How to travel with parents: Useful tips
Alexandra Savina
The summer has passed, but the craving for travel has not abated. We have already told what to do to those who are going to travel alone or with friends, and now we share tips for those who want to relax with their parents. We tell how to make the trip like everyone without exception, regardless of age and difference in habits.
Plan together
A joint trip always involves concessions and compromises. So that it leaves only positive memories for all participants, approach it responsibly at the planning stage. In the case of parents, this is especially important: even if you are used to choosing what to do, already in place, parents may not like this spontaneity. Before the trip, talk with relatives about what they expect from the holiday and how they would like to spend it. Discuss the place where you want to go, the transport you will get there, as well as room and board. Honest and open conversation will help avoid many problems in the future - if you make a choice together, no one will feel deprived.
If you are traveling with elderly parents and your possibilities allow, it is worth thinking about more expensive and more comfortable travel options - for example, a cruise or an organized tour. In this case, you almost will not need to engage in planning. In addition, it will be much easier to deal with financial issues: very often cruises are arranged on an all-inclusive system, so you will not have to figure out how much you will have to spend, say, on food.
Consider the difference in habits
When planning a trip, it is very important to adequately assess the capabilities of parents, their state of health and mobility. It is better to try to avoid night journeys and flights with transfers - something that does not frighten you and seems natural; older people may cause difficulties. Consider whether it will be convenient for parents to move around the city to which you are going. It may be a pleasure to walk fifteen minutes up and down the stairs to get to the beach, but if one of the parents has sore knees, it will seriously ruin their vacation. In addition, your parents are likely to get used to a certain level of comfort during their trip: they will most likely prefer a comfortable hotel room for the night in a hostel, and they will not want to get to the hotel by bus, but by taxi or hotel transfer.
Very often, older people prefer to travel at a more measured pace, so do not try to fulfill the maximum tourist program in the shortest possible time. Instead of seeing the sights all day, don’t be afraid to pause to have a quiet lunch and talk — travel slowly and calmly, too.
Agree on who pays for what.
Discussing financial issues is unpleasant, but necessary: it will help avoid misunderstandings and conflicts. Decide who pays for the trip: do you bear all costs, pay in half, or maybe all parents pay? Find out how much and what you are going to spend, so that later there are no unpleasant surprises. If your lunch is enough for a sandwich from the nearest supermarket, not the fact that parents will agree on this option.
Think about health and medical care
We think it is not necessary to remind you that you need to buy medical insurance before the trip - this is also important for traveling with parents. When planning a trip, one should take into account the state of health of parents: for example, if it is harmful for them to spend a lot of time in the sun, a beach holiday is most likely not the best choice. In addition, it is useful to translate in advance into the language of the country in which you are traveling, the diagnoses of the parents, their medical contraindications and the substances and products that cause them to be allergic. Otherwise, explaining to the pharmacist or doctor with gestures that your mother has high blood pressure will be much more difficult.
Do not be afraid to divide
As in trips with friends, traveling with parents should not be afraid to split up sometimes, so that everyone can do what he is interested in. When planning a vacation, think not only about what you would be interested in doing with the whole family, but also about how you like each of you individually - so you can relax a little from each other and you will have something to discuss at dinner. True, you should not refuse all offers of elders: maybe the place where you didn’t want to go at all will make the greatest impression on you during the whole trip.
If you and your parents are used to a different daily routine, think about how to use your free time. For example, if they like to take a nap after lunch, you can go to the gym or stroll through the city at this time. If your parents are used to waking up as early as possible, and you are not willing to sacrifice sleep during a vacation, they can have a cup of coffee at the nearest coffee shop before you all meet at breakfast.
Take care of your personal space
This item is closely related to the previous one: on traveling, even with the closest people can become hard from constant communication. During the whole trip together it is very important to keep your private space. For example, if you chose a car for a big family trip, make sure that you are comfortable and free in it (there is nothing worse than spending a few hours on the road in the backseat, huddling in with your mother and sister).
In addition, it is worth thinking about booking a private room in a hotel or renting an apartment with several rooms: if you get tired of each other, you can always spend some time alone. Living alone can be helpful even if you wake up with your parents and go to bed at different times. So you can safely go about your business while the others are sleeping, and the screen of a laptop or smartphone glowing in the dark will not disturb anyone.
Try to communicate on equal terms
A huge plus of resting with your parents when you are no longer a child is that your relationship has reached a new stage, so that you can finally communicate on an equal footing and get to know each other from the new side. But here lies the difficulty: in order for you to really feel equal, your parents will have to stop patronizing you (although your mother will probably still insist that you put on your jacket on a cool evening), and you will not be treated down to it, even if you feel that you know more, and it seems to you that the views of the parents are hopelessly outdated.
Be calmer and treat everything with humor.
When traveling with your parents, you should be patient and relate to what is happening with humor: something will surely not go according to plan, somewhere you will have to make concessions, but something will not work out. Perhaps parents are used to spending holidays at a different pace, and it is you who will have to compromise if the health and physical abilities of the parents do not allow them to spend time differently. If something categorically does not suit you, it is better to honestly, but carefully tell the elders about it, than to save offenses. Remember that there is always a risk in a fit of emotion to talk too much - but no trip is worth it to spoil family relationships.
Take more pictures
The opportunity to take photos with your family is quite rare, and joint vacations are a great chance to catch up. After returning home, you can print photos or give your parents a special photo book - probably her parents will review it more often than Facebook pictures.
Just enjoy the ride
With matured children, parents travel less often than with small ones, which is a pity. This is a great opportunity to look at each other in a new way: parents no longer need to build a rest in accordance with the needs of the child. As you mature, you can finally look at them not as elders, but as equals, learn more about what they like. and find new joint hobbies. Enjoy a joint vacation and remember that the difficulties and surprises that you encounter on a trip will eventually be perceived as joint adventures and stories that are pleasant to remember.