Planning Those Senior Moments

Just because you have a few extra wrinkles and gray hair doesn't mean you are headed for a retirement home. You're still plenty young enough for a few adventures! Planning on where you want to go for vacation is half the fun and the other half is planning ahead so that you stay safe and healthy. Yes, getting older means a few more allowances than others and taking a few extra precautions, but it is all worth the effort.

You need to create a checklist to ensure that you have thought of everything that will keep your travels safe and healthy. Of course, your destination will dictate what type of planning you need to prepare for. For instance, the beach has a whole different set of preparations from a cruise or ski vacation. However, regardless of where you go, there are some basic standards that would be the same for anywhere:

1. First and foremost are your medications. You want to ensure that they are stored properly so that they maintain their effectiveness and are not ruined by extreme temperatures like excessive heat or cold. Have a contingency plan such as a special travel pack for meds.

2. Prepare a basic medical kit with bandages (both elastic and sterile), pain reliever, hot and cold chemical pack compresses, antibiotic ointment and a few items that might be appropriate for the area that you are visiting such as vinegar for minor jellyfish stings at the beach.

3. Sunscreen is super important as it will help prevent skin cancer and sunburn. Also be sure to pack a hat that has a wide enough brim to shield your face and sunglasses as well.

4. Visit with your doctor if you plan to travel to a foreign country. You may have to have some inoculations against certain diseases in the country or even have to take malaria medication as a precaution.

5. You will need insect repellant, especially in the hotter, more tropical locales where mosquitoes carry all sorts of diseases. Choose a repellant with DEET in it and be sure to reapply it often.

6. Have a drinking and eating game plan in order to avoid the dreaded traveler's diarrhea. By drinking only bottled water and eating thoroughly cooked food, you can escape many of the diarrhea hazards.

7. Include hand wipe or hand gel sanitizers for those times when you cannot wash your hands. This will help repel some of the germs that cause the traveler's diarrhea as well.

In addition to those ideas for safe and healthy travel above, you will want to carry with you your basic medical history as well as a list of your medications approved by your doctor on your doctor's letterhead. Identify hospitals or medical clinics in the area that you are traveling to just as a precaution. Be sure to take a cell phone or prepaid calling card in the event that you must call for help for medical attention or a family member to wire money. By planning for as many contingencies as possible, you can leave home for vacation healthy and happy and return the same way.

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