Senior citizens are always eager to visit their children, and especially their grandchildren in the US. While in the US, they have the opportunity to visit popular tourist attractions and see for themselves how well their child's life is progressing in the US. However, seniors traveling would do well to keep certain things in mind.
To help make the best of your stay in the US, please review the foreign travel guide tailored to international travel for seniors below.
Purchase USA Visitors Insurance
Healthcare is very expensive in the US, even for minor treatments. You or your host may not have planned to pay the high cost of many treatments.
Be sure to review medical tips before traveling to USA.
Avoid Exhaustion
Your host in the US may not be able to take time off for the full duration of your trip. With all the tourist places in the US spread across vast distances, visiting the sights may require extra traveling. This pace may be fine for younger people, but elderly visitors may quickly become exhausted trying to keep up.
Therefore, please take it easy. Try to take breaks between various activities as much as possible.
Keep in mind when traveling that many tourist sights and malls will require a lot of walking.
Physical Activity
Older travelers visiting the USA may not be accustomed to walking long distances daily due to unsuitable environments in their home county or for other reasons.
As it is important to walk every day or after meals, you should when it's convenient to do so. You can also do other physical activity, such as household work or gardening.
Some may also want to try out various exercise equipment, such as a treadmill or an elliptical, but be careful not to hurt yourself.
Food
Extreme care must be given while traveling to various places and trying different food. Eating food that you are not used to can cause an upset stomach, or even worse, food poisoning. If you are vegetarian, finding suitable vegetarian food wherever you visit could be a challenge.
Even while staying with your host, you may eat out often. Some elderly people that end up eating out in restaurants too often experience digestive issues, as their body may not be used to the different food.
Many senior parents visiting the US are diabetic and simply don't follow a strict diet out of carelessness, which can cause major health issues. In this situation, the host should be very careful of what their guests eat for their own peace of mind.
Avoiding Accidents
You should become familiar with basic road rules for pedestrians, bicyclists, and automobiles. Be sure to walk only at crosswalks and not randomly in the middle of the road, and always look both ways for anything that could be a danger to you before crossing.
Pay attention to the sidewalks and curbs in the US. Designs can vary by city or even neighborhood. Otherwise, you may trip or fall down.
Unlike many other countries, pedestrians have the right of way, not cars. Even with that, you should be very careful while walking or crossing a street.
Bathroom
In a residential home or apartment, most bathrooms in the US include a shower, with several variations, like a standing shower only, bathtub only, or a bathtub/shower combination. Make sure your visitors from abroad understand how the hot and cold water controls work. We all know that scalding hot water can lead to burns or other injuries. Make sure to check that the temperature setting is right for you before exposing your body to an unknown temperature.
Toilets are in the sitting "chair" position (Western toilet). In Western culture, it is standard practice to have only toilet paper in private or public restrooms. The only exception is when someone installs a bidet in their home.
Children of Others
In some cultures, it may be acceptable for elderly people to play with or touch the children of strangers, simply out of love and affection. However, this is not acceptable in modern US culture. Stroking the hair, touching the face, hugging, kissing, or picking up a stranger’s child in the US is explicitly forbidden. US residents are very concerned with the safety of their children, so never touch a stranger’s child unless first given permission by the parent or guardian. Failure to remember this could result in a very serious issue, and you could even be arrested and/or jailed.
Ethnic TV Channels
If possible, ask your host to get the ethnic TV channels you like (if they already don't have them) prior to your traveling to the USA. The US has many diverse cultures; as such, many ethnic TV channels are available in the US through various providers.
Mobile Phone
Ask your host to get you a mobile phone for temporary use during your stay in the US.
Please be aware that incoming calls are NOT free in the US! Unlike many other countries, you will be charged for both incoming and outgoing calls.
We hope that the above travel-to-USA checklist helps you to have a pleasant trip. Enjoy your visit in the USA!
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