joeytay

Experienced experts read on and please tell me what you suggest with your travel experience.

Mom is 63 and never had a real vacation abroad. She is active and quite mobile though sometimes she needs to stop and rest. She has the typical american poundage and girth and never lets her gray hair fool anyone as to what she can do. So where do you think she would like to go and be quite comfortable and capable of getting around.

She'd love a Safari - yet any reasonable ways to do this?
She'd like to go down under - but I've been there twice and not sure I can experience it a third time - I'd prefer it's a first time location for us both
She likes to be active but is really a sun worshipper (not for tanning) but for the brightness and warmth.
She has a passport never used it yet.

Should it be Capetown South Africa and a Safari - the Taj in India - Costa Rica adventure - quiet days in Hawaii - New Zealand - maybe Japan?

Just think of taking your aging mother on a wonderful lifetime trip and what would you do? I am all ears here. (Sorry only one mother allowed with me on this trip my miles don't stretch that far)

tom911

I think you're going too far off the beaten path and need to plan something a little simpler, particularly if your mother has not been outside the U.S. If the simple trip works out, then maybe do something more extravagant for a future trip. I think I would test the waters, so to speak, before planning a longer, more expensive trip somewhere else.

I took my dad to Ireland twice in the last 10 years (he's 74 now and can't travel), and he actually enjoyed things like bus tours (I'd drop him off at the tourist office and come back at 5pm and pick him up), driving out in the countryside, or long pub stops with traditional Irish music. As family comes from Ireland, we both had a good time here. On a trip he did with my sister, he actually located family grave sites from the 1800's. Now, I'm not a big bus tour person and can walk for miles and miles, but that's something my dad could not do, and we worked around it as best as we could.

I took friends to Paris for their first time this year (both around 50) and they were just amazed at everything we did there in 5 days. Between restaurants, museums, parks, monuments, and shopping, we had plenty to stay occupied. We stayed in a small neighborhood hotel across from a market, and had wine and cheese every night before heading out for dinner. They had never walked so much as they did on this trip, but there's plenty of places to stop along the way if you tire (and these friends have traveled extensively to Japan, Australia, Spain, London). They can't wait to go back for another visit. On the other hand, I took them to London a few years ago and they just thought it was another big city, and didn't care for it.

Imagine you'll get varying points of view where to go, and hopefully your mother will want to be involved in planning where to go, if you give her a couple options. I would give Paris some thought.

Pictures from our Paris visit to give you an idea what we did:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/[email protected]

lvnvflyer

I have taken my parents on several trips abroad. The first was to England and Ireland...one week in London/Bath, and one week driving the Irish countryside. I also took them to New Zealand for two weeks, and took my mother with me to Madrid on a biz trip. We've really enjoyed all the trips, and I'd recommend any of these destinations, but NZ is probably a really great bet. It's just a beautiful country, people were very friendly, it's language friendly, there is a tremendous variety of scenery and activity in the islands, and it's pretty easy to do a driving tour of various parts of the islands. My parents really enjoyed the wine country of the south island, wellington, auckland, and christchurch. they also loved london and ireland, but like the previous poster, my father had some family reasons to want to go to ireland. I love Paris, but if your mom is not tremendously into food/wine/art, I think she might enjoy one of the other destinations a bit more. I'd definitely very seriously consider New Zealand based on my own experience there with my parents.

tom911

That's a very good option. I was over last March for the Wellington Do, and we did some wine country touring from there. The definitive ground tour was done by WindFlyer though, who rented a car and went out to hit the wineries, while I flew between Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown.

Wellington/Martinborough photos
Christchurch photos
Tranz Alpine Train
Queenstown

WindFlyer's trip report:
KiwiFest and New Zealand North Island Adventure - with photos

Kiwi Flyer, based in Auckland, also has a number of NZ trip reports he has posted.

obscure2k

From the OP's description of his mother: "Mom is 63 and never had a real vacation abroad. She is active and quite mobile though sometimes she needs to stop and rest. She has the typical american poundage and girth and never lets her gray hair fool anyone as to what she can do. So where do you think she would like to go and be quite comfortable and capable of getting around."

Mom is hardly over the hill at 63 . Good grief, I know several FT'rs in their 60's who have the "typical american poundage and girth.". Moreover, they are pretty capable of discussing what is of interest to them and which destinations are dreamworthy. Talk to "Mom"--The fact that she has a current passport indicates she is up for travel on a moment's notice.
Given that she has never been abroad, I would consider London, Paris and Venice.
OTOH, a safari is so-o wonderful. It's really all about what your Mom wants.

Jaimito Cartero

My mother is a few years older than the OP, but the advice I think would apply to any older relative. I took my mother to Costa Rica last month, got her a first class ticket there and everything, since she had never flown FC before. However, she would walk half a block and need to rest for awhile. After a few blocks she was tired out. She was glad that my house in CR had all her soap operas that she could watch, plus Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.

I had another trip planned YVR-OTP with a stop in Sweden for this summer, but given the physical limitations, I'm pretty certain that I'll just refund her ticket. If she's not enjoying it, then we're not enjoying it either.

Personally, I'd recommend a short vacation first and see how things work out. People who haven't traveled much often find out that they don't really like things away from home. Costa Rica wouldn't be a bad short trip, and that way you don't set up a $20k vacation only to find out that everyone is going to hate it.

webbie

Telfes

I'd also suggest, having traveled some with my father and his ladyfriend, that you try somewhere reasonably "easy" for the first time -- somewhere English-speaking if you want it really easy or somewhere like France, Germany, Italy for somewhere slightly more exotic by virtue of the fact that English isn't the local language.

Nice idea to take your mom on her first trip abroad. ^ ^ Have a terrific trip.

obscure2k

Never underestimate the ability of a post-60. I know several of them on FT who do Mileage runs.

Telfes

I'm not sure people are necessarily suggesting that over-60s can't keep up -- I hope to be running around like a maniac when I'm in my 60s. To me it is more of a matter of never having been out of the country before.

RustyC

If the person hasn't traveled much in the third world then I'd hesitate to go beyond the developed English-speaking countries. Australia, NZ, the UK, Ireland, Canada, the usual first suspects. My mom is a bit like that...she has been to a few places (mostly among those), but did get to Jamaica once and I don't think ever got over the initial third-world shock with that. It's a mental thing rather than a physical one related to age.

I think NZ would be really tremendous, especially if you could hit the south island in the summer (our winter). Would also not overlook Alaska if you could time it right; I'm especially a fan of going there in September. In recent years it has become one of the best-kept secrets in travel, as 25K awards now extend to there and lodgings in Anchorage have really improved on selection and price. When I first went there in 1997 I had to stick to hostels, but on this last trip (last Sept.) I got the Fairfield in ANC at $37+ on Priceline and the RT on one of those free-ticket NW bump vouchers that are often so hard to redeem.

erdehoff

Two friends of mine separately took their 70-something moms to France last year. One did a driving trip and one took a river cruise. Both moms had a wonderful time, though I gather that the river cruise took a lot of the stress out of the "travel" part of traveling -- no need to carry luggage around or change hotels every few days. I know France doesn't really fulfill your mom's sun-worshiper desires, but it might be a good place for a trial run -- or for next year!

joeytay

Good feedback so far here is some more info/comments.

tom911

Good Idea on Paris since I’ve been there oh 14 times or more. Mom in her life so far as I can remember has mentioned Paris, Germany, Austria, Holy Land, Africa, Alaska, Australia, Greenland as her dream destinations.

lvnvflyer

New Zealand would be good though I have not a clue of what to do there – my attraction is solely thru the movies I have seen.

obscure2k

I know it’s very subjective to each person’s age. She is very capable physically though I don’t want to overwhelm her as she does not always pace herself as she is a go getter but then tends to collapse in her tiredness. Kinda an all or nothing lady. Though her surgery from 2003 did add much weight to her and she gets winded and when she walks now. I should have said this is meant as a surprise!!!!

webbie

Sorry Webbie – she did a cruise with my Dad and let’s say it does not have fond memories and I could not stand to do a cruise unless it’s the QM2 since I don’t want all the ports of call. But thanks.

Telfes

Good points – keep in mind my Mom see’s herself as a farm girl who just fell off the turnip truck so anything outside of her hometown of 10 thousand people sometimes throws her to being a home body though she has the desire to seek out the sites of the world.

obscure2k

She and I were just in NYC and she loves it there – though she would never do it on her own – but she walked probably 5 miles a day while we were there and loved it.

thegeneral

I'd go to Italy personally as that's where I want to go. There is so much to do and quite frankly if I had one week left to me that's where I would want to go. You'd be on foot a lot, but things are pretty close quartered there. You could also try to rent one of those carts that many older people use to get around.

Marysunshine

Okay, not happy to admit it, but on a personal level: I am 65; I definitely have the US poundage issue, and I can go as far as anyone in their 30's Walked miles in a rainforest in Guatemala three weeks ago and I'm off to do some real walking in China in April. Do NOT underestimate the abilities of us "older" folks.
As mentioned earlier: ASK YOUR MOTHER