onetwothree123

I'm planning an April vacation (7-11 days) with my 88 year old father and his 82 year old girlfriend. They both have mobility issues: his Parkinsons, hers post polio syndrome. They walk independently but only for short distances and on fairly flat surfaces. They are both intelligent and curious people who have traveled a fair amount in their lives. They (and I) would like an intellectually active vacation that isn't demanding physically. Any thoughts/suggestions?

thursdaysd

Do you know which continent? Because thenyou canpost this on the correct continent board and get more answers.

There will be more provision for people with mobility issues in North America. Can they handle stairs? The next easiest would be Europe, bur they will be faced with stairs in restaurants and cafes. Asia will be challenging in some ways, but taxis and other help will be cheaper.

Rastaguytoday

Regardless of where you go, you probably will have mobility issues at the airport, changing planes. You might think of wheel chairs for these transits.

I recently returned from Eastern Europe with my 86 year old mother. 40 years of smoking has reduced her ability to move.

We went through the Zurich Airport, having to guide her all the way. Coming back, we had plane issues and had to transfer through Frankfurt. We landed at Terminal A and took off from Terminal Z. That took quite a bit of walking / resting to get through the Franfurt Airport.

onetwothree123

We've seemingly conquered the airport - arranging for wheelchairs and electric carts helps as does a certain amount of patience. We're really looking for a tour group that takes the needs of the over 80 set into account: arranging for chairs as needed, longer time spent at the sights, rest periods built in. Suggestions?

thursdaysd

Most Fodors posters travel independently. I would certainly think you would do better to travel independently in this case, as you can then set your own speed. However, you might look at Road Scholars - used to be Elderhostel.

Iowa_Redhead

They might want to look into those canes/walkers that have seats built in. That way even if there isn't a handy bench, there is a seat available for them.

If you're interested in group tours, Globus tends to have a somewhat older membership which lends itself to slowing down a bit. You can also look into private tours so that you get the knowledge and assistance of a guide, but can set the pace yourselves.

You might want to look somewhere like London or Paris where you can see quite a few museums/cathedrals/galleries. Those are interesting and fun, but involve less walking at each site and are likely to have frequent benches. Take taxis between sites as needed.

coastallife22

There would be indeed so much issues to travel with elderly people you have to choose a good destination with easy travel options.

onetwothree123

thanks all! we're trying to decide between an independent trip to Paris or London and a river cruise. Any thoughts on the river cruise?

thursdaysd

You might ask on the cruise board - or on cruisecritic.com - how easy it is to get on and off the boats. I think you may have to cross other boats to get to yours.