Travel Advice for the older traveller

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These days, people of all ages are travelling to all corners of the globe. Age is certainly no barrier to the enjoyment of travel. Quite the opposite, more mature travellers have some major advantages over those with less experience, and an older set - whether retired or not - are clearly enjoying the benefits.

With this in mind, from December 5th 2008 Medici Travel Insurance has simplified our policies regarding the age of our customers: there will no longer be a specific policy wording for over 65s, instead there will be one policy wording for all customers up to 99 years of age-for single trips (the age limit is 74 years old for annual multi-trip cover).

Increasingly, people are talking about larger numbers of retirees, with good health, time and some disposable income available for their own enjoyment. If you are fortunate enough to be in this situation, where time and, perhaps, money is less of a concern, then travel is an ideal pursuit.

As an older traveller, you can take advantage of going away outside of peak season. It's cheaper to travel off-peak, cooler, and there are less people around to queue with, or to block your path with suitcases and noisy children. These benefits can make many destinations more attractive than they otherwise might have seemed during the busy times.

After you have been to all the regular travel spots, with more time on your hands you may fancy straying off the beaten track a little more. Maybe you'll hanker after a destination you've only ever dreamed about? If you can cope with the stress of long haul flights, your options are virtually limitless. By breaking up a long trip with frequent stopovers and relaxing breaks, places like South America or South East Asia do not seem to be quite so daunting.

We recommend a few common sense precautions which can minimise medical risks. Do see your GP in good time before your trip. That way you can have any prescription medicines ready to hand, and you can ask about any vaccinations that may be applicable for your destination. It is also worth knowing the standard of medical care that you can expect over there once you arrive; which will probably inform your choice of travel insurance too.

Some types of general advice are worth reiterating. Things like spreading the weight of your belongings over several bags (wheels on luggage are an obvious bonus too) and on longer flights, taking the occasional walk up and down the cabin for your circulation and to help prevent the chance of DVT. You are advised to also avoid excessive alcohol, and take in plenty of water, or watery soft drinks, to help keep you fighting fit on your travels.

Finally, there are a few items which, perhaps surprisingly, trip up a few people on occasion: like making sure passports are up to date, and visas have been obtained from the relevant embassies. It can often help to plan out your itinerary in advance of travelling, and leaving a copy of this with a close family member or friend.

Also be careful to activate "roaming" on your mobile phone, if you want to take it with you. Plus don't forget you will pay for receiving, as well as making, phone calls abroad and that variable tariffs will apply depending on the local network you are using at the time. Your phone provider will be able to give you a full picture of international tariffs.