The doctor who diagnosed my stress fractures used a phrase that chilled my heart: “in your demographic.” The meaning was clear. I could no longer expect things to be as they were 10, 20, or 30 years ago. My husband pointed out that I need to write down what I learned from the trip because, given my demographic, I might not remember everything when I next decide to travel.
I made some good decisions before my sister and I left for Norway. But since most of my working life was spent moving from country to country every one to three years, and lots of traveling while serving at overseas posts, I thought I knew enough about preparing to travel. I was wrong. What worked during my working years wasn’t always the best option now.
Well Done!
First, the things I did right.
I knew I didn’t want to waste any time in the morning with my hair. So I took the same step as I did before embarking on my year of roving in Africa: I had my hair cut short.
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I loved the style before the cut, but I knew it would take at least 30 minutes every morning to get it looking right. It worked while I was in Africa. While my hair may be a bit thinner than it was then, I was confident having short hair would mean I could shower, comb my hair, and let it air dry. Total time required after the shower–about 1 minute. This was one change that being in a new demographic really played no role. I know my hair will grow back so I can have that style back.
I also had a manicure and pedicure to have my fingernails and toenails cut as short as reasonable. I wanted to sure I wouldn’t be tempted to take clippers to my toenails and risk cutting into the skin or leaving jagged edges because it’s getting difficult to bend my knees and twist my leg enough to cut the nails straight. The polish also helped prevent nail breaks, at least for the first week.
In addition to packing all my prescription medicines and recommended supplements, I brought small amount of all the medications I might need. More on that later.
I walked every day in advance of the trip, wearing the shoes I expected to wear to get used to them. I bought a new pair of fitness shoes which had amazing reversible insoles with bubbles on one side that would give me a foot massage while I walked. I worried that too much walking would aggravate the arthritis in my hip which I had been working on improving for the previous six months after a flareup that nearly ruined a trip my husband and I took to England the previous fall. All right, I know, that should have been enough of a warning.
I picked up a purse that had RFI shielding to protect credit card information from being stolen. The purse was also smaller than what I had been using as a “purse” for traveling on planes. That improved moving through airports, though the extra weight I used to put into my purse was now in my carryon bag.
At the last minute I made a decision to bring a camera as a backup for my phone. I didn’t think I’d need it, especially since it meant carrying one more item in my purse. But each day either my phone or camera battery ran out, making it essential to have a backup.
Needs Improvement
Now the things I didn’t do so well. In these instances, my sister showed me how I could have done it.
I brought a large suitcase, but I didn’t fill it because I looked forward to picking up items in Norway. My sister brought a smaller suitcase which opened in the middle, allowing her to separate the items and cover half of them to hold them in place
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Now I don’t blame my sister for giving me the things that didn’t fit in her suitcase. After all, mine had room. If I hadn’t brought such a large suitcase, we would have had to find another way to get the items home.
That brings me to the second suitcase lesson. More significant than the size of the suitcases were the number and position of the wheels on them. Mine had only two wheels so that I had to pull the weight of the case whenever we moved. Even my carryon case had only two wheels. My sister’s had four wheels so that she could roll it across the floor.
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I did bring two pairs of reasonable shoes for all the walking we did. But I also brought two pairs of not so reasonable shoes. One pair had no support in it, but it looks nice. The other had heels. I tried putting the latter on to go to breakfast one morning and I couldn’t even get out of the room before I realized they wouldn’t work. And I relied on the former when my heel began to hurt because the two pairs of good shoes hit just the point on my heel that hurt. Even worse, I left behind a third pair of shoes that would have been excellent for the walking. Because they were old and didn’t look pretty.
My sister also brought both a camera and her smart phone. Like me, she experienced the battery for one or the other running out. But her camera had a feature mine doesn’t–she could wirelessly download the photos she took with her camera to her tablet so she could share those while we were on the road. I could share photos I took with my phone, but those camera shots had to wait until I returned home for downloading.
I brought over-the-counter medication I thought I might need, but I overlooked the most likely problem–catching a cold. And yes, of course I caught a cold. Fortunately, my sister had brought a small first-aid kit that included both daytime and nighttime remedies for the symptoms of a cold. It got me through the remainder of the trip, though I did have to buy tissues in large quantities in Trondheim.
What have I done as a result of the lessons I learned?
- We now have spinner suitcases with four wheels and hard sides, three sizes: carryon, medium, and large.
- The doctor who diagnosed my stress fractures recommended a store that specializes in providing good quality shoes. It was the same store I bought one of the pairs I brought with me. I now have a second pair which do not twist at all. I bought them for their support, not for their appearance. I plan to remove shoes that do not provide my feet with enough support from my closet and go back to the same store, not DSW, when I need a new pair of shoes.
The rest are just plans–plans to replenish a first aid kit with more remedies for common maladies, plans to include spare batteries for my camera, plans to buy a new camera with wireless downloading possibilities.
But first, my heels need to heal. And I’m glad to say that my hip didn’t bother me at all.
Have you had to make changes in your routine due to age? What has been the most difficult?
Image credits:
Featured Image: Tommaso Pecchioli
Manicured nails: Sarah Cervantes
Shoes: Grant Ritchie
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