Elders in Europe: Escorting Four Senior Citizens On Their First European Trip

"What were you thinking?" People often asked when they learned I was escorting a group of sometimes cantankerous elders on their first trip to Europe. Their ages ranged from 72 to 81, and there were three artificial joints, one who walked with a cane, and all of them without a clue. Their combined prescriptions could have filled a suitcase.

My aunt had spent years wishing to travel to Europe but couldn't find a tour she liked. One day, I threw out on a whim as a seasoned traveler; I can take you. She quickly accepted my offer. My parents would be joining my aunt and uncles on the trip. We would leave in two months.

I rapidly felt the pressure to plan a trip they could handle and, more importantly, would enjoy. I knew that this was likely their only trip to Europe. I wanted to make it a good one.

I used my status at the airline and hotels to ensure this trip of a lifetime would be in style. I created an itinerary of my favorite places and started in English-speaking countries to prevent too great of a culture shock. We'd fly into London, travel to Edinburgh, and then to Ireland. From there we would fly to Madrid, then to Munich and take the train to Zurich and on to Paris where we would fly home.

They couldn't have been more excited. I couldn't have been more stressed if I had been traveling with four children. We would be traveling during wintertime, and they were from Southern California. I provided packing lists and ensured they had a decent coat, not just a cardigan. I handed out my old suitcases as I banned their 40-year-old Samsonite bags.

Before leaving, I provided them with hours of security and travel advice, which they mostly stayed awake for. I recommended crossbody purses for my mother and aunt and asked everyone to clean out their wallet and only bring what was necessary. I assured them they wouldn't need their Costco card.

We met at LAX and flew to Dulles. I was concerned about blood clots, so we stayed overnight at Dulles and flew to London the following evening. We boarded the plane on New Year's Eve, and they beamed at the Premium Economy seats, which are between regular and business class seats on United Airlines. My uncle, seated behind me, reached forward, squeezed my shoulders, and told me these were good seats. I smiled, proud of myself.

Once on the ground in London, I quickly realized that if I tried to be a tour guide, I would kill them. So I showed them how to use the Uber app and their London pass. Then sent them off to explore London, giving them the rope I would provide teenagers with, and made sure to check in with them. I could see a few things in London on my own that I had missed before.

I arranged a tour of Buckingham Palace, which we all were excited about. This was something new to me as well. We put on our snazziest clothes and went to the Queen’s Palace. Then when leaving, I hurried ahead to exit the gates of Buckingham Palace before them to snap pictures of them leaving. My family walked out looking and feeling like celebrities waving to the crowds outside the gates as if they had just had tea with the Queen. Before we left, I took a selfie with my parents in front of the palace, with our faces smiling brightly. The next day we would board a train bound for Scotland and continue our 3.5-week trip across Europe.

Later that night, we heard on the news the US military killed Iranian General Soleimani with a drone strike. Within a few hours, I started receiving threat alerts from the US embassies warning of an increased threat to all Americans overseas as they braced for retaliation. That damned American flag pin had officially become an issue.

On the train to Scotland, they were having a good time playing cards and were excited about their trip. I approached my smartly dressed uncle and said due to the change in the threat, it would be a good idea to take off the American flag pin.

"You can remove this pin over my dead body," he told me.

"Alright, calm down, Charlton Heston! Let's hope it doesn't come to that or my dead body," I replied. He saw reason, and the following day he replaced the pin on his tweed coat.

I had to reevaluate the rest of the trip to see if any changes to the itinerary due to the change in threat level needed to be made. If it were on my own, it would be one thing. But I was awfully concerned about them and had the pressure of the rest of their children at home, who expected me to keep them safe.

We still had Ireland, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and France to go. There were reports of demonstrations at the US embassy in Dublin, but our hotel was not nearby. In Spain, I arranged a private tour for both days there. We'd move in a small group and be out of there fast. Also, my Dad speaks Spanish fluently, and mine is okay. Germany can be a little touchier, but I had confidence in the Polizei. I also speak some German. Switzerland was a mountainous fortress of neutrality. But Paris had me concerned.

On top of the terrorist threat in France, there was also a transportation strike that was snarling up traffic and making it impossible to get around for even those who didn't have canes and metal joints. Some friends had just come from Paris and said it was a nightmare to get around. Combined with all of us speaking not one word of French, I knew I had to cut our trip to Paris.

Canceling the hotel was easy as I booked everything with the refundable rate for this reason, but we were set to fly home from Paris. Not wanting to cut the trip short, I spent the day reviewing options while the elders toured the Irish countryside in Wicklow county. I had planned to have a spa day to reset my patience. Instead, I stayed in my ridiculously large hotel room at Powerscourt, a perk of having status and traveling off-season, to figure this out. The elders unhelpfully had no input on what to do instead.

After hours of frustration and being on the phone with the airline, I decided we would stay in Switzerland. I extended our stay in Zurich by night and tacked on two nights in Lucerne, which was missing from the original itinerary. For them to still see France, I would rent an SUV and would drive them into the Alsace Wine Region for a day trip. I was also concerned about reports of some new virus making its way to Europe called the coronavirus.

Our trip proceeded as planned. They got to say "Holy Toledo" in Toledo, Spain, tour Neuschwanstein Castle, and drink beer at the Munich beer hall in Germany.

Once in Zurich, I traveled to the airport to pick up the large SUV I had rented and was immediately hit with another monkey wrench. In Europe, you have two hours to pick up your rental car from the time stated in the reservation, or they will give it away. I arrived five hours after the rental time, and my car was gone. They reinstated my reservation, but they didn't have any large SUVs. Why? Because the Davos billionaire convention was starting in a few days, and the world's richest people were beginning to make their way into town with their entourage.

They suggested a few other cars, and I eyeballed whether our luggage would fit in the back of a wagon. Unfortunately, none of the vehicles they had was big enough. I offered to wait to see if something else came in. I sat for about an hour, and then low and behold, a large(ish) SUV came in. I thanked the staff profusely and was on my way. It's important to note that a large SUV in Europe is like a midsize in the US.

The next day I drove the elders to France, and we saw some adorable country wine villages, which turned out to be a highlight of the trip. They strolled through quaint French villages and ate freshly baked macaroons.

The next day we checked out of our hotel. After an hour of suitcase Tetris, we barely fit all the luggage in the car. Every person had a bag on their lap, and the back was packed solid for our drive to Lucerne.

We spent a few days wandering around the beautiful city of Lucerne and took a drive into the Alps. We admired the swans on the lake and the snowy mountains, but they were getting tired and were ready to be home.

A few days later, it was time to return to Zurich to fly home. I asked them to load up the car while I checked us out. I walked out of the hotel and found all of the bags next to the car, and them looking sheepish. They couldn't figure out how to get the bags to fit in the car. After a sigh, I started shoving bags into the car. Then I began shoving elders into the car and bags on top of them. Then my aunt couldn't find her passport and was convinced it was sitting on the sidewalk where the vehicle was parked. I turned around, only for her to find it in her bag when I returned to the hotel.

Determined not to miss the flight home, I pushed it to the airport. A month later, I received my speeding ticket in the mail courtesy of the Swiss Police. After some urgency, we boarded our flight and flew home as Covid-19 began spreading through Europe.

We made it home a few weeks before the Covid 19 lockdown, and Switzerland had locked down shortly after we left. I collapsed from the stress of my duties, but happy the trip had been a success. My uncle made a slideshow of the photos and shared them at his Elk Lodge. It would be his only trip to Europe as cancer would take him two years later.

As the world came to a halt, I used my free time to make them a photo book of all the photos I had taken of them on their trip. They still light up when they talk of their Great European Adventure and were thankful we went when we did. Every time I look at the framed picture of us in front of Buckingham Palace, I think just how lucky I am to have been able to make the trip happen and to experience it with them.

If you are considering taking your elders traveling, stay tuned as my next article will be about considerations when traveling with senior citizens.