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?

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.

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

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).

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

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

Now I wheel a small carry on suitcase.

I dont take much.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

@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.

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!

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 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.

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'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.

@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 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"

We do have to fight this negative gloomy attitude to things as we age!!

The whole experience in airports is awful.

Everyone hates going through security as there are so many people on a power trip there.

Also why do we have to show our boarding pass and passport so many times.

Its excessive.

I am 47 and I get very achey and uncomfortable on long flights now. Heathrow is a zoo and I think it is normal to feel taxed and worn out there. One piece of advice; check your suitcase, it might cost a bit but altogether less lugging around. That can be exhausting. Then you just have your handbag to deal with. I feel so liberated once I get rid of the suitcase.

@Lisanoonan

Also why do we have to show our boarding pass and passport so many times.

Because it’s not a bus trip just down the road and TBH surely it’s not that onerous?

My usual journey (hand baggage only) I reckon it’s usually a total three or four instances of presenting Boarding card and or passport.

First time with boarding card is usually show entitlement to go airside ( Uk/europe non travellers not allowed).

Leaving some countries there may be one more additional passport check prior to the gate…border control

Then at the gate itself Boarding pass and passport, to ensure the ticket hasn’t been sold on, that you are getting on the right aircraft (it happens) and to ensure you have valid ID for the arrival - otherwise airline gets a fine.

Border control at arrival want to see passport for their immigration purposes.

It's just the way they do it. They act like they don't trust you every step of the way.

I flew out of a Greek airport recently. It was a small enough airport. They asked me to show my passport and boarding pass four times.

I had to show it at check in.

I had to show it at another security point just before going through security.

After going through security, before I could
get in to the boarding gate, they had another passport control security checkpoint, just before the gate.

We all had to queue for this again for ages. I showed my passport yet again.

I got into the gate.

When boarding the plane I had to show my passport and boarding card again for a fourth time.

Even though I wouldn't have been able to get into that gate, if i hadnt shown my passport to people three times before that already.

So why ask for it AGAIN when boarding?

It's over the top.

It's probably to give people who work in the airport, something to do