How to Be The Best Travel Companion

So you want to be a travel companion with Trip Trustees? Well, that’s great but we are looking for the very best people to help our senior clients enjoy their trips and feel very comfortable with their travel companion.

To be the best travel companion you really need to think about everything that will make a senior’s trip relaxing and enjoyable. Everyone is different so no companion assignment will be the same. So here we want to give you some tips on how you can really be the best possible travel companion and help your senior(s) as much as possible.

Is the Senior Healthy enough to make the Trip?

Young people tend to take traveling in their stride but for seniors, this can be a stressful time. If a senior has specific health issues then they might have a torrid time-traveling – especially long distance.

For a healthy senior a long flight can be exhausting for them. If they have any health problems then it can be completely terrifying. So you need to talk to your senior and ask them to consult with their doctor to ensure that they are physically able to make the trip that they want to embark on.

You need to be tactful here. Nobody likes to be told that they don’t look healthy enough to travel. Explain that this is a precaution that you ask all seniors who want to travel to take. The doctor may require the senior to undertake a physical examination prior to going on their trip.

It’s All in the Planning

The best trips are always well planned and this certainly applies to being a travel companion to a senior. Your senior may want to plan everything themselves but it is a good idea if you are involved in everything right from the start.

Meet up with your senior well before the trip and have an honest conversation with them about the trip and everything else. Yes, you want to talk to them about why they are going on the trip and what they want to get out of it, but also you need to discuss those important things such as their medication needs, insurance for traveling and so on.

Will the Senior require Walking aids

Unless you are traveling door to door by car then there is likely to be a fair amount of walking involved for your senior on their trip. Even with car journeys, there will be the need to stop from time to time at rest stops, etc.

These days’ airports seem to want to make people walk long distances to do everything. It is not uncommon for a departure gate to be a long-distance away from a waiting are for example. So you need to know if your senior will need any walking aids that they need to purchase before the trip.

It can take seniors a while to get used to walking aids so the sooner they get with them and practice the better. You don’t want to be in the middle of the airport and using walking aids for the first time.

What about Special Assistance?

Do you need to contact the airport or anywhere else ahead of the trip to arrange for special assistance? Maybe you will need a wheelchair at the airport? Don’t leave these things until the last minute. While it may be possible to borrow a wheelchair at the airport on the day of travel you cannot rely on this so organize this in advance.

If you want to be a travel assistant with Trip Trustees please visit this page.