Errors that I made of international travel with an older parent; Lessons

Despite part of 1,800 miles from the other, my 81-year-old grandmother and I have always been close. We share a love for “Downton Abbey”, the cross point and a strong coffee, and I could not imagine spending weeks in summer anywhere, but its sunny kitchen table in the center of Minnesota.

Of course, I would be naive to assume that my time with it is unlimited. This is one of the reasons why my grandmother, mom, sister and I decided to embark on a trip to Montreal together last summer.

Although I am recognizing that we could have made this trip, it could have become much more fluid if I knew these three things about traveling with an older parent.

The route should have reflected everyone’s physical needs, not just mine

I am the most common traveler in my family, so I took all the planning myself and I approached the task in the same way as for solo trips: leaving no stone not returned.

I thought that my grandmother would be well prepared during the long days, since she walks 3 miles per day and eats a much more balanced diet than me.

What I have not taken into account, however, is how difficult it would be for her to walk in the unequal cobbled streets. During our first day in the city, we almost missed a tea reservation in the afternoon, because I did not take into account the slower pace that we had to take to welcome the prudent steps of my grandmother.

I didn’t know how exhausting a pine tour is. Although fantastic – with stops in a monastery, a local museum and a five -star seaside resort for lunch – our visit to the villages that inspired the fictitious location of my grandmother’s favorite series was nine o’clock.

As the day progressed, we have turned into turn in the rear seat of the van of our guide. Returning to bed and breakfast, my grandmother exclaimed how long it was a day; And I don’t disagree.

Likewise, I did not consider the physical limits of my grandmother when choosing restaurants. Although they did not lack atmosphere – image patios swallowed in Bougainvillea and cool and brutalist interiors overlooking Lake Saint Louis – Dark lighting and small police sizes made it difficult to read the menu.

My mom, my sister and I attenuated my grandmother’s vision problems by reading the menu aloud, online, but it has become old.

Retrospectively, I would have liked to be shown equipped with solutions, such as finding the menu online so that it can zoom in on my phone or remind them of bringing its readers, to improve the culinary experience of each.

A long journey means extended time far from routines

Everyone arrives on a vacation point when he is ready to go home, but I would say that the feeling is stronger for the elderly like my grandmother, who travels once or twice a year and can be used to a strict daily routine.

Although my grandmother never expressed this feeling for me, I noticed over the days, she became less play for the plans of her granddaughters.

For example, during our last evening, my sister and I wanted to discover the stores bordering Saint-Laurent Boulevard, but my grandmother preferred to have dishes to take away at the hotel.

We compromised, and my sister and I went to boulevard to take dinner, but we abandoned our shopping plan because we feel bad keeping my mother and my grandmother waiting.

I would like us to have more time stopping together

Instead of packing every day with new experiences, I would have liked to remove my gas from the gas as the journey progressed – for the good of my grandmother as well as mine.

While we reach the days five and six of the trip, my excitement for the activities I planned decreased, and I found myself wishing that I had not planned them at all.

In addition, the memories I cherish most of the trip were not museums or guided tours, these were unforeseen: a bottle of wine shared with our hosts and breakfast, a visit to an ancient outdoor market and a last glass in a speakeasy.

Despite the challenges, I would like to travel with my grandmother again

To anyone who plans a multi -generational trip, I say to do it, but be more attentive than me. Take the time to plan the trip together, think about the needs of everyone and you just slow down.

Walking in the city hand in hand with my grandmother, I learned that it is normal to leave stones not returned, because the real joy comes from who you turn them.