Traveling with seniors is a lot like traveling with kids: You need to allow extra time, travel light and be patient.
My first multi-generational trip was a journey from Chicago to Mexico for my brother-in-law's wedding. I was in charge of one hubby, two teens, one mother-in-law, one father in-law and one aunt-in-law, ages 49, 13, 16, 79, 89 and 77, respectively. Did I mention that the mother-in-law is blind? That the father-in-law has heart problems? Fortunately the 13- and 16-year-olds chose to be helpful rather than surly or it could have been a truly stressful trip.
Instead, it was a joy. I loved seeing the kids interacting with their grandparents in a situation where my kids, both experienced travelers, could be the experts and help their elders navigate the tricky waters of airport security, keep track of their travel documents and carry their bags.
The elders, an affable bunch who are always fun to be around, got a little nervous about the whole thing. They were happy to have me make all the arrangements and take charge...up to a point.
While they believed I could get them to Mexico and back safely, they weren't quite relaxed enough to just let me handle things. Meanwhile, I was trying not to be too overbearing or treat them like children.
It wasn't always easy. As much as I wanted to collect all of their boarding passes and passports to be sure they didn't get lost, I didn't want to rob them of their dignity. That meant I had to do it the hard way--spending a fair amount of time helping them search through their bags and purses to dig out the travel documents they had haphazardly stuffed in pockets after clearing security.
The trip started early. We met at the in-laws at 6:30 a.m. First hurdle: getting to the airport. Transporting seven people would require two cabs. First worry: How would we find one another at the airport?
"It won't be a problem. We'll wait on the curb for you."
"But how will we find you?"
"It won't be a problem. We'll find you. Just wait on the curb."
"But what if we can't find you?"
At that point, I simply walked away and left my husband to tuck his parents into their cab while I supervised the loading of the luggage into our cab. Sometimes walking away is the best approach.
Despite some nasty weather left behind by a hurricane that skirted Cancun, we made to Mexico and had a lovely time at the resort. The wedding couldn't be on the beach as my brother-in-law had hoped since the storm had wiped out most of the sand and the leftover winds would have blown the bride away, but it was still a magical event.
Most of our trip was spent relaxing by the pool, swimming in the ocean, sipping margaritas and reconnecting with our boisterous, bawdy and beautiful extended family.
That was well worth any extra stresses I faced leading this bunch from Chicago to Mexico and back.
