A snapshot of older travelers, and travel tips – Herb Weiss

By Herb Weiss, contributing writer, aging issues

Larry Tetreault, 78, and wife Diane, 72, don’t spend their days sitting in rocking chairs on their porch in Narragansett.  For over 20 years, the former educators have traveled quite a bit, mostly taking international trips,” says Larry. These trips, usually to warmer climates (Bahamas, Bermuda, and Aruba), “put a spring in our steps,” he notes.

“Oftentimes we travel to upper New York state to visit old friends,” he says, noting that sometimes their son, his wife, and the grandkids,come along, too.

After a lifetime of work, the Narragansett residents (formerly from Pawtucket) admit that they enjoy their traveling. “It helps us to relax, and it makes life a whole lot more enjoyable,” says Larry, a former Pawtucket City Councilor. “We’re making the most of the time we have left by doing things that we enjoy, like travelling” he adds.

Next week, the Tetreaults are planning to travel to Aruba for a two-week stay. “It’s a beautiful place to visit, well-managed, clean,  literally little crime, and great weather,” notes Larry.  

Like the Tetreaults, older Americans are beginning to make their travel plans this year.  Last week, AARP released 2025 Travel Trends research revealing a significant rise in the percentage of adults aged 50 and older who plan to travel, from 2024 (65%) to 2025 (70%), reflecting an upward trend beyond pre-pandemic levels. 

The study also highlights a growing preference for domestic air travel in 2025 – up from 38% in 2024 to 46% this year, surpassing traveling by personal vehicle, now at 43%, down from 49% in 2024. Contributing factors for this decrease appears to be the declining COVID concerns and reduced inflationary stress, says the report.   

Travel is Back in Full Swing for Older Adults 

The 44-page report, 2025 Travel Trends: A Survey of U.S. Adults Age 50-Plus,  examines the travel behaviors, expectations, and planning among adults – this year with a sample size of 2,970 respondents.  

“We are delighted to see that travel is back in full swing for older adults,” said Patty David, Vice President of Consumer Insights for AARP in a March 6 statement announcing the study’s release. “Spending time with family and friends is a primary motivator for adults 50 and older to travel. And it’s no surprise what benefits travel provides to older adults: Almost all respondents indicated that travel is good for their mental (95%) and physical (85%) health,” she says.

According to the AARP study’s findings, more than half (56%) of respondents said spending time with family or friends was a top motivator for travel. Like the Tetreaults, many also see travel as an opportunity to escape daily routines or focus on rest and relaxation and to rejuvenate. 

Last year, the study found that adults 50 and older took more trips than anticipated for the first time – the highest in four years. While older adults anticipated taking 3.6 trips on average, they actually took 3.9 trips on average. Adults 50-plus remain conservative in their anticipated number of trips in 2025 – about 3.6 on average, note the findings.

Though planned trips are on the rise, cost remains the main barrier to travel in 2025. Total anticipated spending, however, remains steady year over year at approximately $6,800, on average, the findings say.

AARP’s Travel Trends survey also found that in 2025 the top domestic destinations are Florida (15%), California (11%), Las Vegas (6%), New York (6%), Texas (6%) and Arizona (4%).  Where’s Rhode Island?????

Meanwhile, AARP’s Travel study findings indicate that while the older respondents anticipated taking family trips, summer trips and weekend getaways domestically, the top motivators for taking an international trip was tied to being on a person’s bucket list (22%) and family or multi-generational trips (11%).  

The researchers found that anticipation of international trips has increased from 37% in 2024 to 45% in 2025, though this still remains below pre-pandemic levels of 52%.

As to getting help for planning their trips about 40% of adult travelers expressed interested in taking an organized group trip, with a guided travel tour, of greatest interest (25%). While most older travelers are not currently aware of curated trips (60%), once learning about this, 55% express interest in having a personalized itinerary for them.

Like many of the older respondents, Tetreault’s wife does the planning for their trips “She finds information online by just cruising the internet,” he admitted that “booking a trip can be a breeze,” too.  

As to planning your trip, AARP’s survey of U.S. Adults Age 50-Plus, found that getting assistance from Artificial Intelligence (AI) planning is slow to take hold.  Although ninety-eight percent are aware of AI, only 1 in 10 (8%) say that they use it for planning purposes.  However, the researchers noted that for those who did use AI, about 94% say that using it was helpful in planning their trip. 

Tips for Older International Travelers

“Travel Smart. Travel Safe. Travel Well,” reads a handout for older travelers posted on the U.S Department of State’s (DOS) website, www.travel.state.gov.  DOS, a federal agency that manages the United States’s foreign affairs, provides the following information for older travelers to review while making your international travel plans.  

DOS recommends that older travelers learn as much about their vacation designation(s)  as they can before their departures.  Do you need to get a visa, or vaccinations? Can you take your meds into the country? Both are important questions to answer.

At least three months before your trip, DOS suggests that you check your passport’s expiration date and entry requirement for your foreign designations on your trip itinerary.  Always review cancellation policies, too. It just might be prudent to consider purchasing travel and luggage insurance, says the handout, noting that many credit card, travel or tourism companies offer this protection for an additional fee. 

Before you leave, always leave a copy of your passport and travel itinerary with a family member or friend.

According to DOS, it is prudent for older travelers to know that Medicare doesn’t cover healthcare oversees. So, do your research and identify companies that offer short-term health and emergency assistance policies to cover overseas health expenses that include emergency medical and dental services, including medical evacuations.

DOS’s travel.state.gov/destination page provides details as to any health checks or vaccinations for the country you are visiting.  Schedule an appointment with your physician six to eight weeks before your trip to get your required vaccinations.  Also, identify any environmental conditions that may exacerbate your health (attitude, pollution, humidity, etc.).

Before leaving, make sure you pack ample supply of your prescription medications, suggests DOS’s handout.  Always discuss any time zone differences with your physician to make adjustments to your medication schedule both on the way out and your return home.  Always keep your medication in their original, labeled containers.  In case of a refill in a foreign country, always know the generic name of your medications.  The embassy or consulate of the country you are visiting can tell you if your prescribed medications are not considered illegal substances under the local laws.

DOS also recommends that if you have mobility issues or use a wheelchair, make sure you determine what the hotel’s access and accommodations are for swimming pools, public facilities, restaurants, bars, bathrooms, etc.

Most important, don’t forget to learn about the currency rate of the country you are visiting. Inform your bank or credit card company that you are traveling overseas so they do not freeze your account.  Ask them if they have international banking partners where you can safely deposit or make withdraws as needed. Bring travelers check or one or two major credit cards if ATM services are not available.

Staying Connected with Family and Friends

DOS suggests that you care emergency contact information during your overseas trip. Consider completing the emergency contact section in your passport.  Give your family and friends the contact information for the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in the country you are visiting. Investigate to see if your cellular plans offer international calling or texting packages that you can purchase to use in case of an emergency. 

Finally, DOS notes that one way to maintain emergency contact information is to enroll with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).  By enrolling, your information will be securely stored, and this enables the DOS, U.S. embassies, or consulates to contact you, your family or friends, in an emergency.

Travel, a valuable resource for Americans 50-plus, who spend over $236 billion annually in leisure travel, provides expert travel advice, the latest news and travel insights.  AARP.org/travel has a wealth of articles available to anyone on vacation ideas, travel tips, and destinations to make travel simple. 

To view the full 2025 survey results, visit https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/research/topics/social-leisure/travel/2025-travel-trends.doi.10.26419-2fres.00882.001.pdf.

To review DOS’s Special Consideration for Older Travelers, go to https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/info-older-travelers.html.

To view the National Council on Aging’s Safety Travel Tips for Older Adults, go to https://www.ncoa.org/article/safe-travel-tips-for-older-adults/.

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To read more articles by Herb Weiss, go to: https://rinewstoday.com/herb-weiss/

Herb Weiss, LRI -12, is a Pawtucket-based writer who has covered aging, health care and medical issues for over 45 years. To purchase his books, Taking Charge: Collected Stories on Aging Boldly and two sequels, compiling weekly published articles, go to herbweiss.com.