Do you love to take vacations with friends and family every year or more frequently? We’ve got some tips for seniors who like to travel often that will make vacations easier and safer.
Invest in TSA Precheck
If you’re 75 or older, TSA usually will let you go through the TSA precheck security line to help seniors get through security quicker and speed up the lines. But if you’re younger than that or want always to be guaranteed to take the faster, quicker line in airport security, consider getting TSA precheck.
You’ll have to pay an application fee, and it could be weeks or months before your application goes through. But if you’re a senior who likes to travel often, especially by air, this is the simplest but best tip to save time and headaches at the airport. You’ll need proof of citizenship or a photo ID for the application, so if you have a valid passport or driver’s license, you’re all set!
Consider NEMT Services
If you have a medical disability or physical or mental ailment that makes traveling commercially or by yourself difficult, you should consider long-distance non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services. Long-distance NEMT provides medically equipped vans, professional drivers, and medical professionals aboard to assist passengers with medical needs and comfort.
If you’re traveling for medical necessity, like a doctor’s appointment out of state, your insurance policy could cover the NEMT services, and the trip would be free or only a minor out-of-pocket fee. Or, you can always pay for the NEMT services yourself, as they’re approximately as expensive as commercial air travel, and it’s much more comfortable than sitting on a cramped plane!
Don’t Publicize Your Trips
While we love to update friends and family on social media about the fun we’re having and the sights we’re seeing on our traveling adventures, it’s best to wait until you’re back home to publicize that you’re traveling. Publicizing your travel means telling the world your home is vacated and a target for thieves.
Even if you think only your close friends and family can see your social media updates, some sites have different privacy settings. Friends-of-friends-of-friends who you don’t know could see that you’re hundreds of miles away from home. It’s safer to wait until you get home to post all those gorgeous vacation photos for the world to see.
Keep What’s Important With You
If you travel a lot, you know how common it is for luggage and things to get lost in transit, especially when flying commercially. With that in mind, it’s always best to keep important things nearby in your carryon or on your person, like:
- Medication
- Driver’s license
- Passport
- Insurance/Medicare card
- Itinerary
- Wallet
If you’re among the many seniors who take daily medications, you should always travel with backup medicine and keep it with you at all times instead of in luggage in transit.
