Travel tips for seniors – how to keep your body healthy while you’re on holidays
Holidays… whether it’s escaping the winter for some time in the sun up north, or a trip to the mountains for bushwalking or maybe a cheeky winery tour or two, we love to get out and about.
That could be visiting family and friends across this amazing country of ours, or perhaps an adventure overseas.
It’s great for our mental health to be out and about, and there are also benefits for our physical health, as we tend to be a bit more active when we’re not at home and in our normal routines.
When we start planning a holiday, it is important to consider whether there may be additional physical demands – different cars to get in and out of, stairs to manage at an airport, sitting down for long road trips – and to plan to effectively manage those.
Essential travel tips for seniors
The Physio Co would love to help with a tailored plan to make sure that you’re good to go, but in the meantime, we have put together some travel tips for seniors to make sure you enjoy your holiday!
- Stay hydrated. Particularly if you’re flying to your destination, it’s important to keep your fluids up as being on a plane can be dehydrating. If you’re heading to warmer climates, it’s likely that you’ll be sweating more and needing to top up your water intake.
- Pack well. Make sure heavier items are lower in your suitcase so the suitcase is more stable when moving around. Be careful as you’re lifting things in and out of the car, or into overhead lockers, making sure you brace your core and keep your back straight.
- Take breaks. If you’re heading on a long road trip, plan some breaks so you’re not sitting for too long, as this can increase lower-back pain and stiffness in arthritic knees or hips. Taking a break and going for a short walk every hour or so can help prevent soreness.
- Managing stairs. Stairs are a great workout but can make you a bit breathless. Take short breaks if you need, and if the stairs are increasing your knee pain, let your good leg lead on the way up, and the bad leg on the way down. Our physiotherapists can suggest exercises to strengthen your knees and combat pain if you’re worried.
Get fit and healthy before you go on holiday
Holidays are great, and making sure you’re fit to travel will take a load off your mind, too.
Besides providing this list of travel tips for seniors our team of physiotherapists also help seniors to get fit and ready for your holiday. This will give you more confidence to explore and enjoy this beautiful world.
The more mobile, fit and flexible you are the more you are likely to enjoy your holiday. Being an older person does not mean that you can’t improve your balance, strength and overall mobility. Take this as the best of our travel trips for seniors – call our office and speak to one of our team, all of whom have specialised in physiotherapy for seniors. We can come to you, at your private home, at your retirement village or aged care home. Even better, we keep up with the times and can provide online physio consultations as well!
Happy adventuring!
Article written by Nancy Klinko, TPC physiotherapist – Geelong
Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash