Whether your parents are reliant on wheelchairs or walking sticks to get around, their limited mobility doesn’t mean they forgo the pleasure of travel.
Going on a vacation is good for seniors in general. It helps them maintain physical and mental health and release stress while allowing them to explore new horizons.
Did you know that travel with a mobility device can be surprisingly accessible, with a great number of vacation spots and ideas available for seniors who can’t walk much? Discover the 8 best vacation ideas and spots for parents with limited mobility.
Nurture Your Parents’ Sense of Adventure: The Best 8 Vacation Spots and Ideas For Seniors With Limited Mobility
The 3 Best Vacation Ideas for Seniors with Limited Mobility
Plan A Staycation
During the pandemic, staycations emerged as a perfect getaway for people who wanted to escape the stressful situation for a while. Today, the trend has remained a favorite activity for people who protest the idea of venturing out too far away.
Planning a vacation close to home offers seniors with limited mobility chances to enjoy the pursuit of traveling even though they are just hours away from home. Visiting museums, tasting new eats in town, and relaxing at a local spa are some examples of staycations to try out without breaking the bank. Such staycation ideas are great for your parents to explore new places and deepen their understanding of the outside world.
If your parents don’t mind splurging a bit more, book a room at a luxurious hotel or rent an Airbnb in a nearby town or by the beach on the weekends. Spending a few nights at an all-inclusive resort is a good idea for your parents to unwind while receiving world-class services and accommodation all at once. Before booking, contact the staff to confirm whether they offer special services for people with limited mobility.
Book A Tour
Planning a trip from scratch can be stressful, but you don’t have to do it alone. Booking a tour is probably the best purchase you ever make to help your mobility-challenged parents travel without burden.
Many tour companies offer an inclusive range of vacation packages and tours for older citizens. For example, Wheelchair Escapes might be worth researching if your parents are in wheelchairs. The travel agent has decades of experience in customizing and catering travel experiences and destinations around the globe for wheelchair-reliant seniors. The thoughtful design of tour destinations, itineraries, transportation, and accommodations allows seniors with trouble getting around to explore popular attractions across the country at greater ease.
Some other tours that offer vacation packages for mobility-challenged seniors include Travel for All, Wheel The World, Accessible Caribbean Vacations, and Tapooz Travel.
Consider A Cruise Trip
Cruise trips are another stress-free vacation idea for seniors with limited mobility. Going on a cruise is an enlightening and unique travel experience to explore new horizons and cultivate relaxation at reasonable prices.
One of the biggest reasons cruises make a perfect destination for seniors is they are given easy access to a diverse range of services, amenities, and attractions right on board. All cruises are equipped with elevators and wheelchair ramps so seniors with limited mobility can forget about the hassle of walking. They also offer rooms with in-built special features to better accommodate handicapped seniors, from large doorways to lowered furniture and handicap-accessible bathrooms installed with grab bars.
Be sure to contact the cruise line of your choice to find out if they tailor handicap-friendly features for seniors with mobility issues.
The 5 Best Vacation Spots For Seniors With Limited Mobility
Discover the 5 best vacation spots for seniors dealing with limited mobility.
National Parks
The United States of America owns some of the most distinguished national parks in the world. If your parents love to see wildlife, take them on a road trip to national parks. Most national parks have wide trails and scenic drives so you and your parents can admire the beauty of nature right from the comfort of your car. It is such a wonderful activity for seniors to learn more about the wilderness and spot the changes of the season while admiring the country’s most spectacular outdoors.
Some of the best national parks to visit for seniors with limited mobility include Yosemite National Park (California), Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado), Acadia National Park (Maine), Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky), Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona), Glacier National Park (Montana), Yellowstone National Park (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming), and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii).
Botanical Gardens
Botanical gardens are another vacation spot for seniors with limited mobility. The lush green gardens are filled with exotic plants and flowers and offer a vast landscape for sightseeing, making a perfect destination for seniors who are incredibly passionate about nature. It is also a therapeutic occasion that boosts seniors’ health and helps them engage their senses through contact with plants and fresh air.
Many botanical gardens offer disabled accessibility for senior visitors, such as manual wheelchairs, motorized scooters, and strollers, to deliver the best experience for seniors having trouble moving around.
A few botanical gardens that are perfect for seniors with mobility issues include:
- The United States Botanical Garden (Washington, DC).
- Brooklyn Botanical Garden (New York).
- Bok Tower Gardens (Florida).
- Atlanta Botanical Garden (Georgia).
- Waimea Valley and Falls Arboretum (Hawaii).
Niagara Falls (New York)
Located right on the border of New York and Canada, the one and only Niagara Falls is the most iconic waterfall that is worth visiting once in a lifetime. Admiring the magnificence of the falls is made easy for seniors with many wheelchair-friendly observation decks giving easy access to the panoramic view.
Also, your parents can opt for the Maid of the Mist boat tour to get up close to the falls. Other senior-friendly activities right on the spot include visiting the Niagara Adventure Theater, the Observation Tower, the aquarium, and riding on the Niagara Scenic Trolley. If your parents are up for an adventure, grab the passports and cross the border into Canada to get a behind-the-scenes view of the falls.
Myrtle Beach (South Carolina)
Myrtle Beach is another attractive destination for seniors with limited mobility. Nothing’s better than immersing yourself in salt air and dipping your toes in the sand, so head out to Myrtle Beach if your parents are beach lovers. The South Carolina attraction is not only famous for its gorgeous ocean views and pristine beach but also for its plethora of amenities provided for seniors with mobility issues.
Accessible Cities
A great number of metropolises in the U.S. are developed with seniors in mind. By putting seniors’ comfort first thanks to the provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act, these cities have infrastructure and facilities that aim to assist seniors and help them make the most of their travel experience while moving with a mobility device.
So if your parents are yearning for urban adventures, some of the best wheelchair-friendly cities include San Antonia (Texas), San Francisco (California), Chicago (Illinois), Daytona Beach and Miami (Florida), Oahu (Hawaii), Seattle (Washington), San Diego (California), Washington D.C, Atlanta (Georgia), Las Vegas (Nevada), Boston (Massachusetts), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), and New York City (New York).
If you have questions about the best vacations for seniors with limited mobility or any topics discussed here, connect with us and learn more.Â
At 12 Oaks, our team of caring professionals is dedicated to keeping residents safe, engaged, and connected to their families and friends while leading fulfilling lives. 12 Oaks Senior Living Communities are an ideal place to enjoy the encore season of life.
For questions or to schedule a personalized tour, don’t hesitate to contact us.Â
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