Anyone else finding travel harder the older you get?

[menopausalminnie1]

Just back from a long haul trip. Had a wonderful time, but really struggled with some aspects of the trip. For context, I'm 55, menopausal, and I ache A LOT.

We had to go from Heathrow, which is HUGE. I found the sheer amount of walking required to be quite difficult, as my back kills me, and I was lugging a heavy suitcase and a backpack. Don't get me wrong, I did manage it, but it felt exhausting.

We also struggled a bit with the self check in pods and trying to figure out where on earth to drop our bags after that. Nothing seemed to be well signposted or obvious.

On a day to day basis, I feel quite young, but on this trip I felt a bit concerned about whether we were going to manage long haul travel 10 years from now, which is a worry, as we plan to travel a lot in retirement.

Anyone else?

I think the more you do it the easier it gets.

I’m older but travel a lot (often alone) and find it absolutely fine.

I hate airports and flying now.

I much prefer travelling by train or ferry which means I can only holiday in Europe but that's enough for me.

I'm 66, I have a replacement hip, ME, a recent heart attack, asthma and back pain. I love travelling long haul and enjoy trekking and activity holidays. Jet lag is a bit more of a problem for me now but I don't find the travel or the holiday a problem. I keep fit with walking, cycling and yoga. I travel light, one of the advantages of trekking holidays is no need to take a huge wardrobe! I do think fitness and stamina is important for all aspects of life.

Im starting to see less point in it. I find it tedious, I don’t really like it when it is warmer than mid 20’s and I feel like I have already done my travelling.

I went to Portugal this year on a trip with the girls and the queue at passport control was 2 hrs long at Faro. Awful. I wouldn’t go back there.

i will be reducing the trips going forward i think.

I'm mid-50s and if anything I find airports and travel far less of a hassle now than 20 years ago. I like being able to sort out pretty much everything online. I'm used to lugging stuff around because I don't have a car and 20 years living in London has made me pretty much immune to crowds and general hecticness.

The only things I try and avoid are early flights - if I have to get up earlier than 5am I'm wrecked for the rest of the day - transiting in America because it's not worth the stress, and flying long-haul back-to-back without a stopover. Otherwise, bring it on. Everyone's different though - do what you enjoy

Where did you visit!?

Heathrow T5 self check in isn't as easy as that at Gatwick. However, you walk miles to your gate at Gatwick - every airline that I've flown with you walk forever!

@MistyMountainTop Why do it at the airport when you can do it in advance at home and get it on your phone? Makes no sense at all to struggle at the airport.

@SafeToUse Ws have Samsonite cases (black fabric) with matching hand luggage small holdalls that fit over the extendable handle and sit on the suitcase. The key to luggage is getting a spinner. Avoid backpacks if your back aches! DD has just bought similar from Antler.

CurlyhairedAssassin · Today 18:58

ParsnipPuree · Today 13:49
Dh and I are 57 and walking at the airport/checking in is no harder for us than it was in our 30's. We're about to do a long haul
trip for a month. 57 isn't old!
Same question to you - are you using all your annual leave up to do that or are you teachers?

I don't work and dh owns his own company so can work remotely if he has to.. just takes the odd call.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wenger-605978-Spheria-Wheeled-Laptop-Black/dp/B07MTJD3NM/ref=asc_df_B07MTJD3NM?mcid=c3c22c2135b338f48f2721980d120cff&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697295976404&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2516459731464669561&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9193162&hvtargid=pla-718506444941&psc=1&gad_source=1

There are bags that fit under seats but they aren’t very big! Anyone who is concerned about back issues is much better off having a small carry on bag and put a bigger one in the hold.

I’ve decided no more long haul unless I fly business - my hips hurt too much.

No, I don't, and I'm a similar age. Do you exercise?

I meant baggage drop, not self check in - sorry, it was late and I confused my words. Of course I wouldn't check in at the airport, it would cost a fortune and would be extremely stupid

Well some people do check in at the airport. I also think bag drop at T5 is very obvious. There’s a massive huge row of them and you cannot get past them easily! Other terminals are a bit older but I also suggest arriving 3 hours before your flight. Just means it’s more relaxed. At T5 there can be quite a long walk to gates after you leave the “train” and we walked quite a long way at T4 recently, as some aircraft have to use the larger spaces at the furthest gates. Thats why we cut down on hand luggage. The only exception is when DH takes his full camera gear!

It is very obvious, but they aren't as easy to use as the ones at Gatwick - I wasn't saying that their location was a problem, just their ease of use.

I have aching joints as well since my radical hysterectomy. However I've.been told I cannot have HRT under any circumstances. I have had cortisone injections in the knees which helps.
Airports do seem to have a hell of a lot of walking involved. I'm fine with Heathrow S know T5 like back of my hand and am lucky enough to have priority check in security and lounge access.

However airports like the newish Istanbul one and doha are just massive

I’m quite a bit older than you, OP, and for quite a while I often just CBA with all the faff of airports/planes - and increasingly I do love my own bed. Still do certain trips, but…
I used to have permanently itchy feet and would go anywhere, never thought the mere idea would put me off. Dh still has itchy feet though, but luckily is happy to do some trips on his own, or with a brother whose wife feels much the same as I do.
Being able to drive to wherever is different, I am less reluctant about that, but a BiL’s place in Burgundy is quite far enough.

@Gogogo12345

airports like the newish Istanbul one and doha are just massive

I think one possible issue with both of those is (I think) there is just one super sized terminal - happy to be corrected.

Heathrow is actually similar size and has similar passenger numbers per annum but the load is spread across the five terminals.

As for LHR T5 - it doesn’t get a lot of love on here at times and has it’s flaws but compared with a few terminals around the world it is reasonably logically laid out.

I like T5. Much better than the horrific badly signposted massive sprawl that it Charles de Gaulle for example.

Good point

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.

@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 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.

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.