New York, NY, USA - There is no question that some aspects of travel get harder as we all get older, but that doesn't mean you need to stay at home. It's all about preparation. We asked women's and boomer travel expert Phyllis Stoller to share the top 10 travel tips for female travelers 50 and up.
Pills: Photograph pills and medicine bottle labels. Count out the pills you need and store them a Ziploc bag. Label the photos so you know which pills are which. Leave the bulky bottles home.
Dry Skin Tips: Women over 50 have dryer skin and cabin air exacerbates this condition. Re-use hotel amenity bottles to carry-on your products. These have liquid measurements for TSA to approve. Baby powder and soft toilet tissues will also help.
Airplane Health: Wear support socks, also called compression socks, but make sure they do not constrain your calves. You can always cut the tops if they are too tight.
Stretch: in your hotel room: pelvic tilts, gentle hamstring stretches, a pulling of the lower back from the sink, neck rolls are helpful in re-aligning the older body. Stretch daily.
For Vegetarians: To clean veggies and fruit in unsafe areas: fill an ice bucket with water, add camping-style iodine pills and immerse your fresh food in the disinfecting water for thirty minutes.
Back Tips: If you hurt your back moving luggage, common to women 50+, buy a pound bag of Arborio rice. Ask the hotel or airplane staff to microwave it and use as a heating pad. The rice stays warm for a long time.
Prevent Falling: For the 50+ woman, a common problem is tripping on broken pavement. Concentration, using stair rails and not being burdened with ‘stuff' will help prevent falls. Make items easy to reach so you are not off balance when digging for something.
Diet: Keep to a normal diet as much as possible; replace soda with water and salty snacks with granola or cereal. (All planes store milk). Water retention for women is common especially in the Far East.
Dehydration: If 'foreign bathroom phobic,' drink plenty of water once back at the hotel for the evening. Women 50+ experience significantly more urinary tract infections due to dehydration and toilet phobias.
Hair Color: invest in a sun-proof hat to protect chemically treated hair. Similarly wash your clothes in a product that sun proofs travel clothes. RIT sells one.
The Women's Travel Group is a tour operator of smart trips for women. Find more of Phyllis Stoller's travel tips on TheWomensTravelGroup.com, on Facebook and Twitter.