Travel tips for over 70s: Peace of mind for your next adventure

The world is opening up again, which is great news for most of us. But at the same time, it’s perfectly natural to have doubts in the back of your mind. COVID-19 has been anything but eliminated, even if many are carrying on as normal.

So, is it really safe to travel the world again?

If you’re aged over 70, these kinds of questioning voices are likely to be much louder than if you are, say, a carefree young adult in your 20s. Older age groups have, after all, been more at risk of becoming seriously ill from Coronavirus.

Even with the vaccine and the availability now of booster jabs, the risks still remain, especially if you have underlying health conditions.

However, being in your senior years doesn’t mean you’ve been any less affected by lockdowns and the inability to travel than younger people. Many people love to spend their retirement years travelling the world living out the dreams that work and family commitments previously made tricky. The pandemic has put a frustrating brake on all of that.

But what can you do if you’re eager to seize the day again and resume your adventures, but are wary about the risks involved? Here are some great tips for travelling with peace of mind post-pandemic.

Do your research about your destination

One of the big COVID-related complications around travelling is that countries are experiencing very different infection rates, with different approaches to containing the spread and varying rules on allowing foreign visitors.

The UK may have reduced its red list of countries you shouldn’t visit, effectively giving the green light to go anywhere else, but that’s no guarantee you can actually travel to every country.

This interactive map is a great place to start for finding out where you can and can’t travel to, and what the entry requirements are for each country. There are also useful maps such as this one and this which provide a handy visualisation of infection rates across the world. CNN Travel’s Destinations page is another great resource for finding the latest country-by-country information on COVID.

Avoid booking too far in advance

Choosing a destination with a low or declining infection rate is obviously safer than choosing to travel to a current COVID hotspot, but bear in mind that situations change. The longer you book in advance, the more chance there is that a ‘safe’ country could experience another wave, or even impose tighter restrictions before you travel. Booking to fly no more than a few weeks ahead should ensure there’s no significant change in the situation on the ground.

Consult your doctor

Especially if you have an existing medical condition or have any concerns at all about your health, make an appointment with your doctor to talk through your plans. This may be necessary anyway if you need inoculation jabs for certain parts of the world, or if you are on medication and you need a prescription to take with you. But it is also a chance to get advice on your current health, how to manage the journey, how to stay as COVID-safe as possible for the duration of your trip, what to avoid, what to do and more.

Take out comprehensive travel insurance

Travel insurance is more essential than ever in the post-COVID age. COVID has multiplied the financial risks of travelling, whether that’s from a compulsory PCR test turning out positive before you go, forcing you to cancel last minute, or catching the virus while away and having to self-isolate in situ, missing your flight home and adding further accommodation expenses. And that’s without even considering the high cost of medical treatment for foreign visitors in most countries.

Travel insurance can be expensive for older people. But if you seek out a provider who specialises in over 70s travel insurance, you are more likely to find a policy that gives you the robust level of cover you need at a fair price.

Stay on top of the usual precautions

Finally, although the official advice on precautions like social distancing, hand washing/sanitising and mask-wearing has relaxed in many places, for your own peace of mind you would be strongly advised to stick to these practices while travelling. While flying, for example, you will be cooped up in an enclosed space with a lot of other people for several hours, so wearing a mask makes sense.

Same when it comes to visiting busy tourist attractions, or using the amenities in a large hotel - everything you can do to reduce the risks of picking up the virus will help.