Anyone else finding travel harder the older you get?

Can all those people recommending good suitcases/bags, recommend some brands please? I used to buy whatever was on sale in Debenhams but since they closed in Ireland, my cases have got damaged/shabby.

I'm 64, and our plan was always to do the "holiday of a lifetime" when DH retired. (I retired at 60). So in 2 years time.

However, DH and I now both suffer really badly with osteoarthritis to the point that DH is somewhat disabled, walking is challenging for both of us so that dream has died.

But I don't mind too much, as I was starting to find airports really annoying, as others have said, too much walking, too much noise, and grumpy security staff. Also often dirty toilets! So sun sea n cocktails for us from now on! Truthfully I'd never travel far again if only we got some good weather here but our summers are shite so...

How much exercise do you do on a daily basis?

How much walking do you do on a daily basis?

How big was your suitcase?

I don't want to make assumptions, but it sound more likely thats your unfit. As the previous poster highlighted, the more you walk the less you ache - thats due to your body being used to do more walking and it adjusts.

Do you do much walking / activity day to day? If not then i’d start to build up your fitness as it will help overall

It’s 67 for me too. I took my occupational pension early (with actuarial reduction). Not sure how it’s relevant though - I didn’t need to be retired to do those trips.
Edit: I see your point. My sister is 68. She is walking the Camino (last 111k) with me in May

Yes, more and more you have to worry about stuff outside your control. eg they change your flight time which then affects other things you'd already planned/booked. If you have to prebook a taxi for a very early morning flight I tend to not sleep much because I get worried in case it doesn't turn up or is delayed, because all it takes if a big hold up on the motorway and then you're late getting there and have to really rush. Once I have my hold bag checked in though I breathe one sigh of relief. And then another one when I get it back safe the other end.

It's not the actual flight that bothers me, it's all the messing around and stress beforehand

To be fair at some very large airports it does depend on which terminal you're going from and where your gate is. It varies a LOT. If you have to change terminals as part of your journey because you're doing more than one flight that's annoying as sometimes it involves having to get the airport train between terminals. It's not really fun when you have to go from one end of a very large terminal to the other either.

I tell you what I do hate now I'm menopausal. A weak bladder. Nearly all my flights in the past few years have involved delays where you're stuck somewhere unable to access a nearby toilet. So you're stuck in a boarding queue and suddenly it stops, no explanation given on how long you'll have to stand there and you're miles from any toilets and you haven't been to the toilet in ages because the screen said your boarding time was 20 minutes ago so you've tried to time your last toilet visit so you went well before the stated boarding time.

Then you get on the plane and it moves off from its gate a few metres then the captain announces you've missed your takeoff slot and will have to wait for another one. One of my flights last year was on the runway for about well over an hour and a half before it finally took off. There was a rush for the toilet when people were eventually allowed to go.

Then when you land you're often stuck waiting for the right equipment to get you off and into the building (sometimes a bus or sometimes just one of those stairway things to get you across to the upstairs bit of the building). It's not nice after a long haul flight especially if you've had to do a short layover and especially if it's roasting hot.

Building work sometimes means that when you do finally actually get into the building there are no toilets to be seen because theey're all behind hoardings. And it's an eextremely long walk to get to one. I actually nearly wet myself last year after getting off a plane because I just hadn't been able to to go the toilet for a long time, I'd had a lot to driink on the plane to try to stay hydrated, couldn't get to use plane toilet (lots of turbulence meant that the seat belt signs were on for the last past of the journey, and then on approach, then we were sitting waiting to disembark for ages for some reason, then the building work thing.

@Gwenhwyfar Depends on airline. Not all charge a lot more.

@menopausalminnie1 I didn’t struggle with menopause but I’m not far off 70 and this is what DH and me have learnt.

Heathrow: T5 is so much easier! We drop the car off in short stay for meet and greet. Short walk to bag drop. Unless it’s a short city break, we do hold luggage. We have light weight spinner cases. No lugging. They push around. No back pack. Hand luggage fits neatly on suitcase. This bag has inner pockets and enough space for what we need in the flight. We have one each. No heavy backpacks is a golden rule!

We are beginning to use companies where we get a driver to the first night hotel. We have used local transport a few times but we have had some problems! So we are making life easier for ourselves. Ditto easy ride back to airport.

We have enough money to fly business but choosing a seat with more legroom would be a good move. With BA we check in on line in advance and you can do 24 hours in advance so you only need bag drop. At T5 it’s right in front of you as you walk into the departures area. Generally we have found this hassle free. We try and avoid school holidays. You can wait a bit for bags to arrive but we don’t mind. We also try and fly at a civilised time. This makes a huge difference we find.

i do realise not everyone can do what we can but getting rid of a backpack is a no brainer. Ditto decent lightweight spinner case. Book parking early for better prices and be careful about your travel itinerary in terms of flight times and how long you spend in each location. We like a bit of downtime. Hope some of this is useful.

Yes, I pay extra for a second hand luggage piece, but it's still even more money for checked-in luggage.

I'm ok at62 provided I do emergency seats, fast track security and sensible flight times- won't check in before 10am if it's Bristol airport ( we live in Bath) or 11.30 at Heathrow and won't arrive back after 9.30 at Bristol or 8 pm at Heathrow ( I insist on airport hotel if it's after then)

Honestly this isn't normal..the check in stuff can be a bit overwhelming if you don't do it regularly but the moving around the airport etc isn't.. why not try hrt and you will know if it works for you ?

Depends really on the operator. We've found it can be surprising if you take the "package" including speedy boarding/fast track, hold luggage, pre-booked seat, etc., where it's not much more at all, if you were planning to pre book seats and speedy boarding/fast track anyway. Some airlines now charge for cabin baggage anyway if you want to take more than a handbag sized bag such as a small suitcase or rucksack.

I agree with that. Airports may "seem" large, but most shouldn't pose a problem to people unless disabled. I think they seem worse because of all the queueing and standing around you have to do which is probably what wears you out rather than the walking itself.

The only couple of airports we found genuinely tiring due to long walks were Amsterdam and Athens, both of which have walks of over a mile to get to some departure gates.

I second the Solgar Vitamin D3 recommendation.

Take calcium too (menopause will have an effect on your bones).

Why are you putting up with this?

Ugh. Environment not a consideration I take it

Just limiting a bit would help. No one reasonable expects everyone to give up travel altogether but 8+ a year is just bad

It costs a lot more to have checked in luggage.

Also want to mention, I did not get aches and pains before or during menopause. I didn't do HRT.

"what business is it of your GP to deny you medical care because he/she doesn’t think you are suffering enough?"

Ha ha. That's the NHS way!

There is no ‘other side’. It’s a hormone deficiency condition. You need those hormones to function properly.

Why do some GPs gatekeep HRT from women who'd clearly benefit from it??

Too hot? I find airport, planes and trains so cold!

I'm late 50s and like many here I'm wondering about your general health, and also whether you suffer from anxiety that may have made you physically tense and may even have affected your ability to see and/ or take in information from signage in the airport.

Doing ok? That’s nuts. First, no you aren’t if it’s purely menopause that made that trip hard. Second - what business is it of your GP to deny you medical care because he/she doesn’t think you are suffering enough?