Long haul flights feel longer. Knees have opinions about cobblestones. Medications run on timetables that ignore time zones.
Getting older does not mean shrinking your world but it does mean planning with more honesty and less bravado.
It is about understanding the mechanics of the trip. The sitting, the lifting, the walking, the recovering. And recognising that what derails trips is rarely exotic for older travellers.
It is ordinary things like a slippery bathroom floor, an uneven footpath, or a bag that is just a bit too heavy.
“People tend to worry about infections,” Auckland GP and travel medicine specialist Dr Andrew Nelson says. “But those only account for about 7-10% of adverse events. Around 50% are accidents.”
Nelson suggests falls, strains and over-exertion are far more likely to interrupt your holiday than anything you will catch.
Preparing for the mechanics of travel
Physiotherapist Heidi Miller, from my preventative health and wellbeing organisation Age Brightly, is clear. This is not about getting fit, it is about preparing for what travel demands.
“If your trip involves cobbles, staircases, cruise corridors, museum marathons or hauling a cabin bag, then walking, stair practice, sit to stand exercises, resistance work and balance work are not vanity fitness. They are preparation,” she says.
Travel fitness is functional, and it matters. Long haul travel tightens hips and knees, reduces circulation and amplifies whatever aches you already have. Even a well-planned trip can feel like hard work if your body is not ready.
Nelson is equally direct. “The risk of a blood clot increases the longer you are sitting, because blood pools in your legs,” he says.
“The fix is simple, if mildly inconvenient. Move every hour or two, walk the aisle, stretch your ankles and calves, choose an aisle seat if you can, and stay hydrated. If you have risk factors, consider compression stockings and review your medications before you go.”
As for getting the holiday started early with a few drinks on the plane, it’s worth being cautious.
“In an aircraft cabin, you’re effectively at high altitude,” Nelson says. “There is less oxygen, and alcohol hits you a lot harder than normal. Especially if you are combining it with medication.”
If alcohol makes you drowsier and less likely to move, or wobblier on your feet when you do get up, it’s working against you rather than helping.
Aircraft cabins are also very dry, with around 10-20% humidity, making dehydration more likely, especially as you age. Older travellers tend to tolerate this less well, which can affect recovery, cognition and overall comfort.
Nelson’s advice is simple: drink non-alcoholic beverages regularly and keep eye drops handy.
Don’t self-prescribe aspirin or sedatives. If you are sleeping deeply, you are not moving, and that’s the problem.
None of this is glamorous. But neither is a trip cut short for reasons that were entirely avoidable.
The risks you did not plan for
Most of us focus on the obvious, like vaccines and being careful with water and food. But as Nelson points out, that is not where most things go wrong.
“Slips, falls, and everyday accidents are far more common than the exotic illnesses people focus on,” he says.
Travel puts you in unfamiliar environments where the margins are tighter. Lighting changes. Surfaces are uneven. Bathrooms are not designed with you in mind. Even a ferry deck or cobbled street can catch you out when you are tired or juggling a bag.
His packing advice says it all. “Take a non-slip shower mat with you. That can make a real difference.”
Medication is another easy one to underestimate.
“You need to think about how your medication timing changes across time zones,” Nelson says.
Keep essentials in your hand luggage, with extra supply and documentation. The last thing you want is your suitcase taking a scenic detour without your prescriptions. Think in hours between doses, not local time.
Plan like someone who wants to enjoy the trip
Travel agent Kelly Streeter sees the difference preparation makes. Her clients are often older travellers determined to do long haul while they can.
What changes is not the ambition, it is the approach.
“Chasing the cheapest option can make the whole experience harder,” she says.
It’s better to choose more direct routes, allow more time between connections, or pay for comfort where it counts. If you are flying economy, it may mean stopping over rather than pushing through like a hero no one asked for.
The next challenge is that travel now lives on your phone: check ins, boarding passes, visa approvals. This is not the moment to wing it.
Get organised in advance with receipts ready, apps downloaded, documents exactly where they need to be, game face on. Remove friction by saving your visas, printing back-ups, storing copies on your phone.
Travel fitness is functional
The promise of travel later in life still holds. In many ways, it is better. Slower, richer, more intentional. But it works best with a little more preparation and a little less bravado.
You do not need to travel less, you just need to be prepared enough that, when you get home, you are browsing flights again, not booking a physio.
Travel fit tips: keep it simple
Train for the trip, not the mirror
Practise what you will do. Walking, stairs, strength, balance.
Move more than feels necessary
On long haul flights, get up often. Sitting still is the risk.
Choose convenience over bragging rights
Direct routes, longer stopovers, better seats. Save your energy for the trip.
Pack like your luggage might ghost you
Medications and essentials stay in your carry on.
Think in hours, not time zones
Manage medication by dose timing, not the local clock.
Do not wing your insurance
Declare everything. “Free” cover is often expensive when you claim.
Respect unfamiliar environments
Bathrooms, cobbles, ferry decks. Slow down when it matters.
Practise the admin
Apps, boarding passes, visas. Learn it at home, not at the airport.
Rest is part of the plan
A slower day is what makes the next one possible.
Hannah McQueen is the founder and director of Age Brightly. She is also the host of The Next Bit podcast on iHeart Radio.