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| Don't You Hate It When That Happens Department: It comes as a surprise to some, finding the rest of the world is not OSHA approved!
A further truism is that while most hotels will advertise rooms on the "first floor", you will have to negotiate a set of stairs (if the elevator is inoperative) to get there. Sometimes, it is necessary to climb steps just to get into the lobby, which is always on the "Ground Floor". "First Floor" is one flight up! In the U.S. almost all airports are equipped with ramps, elevators and/or escalators. Only the largest air terminals abroad have these efficient facilities for moving you about. Everywhere else, it's likely a hike (usually with your luggage). This information is presented by way of saying you must be able to do some minimum amount of walking and standing. Even though we try to ride through a lot of the landscape, we're still going to have to climb on and off coaches, cars, trains and airplanes. We try to operate senior safaris with as little hiking as possible - but there is always some. Even the airlines, modern marvels of personal transport, can still refuse to accept passengers who are, or appear to be unable to enplane or deplane under their own power. This is something to keep in mind before you sign up for that adventure. Meditation on Medication: By the time we reach 'senior citizenship' we are probably on some kind of medication, to fix or stabilize something that doesn't work according to Hoyle. This is an inconvenience we have already learned to accommodate - and seldom interferes with a trip abroad - unless you forget your medicine. The secret is - DON'T. Be sure to bring along a sufficient quantity of your prescriptions to carry you through the trip. Please have your doctor PRINT a copy of your prescriptions, and bring them along as well. In case you need an emergency refill, any number of 'chemists' can correctly duplicate your medications IF THEY CAN READ them. Oh! Say, Can you SEE? If you wear glasses (who doesn't, at our age) here's a handy tip. While you're getting those copies of your prescriptions, stop off at the optometrist and have your glasses examined. That's right - your GLASSES. I keep a note in my diary that tells anybody in the eyeglass business how to build me a new pair of specs. Worked like a charm in Florence, Italy. I had a snazzy new pair of bifocals less than two hours after I stepped on mine! OH SAY CAN YOU HUSTLE? In light of the above, this is the 'Bottom Line'. Can you travel abroad as a senior citizen, enjoy every minute and dollar you spend, and come home a happier person with the 'wind still in your sails' as Mark Twain said, back on page 1? A well planned and executed senior safari will, first of all, be a Group Tour. There are simply no operators in today's travel business who can afford to organize and manage such highly specialized travel for an individual or a couple. A well planned adventure takes into account your 'Vertical Limit'. This should bring you home with enthusiasm for the trip just completed, and inspired by your success, allow you to begin planning for your next safari. You have learned to pack lightly and sensibly. You have learned to invest your travel dollars wisely. You agree to do some walking (it's still a quarter mile up the hill to Windsor Castle), and to do some 'standing with camera' to bring home great images like the Changing of the Guard (Copenhagen comes to mind). |
Senior Safaris and International Adventures are trademarks of Paladin Group
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If you want to really see, and visit castles, cathedrals and other ancient
landmarks - you are going to confront a lot of stairs, a few steep-ish slopes,
and not many ramps or elevators. While most hotels abroad boast
"lifts" they don't boast they will WORK.