Planes, Canes, and Automobiles: Connecting with Your Aging Parents through Travel

by Valerie M. Grubb

Overview

If the thought of vacationing with your parents makes you cringe, fear no more! Help is here!

Planes, Canes, and Automobiles: Connecting with Your Aging Parents through Travel is a gold mine of practical advice, funny anecdotes, and tales of triumphs and travails from Val Grubb, who has traveled more than 300,000 miles (and counting!) with her 84-year old mother over the past twenty years.

When planning a recent trip overseas, however, Grubb realized that her mom’s physical and mental capabilities had suddenly changed. Her mom now needed a wheelchair, for example, and was afraid to travel alone (even on short flights to meet her daughter for a long trip together). Grubb set out to find suggestions for handling these changes and after much research was struck by the lack of resources to help people plan vacations with an aging friend or family member. She couldn’t find any comprehensive information that shed light on the nuances of globetrotting with aging parents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626342163
Publisher:	Greenleaf Book Group Press
Publication date:	10/06/2015
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Valerie Grubb’s father was a pilot, so she was born with travel in her blood. She began traveling solo at the tender age of four (when she wandered out of eyesight of her house one day), and since then she has continued to make exploring the world a priority while pursuing careers in both operations management and executive coaching. Val and her mom, Dorothy, took their first overseas vacation together when Dorothy was sixty-four, and in the more than twenty years since then, they have logged over 300,000 miles (and counting!). In response to the lack of available resources on the subject of seniors traveling with their adult children, Val began publishing Travel with Aging Parents (www.travelwithagingparents.com) in 2013, a blog that chronicles the triumphs (and challenges) of intergenerational travel with Val’s signature “you-can-do-this” flair.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Traveling with Parents xi

Note to Readers xiii

1 Understand That Things Have Changed 1

2 Picking a Destination That Works for Everyone 15

3 The Art and Science of Efficient Packing 29

4 Staying Healthy While on the Road 45

5 The Countdown to "Go!" 59

6 Checking Your Emotional Baggage While on the Road 75

7 Getting There and Back 91

8 Actually Enjoying Your Vacation 107

9 Medical Concerns 121

10 Staying Safe Before, During, and After Your Vacation 139

11 Easing Back into Everyday Life 159

12 Traveling with Both Children and Aging Parents 173

13 Senior-to-Senior Advice on Traveling with Adult Children 187

Appendix 1 Resources 203

Appendix 2 Sample Packing Lists 219

Appendix 3 Sample Itineraries 227

Index 235

About the Author 242

What People are Saying About This

Paula Froelich

Planes, Canes, and Automobiles is frank, funny, and truly one of a kind. --Paula Froelich, Editor in Chief, Yahoo!

Deb Wood

My trip to Normandy, France last year with my 85-year-old father and 91-year-old uncle was a deeply emotional journey, made immensely more satisfying because we followed Grubb's insightful advice from day one. --Deb Wood, Collections Manager, Stranahan House Museum and Avid Travelle

Joan Lunden

I know first-hand the joy that can be found in traveling with your parent. I traveled with my own mother all the way through her 80's and we created priceless memories that I will hold with me forever. Planes, Canes and Automobiles would have been a great resource for me during my travels.... Valerie Grubb shares what she has learned about how to make your travels with your loved one as smooth as possible. --Joan Lunden, award-winning journalist, best-selling author, caregivers advocate and spokeswoman for A Place for Mom

Nancy Parode

...Valerie's love and respect for her mother and Dorothy's for her shine through every page of this delightful, eminently useful book. A must-read for anyone planning a multigenerational vacation or a trip with older parents. --Nancy Parode, Senior and Baby Boomer Travel Expert and writer for About.com

John Berkey

As a wheelchair user for over seven years, my family and I have personally used many of Valerie's recommendations in our travels. More importantly, I have shared her insight with new wheelchair users as educational material for Able Challenger. When it comes to travel for those with mobility restrictions, Planes, Canes, and Automobiles is the best resource available. --John Berkey, management consultant and co-founder of Able Challenger

Samantha Brown

...a delightful guide full of important information for those of us who want to enjoy the companionship of our best travel partners, our parents. --Samantha Brown, Television Travel Host & AARP Travel Ambassador

Editorial Reviews

09/15/2015
Grubb (travelwithagingparents.com) has written a guide specifically for adult children who are planning on, or have always wanted to, travel with their aging parents. This is a book full of warmth and love, as the author obviously cares for her mother and enjoys the traveling they have done together, as well as a sense of humor. Several of the chapters often discuss how the adult children should make a game of things such as pushing wheelchairs, which some may find a bit off-putting. However, this should not turn readers away from the wealth of information, tips, and practical suggestions based on personal experience on how to plan, survive, and enjoy taking trips with one's parents as they age. The valuable appendixes, with sample packing lists, itineraries, and resources, are reason enough to explore this book, and Grubbs's honest discussions of the ups and downs of traveling with her mom gives the narrative a human touch. VERDICT A solid choice for anyone looking for ways to involve their parents in their journeys.—Sara Miller Rohan, Archive Librarian, Atlanta

Library Journal