We were heading into the French Pyrenees and had hopped on a day tour to the lovely Pont de’Espagne and the turquoise waters of the Lac du Gaube high in the mountains.

 

The excursion to the lake included an hour’s walk to and from the chairlift. As the youngest travelers of the group, you would think we made it there and back easily, if not faster than our fellow elderly companions. Not so. We were passed frequently on the way to the lake and back with cheery cries of “Bonjour!” By the time we finally got back to the bus, we realized sheepishly, that we were the last and had kept the whole busload of senior citizens waiting!

 

This experience is not new and will keep repeating itself in time to come. As populations age, so will the savvy world traveler you see today.

 

But aging does not mean vegetating. Many seniors are avid travelers. Financially secure, with time on their hands, children all grown up, with a reasonable level of health and fitness and armed with a lively curiosity, many senior citizens are now globetrotting world travelers.

 

Indeed travelling is one of the elixirs of youth that keep the mind and body young. University of Arkansas’ geriatrician and author Dr David Lipschitz notes that travelling helps people live longer because travelling energizes relationships. Travelling together with friends or family or as a couple not only broadens the horizons but strengthens an intimate relationship.

 

With the boom in baby-boomers retiring, the travel industry can brace itself for a revolution in a new wave of clientele – the elderly. In particular, independent elderly travel. After all, yesterday’s backpackers staying in hostel dorms and travelling long distances by bus or on intercontinental trains are tomorrow’s solo independent senior travelers.

 

The growing numbers mean we should re-think the way travel systems and travel accessories are designed today, to facilitate the needs of seniors who travel independently.

 

There is plenty of room for change – from transportation systems, people-mover systems, elder-friendly accommodation, travel equipment and accessories, map and publication design, environmental graphics and more.

 

For example, backpacks could be better designed with lightweight frames, tough but light materials, for example these days Kevlar, yes that of the bullet-proof vests, is now the new buzzword in lightweight tough material for backpacks and travel equipment. Could this be further improved? Could backpacks be designed with fewer confusing cords, sturdier and larger zips, and convenient compartments to facilitate packing? Could travel bags and suitcases on wheels be better designed for the elderly traveler? For seniors with back problems pulling along a heavy suitcase by tugging on a short handle pulley could mean severe back pain. Can this be redesigned to be less taxing and strenuous on the backs and arms of senior travelers?

 

Hotels and hostels might also need to re-think the traditional design and form of accommodation to welcome the wave of senior travelers – eg making lifts and rooms wheelchair-friendly, installing emergency call buttons in bathrooms or at bedsides, keeping beds at the right height, using lighting that is friendly and not harsh on the eyes and so on. A balance will need to be stuck between practicality and style, for aging travelers are still savvy travelers who demand nothing less than value for their money.

 

Airlines might want to consider senior-friendly seats which are comfortable enough with enough facilities and legspace for arthritic knees, entertainment consoles which are user-friendly with large enough buttons and clearer, simplified operating instructions, providing meals with are elder-friendly, redesigning toilets on board aircrafts to facilitate use by the elderly. Even airports may need to reconsider their design and services eg luggage carousels are now placed at near knee level, making it a potentially painful exercise for elder travelers with back problems to retrieve heavy bags.

 

Trains with sleeper units might consider re-designing these for easier access by senior citizens who might no longer be able to hoist themselves up to the topmost bunk. Sleeper berths may also need to be designed with enough width, length and height to minimize discomfort for older uses, as this quote from an older lady traveler who travelled on the overnight train from Butterworth, Malaysia to Bangkok: “The size of the berth, and the way the curtains hang around them, and their length, means that even an arthritic old woman like me can change clothes in privacy and rearrange her overnight case.” *

 

Older travelers might also require a whole host of other accessories such as memory aids, travel-size handy medicine timers and dispensers, safety alert bracelets or dogtags that could provide information about the wearer, medical conditions, and pinpoint location should the wearer end up lost.

 

For Mdm K L Lee and her friends, travel is the new buzzword of life today. All retired nurses, the intrepid group of four ladies has backpacked through most of Europe independently, taking trains and buses everywhere they went. How old were they when they did this? An average age of 63. And their next destination? The Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing!

 

“Age does not slow us down because we still enjoy travelling very much,” said Mdm Lee. “But it would be nice if some things could be made easier of course!” 

 

To welcome and grow the silver market which will largely comprise independent travelers like Mdm Lee, the travel industry must look inwards to see how they can innovate and change. The possibilities are limited only by one’s imagination but the market is potentially huge. The elders would put this best: “Keep up, or get left behind!”

 

 

* excerpted from Traveller’s Report: Butterworth to Bangkok, at www.seat61.com