Most of us agree that family vacations are a grand thing. The mere words conjure up images of your toddler’s first trip to the ocean or that magical excitement when your child met Mickey. We measure life’s milestones by our time together and family vacations are always highlights. But family travel is not only for parents with young children. It’s just as meaningful when the tides turn and grown children guide their senior parents on an exploration of discovery. Traveling with your elderly parent allows you to bond on a whole new level as you experience new sights and cultures together as adults.

But there are some considerations to keep in mind to make sure everyone enjoys the trip. Older travelers are likely to face some challenges that you don’t, so some understanding and planning are in order. Here are four tips (plus a bonus!) for traveling with your elderly parent that will help the experience go smoothly.

Plan Your Pace Accordingly

Have you ever walked next to someone with much longer legs and found it exhausting to keep up? Keep in mind that your senior parent may not have the same fitness and stamina they once did. Plan your trip’s pace accordingly. Slow down the pace – not only when walking from the hotel to the metro, but slow down the overall pace. Spend two or three nights in one place when touring instead of packing up and moving to a new city every day. Also, don’t overschedule your daily activities. After an active morning of sightseeing, spend the afternoon people watching from an alfresco café. Travel Maestro tip: Hop-on/hop-off tours are a great way to see the major sites of a city with narrated commentary. You can get on and off at multiple stops instead of walking great distances.

Mind the Medical Needs

Before traveling with your elderly parent you need to have a full understanding of their medical needs. Make sure you pack any medications in a carry-on (don’t check in luggage) and that you carry a prescription for any medication that may require a refill. Pack a travel first aid kit with common essentials such as painkillers, Band-Aids or gauze, anti-diarrheal medicine, and antacids. Travel Maestro tip: If medications need to be taken at a certain time of day and you’re traveling across multiple time zones, confer with your parent’s doctor for advice on what time to dose.

Plan for any Mobility Issues

In many countries outside the U.S., you can’t expect sidewalks, ramps, and doorways designed for mobility. Throughout the villages of Europe, ancient cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks are uneven from years of settling. When traveling with your elderly parent, take it slow walking on these conditions so no one falls or twist an ankle.

If your senior parent uses a wheelchair, verify when you’re making hotel reservations that there is a ramp into the lobby and an elevator to the room. Travel Maestro tip: If using a wheelchair, make sure to get one with wide wheels to allow you to push over cobblestones and give the passenger a less bumpy ride. The more common skinny wheels stick in the cracks and won’t roll.

Protect Your Investment with Insurance

We recommend travel insurance for everyone, but it’s imperative for senior travelers of any fitness and mobility level, particularly if the travel is booked far in advance. When traveling with your parent, you never expect a problem to occur, but older folks are more susceptible to health and fitness issues. Insurance with a “cancel for any reason” clause will cover cancellation charges even if there is no urgent medical issue but they just don’t feel like going at the last minute.

It’s also important to have coverage for any accident or illness that happens during the trip. Many U.S. healthcare policies do not cover the insured when they are in another country and travel insurance gives you the peace of mind of having someone to turn to in an emergency. Travel Maestro tip: Pre-existing conditions are normally only covered if you purchase travel insurance at the time of your initial trip deposit, so don’t wait – buy your insurance from the outset for full coverage.

Bonus Tip

With proper planning (and a top-notch travel advisor!), the trip will go off without a hitch, but you can make it more meaningful by spending quality time with your senior parent. Put the phone down, except maybe to take selfies together. Sit on a bench and talk about what you see and what it means to be right there together. Share a meal and reminisce about other trips you’ve taken together. Tell them that you love them. Unfortunately, time does not stand still and you may not get the chance to have that conversation again. But that special trip together will live on in your memory forever.