Anyone else finding travel harder the older you get?

I honestly can't bear airports anymore.

Actually I went to Spain last week.

Going out- manchester airport was horrendous.

Arriving in Alicante airport was also horrendous.

The self scan passport machines didn't work in Alicante for a lot of people. And of course instead of any staff members helping people, they just left them there. Which held up the queue for everyone else.

Then the security staff shouted at people to get a move on. I was standing beside this tiny glass security hut for a minute, and the security man inside started banging on the inside of the glass extremely loudly, and shouting at people.

The woman beside me said "we get shouted at everywhere we go!"

It's like being a cow. We are herded through pens, we are shouted at, we have to show identifying objects. They leave us standing in queues for ages with no concern for our physical soreness.
Do any of us have a choice to carry a passport. No, we have no choice. We have to carry the I.d that they insist on us carrying. Our belongings are often rifled through by security staff.

It's an abusive system. I remember walking out of alicante airport , the woman behind me said 'I never want io go through an airport again"

@SuzieNine

It's not an age issue - it is that travel has got harder full stop. It got harder after 9/11 with all the security stuff, and then harder again after Brexit and COVID.

I’ll go against the grain and say that for many, it is in some ways easier, though it depends on the time scale you are considering and how you travel.

Way back there were the joys of paper tickets, there was no avoiding standing in a line at check-in, even if you didn’t have a bag to drop, and ex-Uk there was very definitely security screening even well pre 9/11.

These days If you are willing to use the internet, your smart phone and travel hand baggage only it’s a few clicks, usually a fairly quick mess around with security and off to the gate, though I agree there’s more faff involved if you check a bag in, especially with the self service machines (work of the devil, those things).

I'm 62 and have done long haul from Heathrow. I can't say I found it that hard. My issue would be self check in stuff if they don't work properly. Also I have very poor eyesight and got shouted at by a member of staff for not moving on when I'd had to take my glasses off to look in a facial scanner. I couldn't see that it said to continue through the gate!

I'm always amazed at the size of suitcases some people take. I'm never more than 14kg out and a couple heavier on return. I just wonder what some people have n their cases and if it's absolutely necessary.

Another train/ferry only traveller here. Even without the environmental consideration, I just cannot BEAR all the airport faff. More mentally than physically though (I am your age).

I think it's not just that it's a long walk. It's a long walk in a stressful situation.

People think, "oh I have this much time to get to my gate".

Then security inevitably holds their bag for more examination or a random check , and delays the person for another twenty minutes.

So by the time you get gate side, and you told the extremely long walk, it's extremely stressful, as people are afraid that they won't make their flight.

Same. I don't understand why anyone would fly for leisure in Europe any more, and that's even before environmental considerations.

(Mind you, even the Eurostar check in process has got more crowded and stressful since Brexit, but at least there's no baggage check in or nonsense about liquids to worry about).

I can relate to this but it's slightly different for me because I am actually disabled. I try to do as much as possible independently but airports and international rail stations are the one place I do use assistance because they really are enormous! I learned the hard way after physically collapsing once while travelling.

So I really do understand why you found it tiring. Is there any chance you need a health check for anything underlying? Otherwise make every effort to make travel easier. We accept we have to get a lot of taxis now rather than using public transport and we also stay at the airport hotel before/ after as necessary. We just have to budget for this unfortunately.

It might also be a wakeup call that you need to focus on your health more even if you are busy. And I agree your GP could be more proactive!

@Lentilweaver He wouldn't stop me, but he was previously very fit, active, and loved to travel. Now he lives with chronic pain and has various tubes. I know he'd feel it if I went without him, and as I love him, I tell him I don't mind. It's fine, I've made peace with it.

It's not an age issue - it is that travel has got harder full stop. It got harder after 9/11 with all the security stuff, and then harder again after Brexit and COVID. And its not just international travel - public transport in the UK has become much harder to use with the multitude of incompatible tickets, the delays, the cuts in service, the constant rescheduling. And the roads are a shitshow too making driving anywhere a huge chore.

Basically, if you want a guaranteed no-hassle journey, walk.

Go without him anyway. No one has the right to stop someone else from travelling.

I'm not even that old and I've had to give up on travel. My husband's health failed him a few years ago. His insurance would be crazy expensive and his disability makes it much much harder. I think he'd find it triggering if I went without him, so I don't complain. I now have travel programmes, travel books and the occasional UK break.

I think anyone that is complaining about the walk through a large airport in their 50s is probably in need of more exercise. If you do regular walks or even take up a couch to 5km, then you'll probably feel more confident in your physical abilities well into your 60s.

Yeah that probably works for you.

I usually want to bring a laptop as I do some online work wherever I go.

And I find that carrying the laptop in a backpack is too heavy on my back.

A small wheeled suitcase suits me best.

I dont take much.

I did this for a while. Backpacks are very heavy to carry all the way through though.

Now I wheel a small carry on suitcase.

At her age? I'm younger than her. I'm 40 and I was exhausted last week from walking through Manchester airport.

It's so big and there are not that many walking conveyer belts to help you walk. Other people around me were also complaining of the long walk.

It's also a stressful walk . As people have just taken ages to get through security, and by the time they get security, and they are walking the long walk to the gate, everyone is stressed about making their flight on time.

I only travel with a back pack no matter where im going.

This is quite concerning OP, you shouldn't feel like that about walking around an airport at your age.

You need to up the exercise, get walking, swimming or gym. So important in our 50s. I started late (early 50s) but feel much fitter now at almost 57 than I did 10 years ago.

I love airports, my holiday starts the minute I get in the taxi. Drop the bags, easy enough usually, or both DH and I have backpacks that fit under the plane seat and we can do a long weekend/city break with just these. We went to Ibiza in September and it was the quickest we've ever experienced ... 35 minutes from locking the front door to sitting in Wetherspoons 😃(we're 20 min from Gatwick).

@CurlyhairedAssassin
I'm with you on the toilet / bladder issues.

It does make a big difference as a holiday is a chance to get out and about to see things, rather than needing a few days to recover from the rest of your life.

My Dad was told his aches and pains were weight and age - I was told late 30 it was age and lifting kids - in both cases it was quite bad Vit D deficiencies.

So worth trying a supplement see if it helps.

IL since early 50s and even DH coming up to 50 have got particular about which airports they'll fly out from - though they cope the other end even when they don't know the airport.

I watch DD1 with huge cases and bags on trains - which I did at same age - and wonder how I ever did that as now just can't manage as easily so do now pack very carefully and pick my luggage carefully as well.

I think it's very personal to each individual . I'm a few years older than you and post menopause. Yes I get a bit stiff and achy if I've done unaccustomed exercise but not in a day to day basis so that it would impede my daily life.

I never travel long haul and have not been to Heathrow. However I think it's likely I may find it intimidating if the airport is very large and confusing. I would make sure I allowed plenty of time and fast track whatever is possible.

I fly to Europe a few times a year, mainly through Birmingham and I don't have any issues or find it stressful (aside from being on the plane itself - another story). We get a taxi to the airport, print our boarding passes at home (I find the hard copy inside my passport easier than juggling my phone in my hand). Bag drop normally very quick, and although there are often queues at security, it's not that difficult finding out and remembering the relevant changes (that's to the pp who found it problematic).

I'm not one to travel light - but you probably don't need a large case and a large rucksack - a medium wheely case and a very lightweight rucksack should be plenty - you can get rucksacks designed to sit on top of your case and slot through the handle so you don't even need them on your back.

But if you prefer not to travel long haul - then that's fine too. I never have as I can't face the thought of being on a plane that long. There are plenty of lovely places that are a lot closer.

@Lisanoonan

Fundamentally there’s no real way getting away from the scale of the major international airports..

A regional airport where there are maybe at most half a dozen aircraft on the ground, mostly narrowbodied, can get away with being really compact.

Somewhere like Manchester that has to handle multiple dozens of flights being on the ground at once simply ends up having to be big, especially if the aircraft are the bigger long haul types.

All the airport can do to reduce the problems is perhaps by putting in systems like moving walkways and/or train systems but it’s not that easy to do that at the older terminals that have almost grown organically…and FWIW the oldest sections of one of the Manchester terminals dates back to the early 1960s..

I walked through Manchester airport last week and I thought it was awful.

I was walking for miles and miles it seemed. It was such a long walk.

Good point