Tips for traveling with seniors

• Check with doctors about fitness for travel and for any restrictions.

• Make sure prescriptions are filled well in advance of departure and carry them on the plane rather than in checked luggage.

• Purchase trip insurance. International travel is expensive; most trip insurance policies rebate a significant portion of your investment if health considerations require cancellation. Expect to provide a doctor's letter if you have to call off the trip.

• Consider arriving a day before the cruise departs. After an overnight flight, we arrived in Amsterdam with the stunned, exhausted look that comes from napping on a plane while crossing multiple time zones. Instead of going directly to the boat, we went to a hotel. It added the expense of a night's stay, but my parents got caught up on their sleep, shook the jet lag and were well rested as the cruise began.

• Book off-season, meaning spring or fall. It's less crowded, lines are short or nonexistent, and summer's heat won't leave seniors wilted. We took our trip in mid-April. The weather was raw at times; an under-the-stars soak in the upper-deck hot tub was out of the question. On the other hand, we arrived in the Netherlands during the brief window when millions of tulips are in bloom, so we can check seeing that spectacular sight off the bucket list.

• Book early. The building anticipation allows everyone to start enjoying the trip before it even begins.

• Prepare for a slower pace and have realistic expectations.