Retire, they said. It will be fun, they said. You are free to go anywhere, do anything and scratch things off your bucket list, they say. Who are “they” and I’ll bet they’re not retired? Traveling today isn’t easy, no matter what your age.
If you’re flying, you have to arrive two hours prior to your flight. You must sit and wait until your flight number is called. Once on the plane you’re asked to buckle your seat belts and given instructions for surviving a crash. You are then told to wait again while the air bus waits its turn for take off. Your in the air for a couple hours, praying you won’t have to remember those crash instructions while white knuckling the arm rests. When you arrive, you go to collect your baggage. You watch as several suitcases go round and round, trying to locate your own. Too bad you have the same color luggage as everyone else. You decide to wait until everyone else retrieves theirs’, hoping the last one will be yours. You wait at the curb for your ride to pick you up or trying to flag down a taxi. By the time you reach your destination, you’re exhausted. What could have been a three hour road trip has turned into a five hour panic attack.
The same is true of relying on other forms of public transportation. It’s always a waiting game. During that time you size up the crowd of passengers you might be seated next to. You notice the most unappealing of them all. You assume that person is a serial killer or worse and pray again that you will never see them again. You watch as sticky fingered, snot covered little ones tug on your leg and ask to sit on your lap. You retreat to the restroom.
When we get older we have a lot of issues when we travel. We pack differently than when we were twenty. For example, our toothbrush is now accompanied by a plastic container for our teeth. We pack Depends instead of bikini briefs. We include outfits that will cover our aging arms and legs. We add an extra pair of spectacles, a separate suitcase for our medications and a slew of word game puzzles.
We also don’t move as quickly as we used to, so we may include a cane, a neck pillow, a brace of some kind, a walker or any other device to help us navigate. When we run out of breath getting from one plane or train to another, we sit down to catch our breath only to miss our connection.
Traveling by car is fine for the short trips, but as we age we often need to make more stops than the average person. We need to stretch our arthritic legs, use the rest room, get a snack or lunch. When planning a road trip remember to include those stops into your itinerary. It may take longer than you thought, but you will be thankful that you did.
atimetoshare.me 
I enjoyed this candid piece and honestly realize that retirement and travel comes with its own baggage; pun intended 😉
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Thanks for the kind comments and I love your pun❤️
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We bought an SUV, largely with money skimmed off the top of a life insurance policy, as if we had the money to buy a big car. We wanted something that is easy to get in and out of. My wife insisted on the larger of the models so that when we visit our son in Tennessee, all the family can ride. Little did we know that once my wife switches to home care dialysis (if that happens), when we visit, we will have my CPAP and all the extra stuff for that, my wife’s dialysis machine and all the bags of fluid necessary for that, and now we are wondering if we need to get a trailer, just for our luggage!!!!
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This is wonderful!! Honey You kept it REAL!!😂💕
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Thanks, my friend. My life is real and always something to laugh about. Have a blessed week.
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Kathy, I’m a wanderlust. Always have been! As of the last 3 years traveling by plane is awful! Especially with some health challenges! I still prefer my car. In 2018 Finn and I, in two months time, did over 9,000 miles–what was on the agenda? MY SONS and daughter-in-law’s then (no grandkids yet). I’m hoping by Fall I can head West again. But this economy sure doesn’t make it easy. I love the comic, by the way. Traveling and times sure have changed! But I’ll keep dreaming! Love you oodles and noodles!
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I would love to travel, but don’t feel physically able to do so. Almost 80 and 20 extra pounds of baggage isn’t a good formula. So I travel vicariously through my younger friends and watching the Travel Channel. Love you too – to the moon and beyond.
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I understand. That’s exactly what my mom and dad say! I’d love to travel to YOU! I love you to the moon and beyond (this made me tear up, this is what I write to my kids)!!!
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It’s what I tell my kids too. Anytime you’re nearing Minnesota let me know and we’ll make it happen.
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When I was young, I hate going out of the house, even to the grocery. My life has been home-school-home. When I’m already working, my life was home-work-home. If there are company outings, I would often beg off. When I had my daughter and now that I’m nearing 50, I always want to go out with her! I don’t know but for some reason, when she was born, the reality of going out with her and that I won’t be able to do it when I’m too old struck me. So when I can still walk properly, we would spend overnight on cheap hotels during weekends. We’d go to places we’d never been. After the accident, I couldn’t go out anymore. But I promised myself that when I can walk again, I’ll continue going to places with my daughter and enjoy it. 🙏🏻
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You will value the moments you spent with her even if the opportunity doesn’t present itself again, but I will pray for your healing and your bond with your daughter.
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Thank you so much! This made me tear up with joy. 😊😊😊
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