at age 65 has health problems that impact travel, and even fewer probably have your specific health problems. And someone young can have health or disability problems with travel too!

So IMHO you'd do better to focus on your specific health problems that impact travel and not on travel by seniors in general, because those are two completely separate things.

GeezerCouple

Is there a "Disability" subforum here on FT?
If so, link please? Thanks!

Here is the link to the Disability subforum at CruiseCritic:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

As mentioned, it's not necessarily related to age. There are topics like children in wheelchairs, traveling with CPAP machines, hiring a companion or health care assistant, etc. Of course, much of it *is* age-related... alas...

GC

Mwenenzi

Does not get much traffic
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/disability-travel-224/

beckoa

Here ye' are:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/disability-travel-224/

VivoPerLei

London has excellent public transportation options - but to transit up and down the underground stations all day can be a daunting task, especially if you have mobility issues. You should get excellent advice in the UK forum here - I would consider it one of the best on FT. You will just need to supply some specifics - what you want to see, your level of mobility, etc.

mules

My mother is 80 and loves to travel. However, I do not let her travel alone anymore. She is not as quick at finding which way to go in the airport, cannot lift her bag off the carousel, and no longer wants to use an escalator. Needless to say, driving a rental car in a strange city is now my job.

She occasionally needs to use a cane. I ask her to carry it all the time as a visual clue to other people to cut her a little slack and to be careful when walking past her.
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One thing that has given me more confidence when traveling with her is the fact that she works out at the local senior center at least 3 times a week. There has been a large improvement in her sense of balance, walking gait, and stamina. The instructors there are specialists in exercise for older folks and how to adapt the routine for different limitations.