After decades of waiting, working, and saving, you’ve made it to retirement. Without many workaday responsibilities, you suddenly have plenty of something that’s always been hard to come by: time. Remember that trip to Paris you always promised your spouse? Or how about that trip to Thailand you’ve wanted to take since you were a kid? Now is the time to put those adventures on the calendar.
Not quite sure where you want to go? Feeling a little wanderlost? Here’s some travel inspiration for seniors just like you.
Some of the Best (and Most Relaxing) Trip Ideas for Seniors
Caribbean getaways aren’t just for spring-breakers and honeymooners. Take a tour of the Bahamas or soak up the sun in Jamaica. Head over to Hawaii for a little stateside paradise. You’re never too old to lounge on the beach drinking cocktails out of pineapples.
Cruises offer some of the most relaxing travel experiences around and are a great option for vacations for seniors. All-you-can-eat buffets, room service, unbeatable views, onboard activities for everyone. Cruise Lines have thought of everything, right down to the bath towel elephants. There’s also a literal choose-your-own-adventure element to cruises. They offer a wide range of off-ship excursions–everything from town tours with lunches to UTV trails– you can opt in for if you want to get to know the ports of call a little better.
For American residents looking to stay in the country, a road trip might be just the thing. Feel like stopping for the night? Want to stretch your legs at a rest area? A billboard boosting the exit for the world’s largest ball of twine suddenly calling to you? It’s all up to you. And if you don’t feel like putting mileage on your own car you can always rent one. Trip insurance can help with that!
Vacation home rentals are another amazing route to a more relaxing trip. You have all the comforts of home, without any of the fuss. When you stay at a vacation home rental, you’re not worried about the garage door you haven’t fixed yet, or cleaning out the refrigerator. It’s all out of sight out of mind at someone else’s place. Plus, you can cook whatever you want and have much more privacy than you would at any hotel.
How to Make Travel More Adventurous
If you’re feeling more sporty, there are plenty of domestic and international adventures to pique your interest. Here are some trip ideas that’ll get you moving.
How about a hike? From the many U.S. national parks, to the Alps, there are great opportunities for hikers of every skill-set and ability.
How about a bike? There are plenty of cycling tours all over the world. And you don’t have to be a Tour de France-level cyclist to join in on the fun.
Love the water? Scuba dive in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, kayak in the Colorado River. Go whale watching in Maui. The world’s rivers, lakes and oceans set the stage for many amazing adventures.
Looking for something a little different? How about a balloon ride in Paris? Or a camel ride in Egypt? If you’re up to splurging on a longer-term adventure, visit ports of call around the world aboard the Queen Mary. World cruises aren’t for everyone, but if sailing around the world for four months straight isn’t a deal-breaker for you, imagine how extraordinary it would be to experience all corners of the globe.
Take Your Grandkids on a Trip They’ll Never Forget
Multigenerational trips and skip-gen vacations are on the rise! Travel is one of the best ways to connect with your grandkids. Think about what your grandchildren like to do and odds are you can build a trip around that.
Whether they’re into Disney or Legos, or they just really, really like chocolate, take them on a road trip to the theme park of their dreams in Orlando (or Los Angeles), Carlsbad, California or Hershey, Pennsylvania. Have you got a budding astronaut on your hands? Take them to Cape Canaveral for a rocket launch.
Or take them someplace that has a special meaning to you. If you are a U.S. immigrant, take them on a life-changing journey back to where you were born and, really, where they came from. Let them experience a bit of your personal history firsthand. Wherever it is, be the first to introduce it to your grandkids. Seeing it through their eyes will be a whole new level of awe inspiring.
And always remember that when you treat your grandchildren to these unforgettable experiences, you’re also treating their mom and dad to some much-needed, very restorative alone time.
Solo Senior Travel? Yes. You. Can.
If the idea of solo travel intimidates you, you’re not alone. Travelers of any age can feel a little anxious about it. But you’ve lived enough to know that getting out of your comfort zone enriches your life and keeps you young.
Think of a place you’ve always wanted to visit ever since childhood. The thing about retirement is that it’s ‘you’ time. You’ve spent a long time working for someone else, providing for other people, and putting your wants and needs a bit lower on the list. But now it’s goodbye to all that. You’re retired now. You’ve earned the right to focus on what you want to do.
And that’s the beauty of the solo trip, they are literally all about you.
When you’re thinking up ideas for solo adventures, you might want to center your choices around your interests. The only downside of a solo trip is that it might get a little lonely. When you build an itinerary around your passions, you’ll not only keep yourself busy, but you’ll likely find other people who share those same interests. So, go ahead, apply to that artist’ colony in Tuscany, practice meditation at that ashram in India, take your Ancestry.com tree to the next level and visit the places your ancestors lived.
How about a senior travel group?
A tour group is an excellent way to travel, especially as we get older. Traveling with a group of interesting people can give you an added sense of security and broaden your social circle. After all, you’ll always have things in common; everyone in your group is headed to the same destinations and obviously loves to travel. People who love to travel also tend to be lifelong learners. A lot of tour groups for seniors, like Road Scholar, pair travel with education. You learn about the places as you experience them. Whether you want to take a bus to Vermont for the changing of the leaves, or explore the monasteries of Kyoto, there’s a tour group for that.
Never Too Old to Travel! Age is Just a Number
If you’re in good physical health and your doctor has no qualms about you adventuring around the world, neither should you. The key, though, is to feel confident and secure in yourself. If you’re traveling internationally, a travel insurance plan with emergency medical and evacuation coverage can work wonders on your confidence knowing it’s there if you need it and can give you the boost you need to explore the world. There’s even some travel insurance for seniors that cover pre-existing conditions.
For Americans traveling, whether traveling abroad or keeping your trips between the states, trip insurance offers financial assistance for things like flight cancellation, missed connections, and baggage issues as well as some medical coverage. You may not ever need to use it, but if you do, you’ll definitely be glad you have it. Travel insurance for seniors can often be the difference between not going on your dream trip and making it a reality.
Travel insurance can cover you for…
- Trip Cancellation
- Trip Interruption
- Trip Delay
- Missed Flight Connections
- Emergency Medical Evacuation
- Accident and Sickness
- Prepaid/Non-Refundable Cost Insurance
- 24/7 assistance services
- And More. . .
Having protection for your trip can ease the stress of unexpected events that could happen while traveling. For a very modest amount, you can cover up to 100% of your prepaid, nonrefundable costs in case you have to cancel, delay, or interrupt your trip which would have otherwise been lost.
When it Comes to Senior Travel Health Insurance, Count on VisitorsCoverage
Ready to book your dream trip but still have questions about seniors travel insurance? Our award-winning customer success team of licensed travel insurance experts is happy to help.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does travel insurance cover pre-existing medical conditions, and what are the requirements for that coverage?
Many trip insurance policies provide a pre-existing conditions waiver, which typically needs to be added within 14-21 days of your initial trip deposit.
To get a pre-existing conditions waiver, you must do the following:
- Purchase the policy soon after making your first trip payment
- Insure the full cost of the trip including your prepaid, nonrefundable expenses
- Be medically stable at the time of purchase
With the waiver in place, your policy may cover your trip cancellations, interruptions, or delays related to your pre-existing medical condition, which would otherwise be excluded from your policy without the waiver.
Can I get trip insurance if I am flying domestically?
Yes, trip insurance plans offer coverage for U.S. residents traveling domestically or internationally, and non-U.S. residents traveling to the U.S. While flights domestically are generally cheaper than international flights, it is still recommended to get that additional coverage with trip insurance. It can give you more confidence knowing that you can still get coverage for trip delays, interruptions, cancellations, and more benefits, as well as recoup the majority of your money with trip coverage instead of taking a financial loss.
Will the policy cover a trip cancellation due to illness?
Canceling your trip due to an unexpected illness before your trip is covered under trip insurance. If you fall ill right before your trip, you may recoup up to 100% of your prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs. Most of the time, you will have to provide a doctor’s note supporting your inability to travel to strengthen your insurance claim.
Can I add my grandchildren to my policy?
Yes, a trip insurance policy plan can cover your grandchildren that you have accounted for on your plan. On your trip insurance, it is important to add every traveler that is joining you, that way they are all covered under your policy. Additionally, it is important to read the trip insurance policy since some plans might require your group to live in the same state or address.
If I need to get medication due to a new illness or injury while traveling abroad, will insurance cover it?
Yes, if you get unexpectedly sick or have an injury during your trip, travel insurance typically provides coverage if you need to get prescription medications. Oftentimes, you will have to pay for the medication up front, and then seek reimbursement through your travel insurance provider. However, some insurance policies have negotiated rates with certain hospitals to potentially give you a better deal for medication than someone who traveled without insurance.
Does travel insurance cover telehealth or virtual doctor visits?
Most travel insurance plans may cover telehealth visits for mostly non-emergency visits such as a mild case of the flu or if you want to get your symptoms checked. It is important to check your policy plan to make sure that there is coverage for telehealth visits, but generally travel insurance can reimburse your medical visits and prescriptions from a virtual doctor.
If I get sick or injured abroad, will travel insurance cover hospital bills or evacuation back home?
Yes, if you get sick or injured while traveling abroad, travel insurance can cover your medical expenses. If you find yourself needing medical evacuation, for example, you are on a river cruise with insufficient medical care for your broken leg, travel insurance can help you get an airlift or transportation to a nearby hospital. It can also cover your early flight back home if you need medical attention in your home country.
