By Sng Ler Jun

Travelling in the post-lockdown era has taken on a new meaning.

One of the newer travel trends that surfaced is multi-generation trips – as in yes, travelling with your kids and … your senior parents. Organising a trip with both your kids and your older parents can be tricky and invoke trepidation, especially if you are torn between wanting to travel to one place with your kids and your senior parents wanting to do another.

But planning for a trip with the whole family doesn’t need to be scary. With the right attitude, you still can plan your holiday and enjoy it with a peace of mind.

Mr Victor Seow, Chairman of Silver Horizon Travel Co-operative, shared with us some tips (or reminders) to help you make the dream holiday come true!  

1) Don’t be too ambitious

When it comes to travelling with senior folks, going slow is key. “Don’t overload the travel itineraries,” Mr Seow said. He added that keeping to a maximum of three attractions a day would be a good benchmark to start.

Additionally, you don’t have to be alone when planning the itinerary. It would be wise to seek your elders’ opinions on what they want to do or where they would want to visit. You could consider making it a family activity to plan alongside with your senior parents too! That way, you will be able to have a wish list to work with.   

2) Incorporate rest stops

Café breaks, toilet stops, and stopovers are must-haves in your itinerary when travelling with your senior parents, Mr Seow commented. Be intentional when planning these rest stops; you can consider allocating these breaks over different mealtimes. This means breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea break dinner, and post-dinner break too.   

3) Plan like a local

According to Mr Seow, seniors love visiting places local frequent. The Singapore-based travel co-operative, which plans travel itineraries for seniors to socialise with one another and see the world do, strives to incorporate that into their travel itinerary too. Local flavours, he posited, offer interesting perspectives to anyone, whether young or old.   

4) Also plan like a tourist

You should also plan like a tourist too. Whether it is visiting one of the wonders of the world, café hopping or window shopping in a bougie mall, classic touristy hotspots can also scratch that wanderlust itch. Mr Seow recommended adding souvenir stops for your folks (and yourself) to shop and bring a piece of their travel home. 

5) Take pre-trip warm-ups!

Sunny island Singapore has great transport infrastructure for us to move from one locale to another, but it may not necessarily be the same overseas. When travelling, you are expected to walk … a lot. Especially so if you are looking to move from a local train station to an attraction.

Ahead of your travels, consider bringing your elderly parents on a stroll to ramp up their fitness regimes and improve their fitness level. Consider investing in a post-dinner stroll over the dinner or a weekend hike.