Posted by Jennifer Morris

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love the idea of traveling.  Well, almost no one.  A friend recently categorised her trip around the Cape as a ‘a lot of time spent away from Netflix and my own comfy bed’.  So not her.  But everyone else I know would love to travel. We talk about a lot.  All the trips we’ll take when we’ve finished paying school fees and the mortgage, when the kids are out of the house and we’ve made enough money to let go of the reins a little at work…

Now, I could write a thesis on why travelling NOW and IMMEDIATELY is a much better idea than putting it off until later, but the reality is that many people aren’t able to indulge their wanderlust until they’re older.  Catering for the older traveler is something we at Travel Savvy LOVE to do, and there are SO many wonderful destinations to and experiences specifically tailored to that demographic.

So, if the travel bug has bitten later in life and you’re wondering what to do next, we’re happy to help.  And with that in mind, here are some handy hints of things you should consider before travelling:

• Decide before booking what your minimum level of comfort is.  If you’re okay to rough it a little, then booking a 3* hotel in a good location or taking a tour that involves local transport in strange places is fine.  However, if you’re at the stage in your life when a little luxury is preferable, then make sure your Savvy travel planner knows this and that your itinerary reflects this.

• Take your fitness level into account when planning a trip.  If walking long distances is going to tire or frustrate you, then make sure your accommodation is booked close to public transport or that you have transfers arranged for each step of your journey.  If you’re booking a tour that requires walking, riding or hiking, make sure that you know the fitness requirement of that tour before booking.  The tour operator or your Savvy travel planner should be able to advise if the tour needs strong, medium or light fitness levels.

• When booking a tour with other people, make sure that you’re choosing the correct demographic.  If you’re picturing a sedate meander around Europe, the last thing you want on tour with you is a bunch of rowdy 20-somethings.  Make sure that your tour (or cruise) offers the pace and style you’re looking for.

• Consider the comfort of your flight itinerary, rather than just the price.  You can save money travelling on stopover flights with long layovers in foreign airports, but this can also be exhausting and stressful.  Where possible, find he most direct flight route to your destination.  If you battle walking long distances in airports, organise a Meet and Assist or wheelchair boarding.  Your Savvy travel planner will be able to arrange this for you.

• Take out travel insurance, and make it as comprehensive as possible.  This needs to cover medical cancellations and evacuations in the result of a medical emergency.  If you have a pre-existing or chronic condition that you need to be covered for, make sure your policy makes provision for this.  We sell a range of travel insurance products and are happy to shop around for the correct Travel Insurance product to suit your needs.

And finally, be cognisant of the specific safety and security challenges that the region you’re visiting faces.  If you’re traveling somewhere for the first time, be sure to investigate where the no-go areas are (every city has one), and what potential problems you might face.  Your Savvy travel planner should be able to advise you here.  Be it pick-pockets in Cairo, striking train drivers in Paris, volcanic ash clouds in Bali or unscrupulous taxi drivers in New York, forewarned is forearmed.

In a nutshell, travelling need be neither scary or daunting, regardless of the age of the traveler.  Knowing what you want to experience and how you want to experience it is already half the battle one – the rest is just detail.  And, at Travel Savvy, we looooooove the details!

Safe travels, everyone.