Family-Friendly Independent Travel: 5 Key Tips for Traveling Abroad with Your Parents!

Text and photos by /MATCHA

Do you still remember when you were young and naive, it was your parents’ tall, reliable figures and hands that led you to explore the world? As time passed, you gradually grew taller and bigger than them. Now it’s your turn to take them out to see the world. What are some important things to keep in mind when traveling abroad with your parents? The Matcha editor, who just returned from a trip to Japan’s Hokuriku region with their parents, is here to share their first-hand experience of family travel in Japan.

When we talk about family-friendly independent travel here, the term “family” mainly refers to parents aged 55 and above along with young adults who have entered society and have some financial independence—what we call “filial travel.” In the context of family-friendly independent travel, Traveling Abroad with Your Parents: Pre-Trip PlanningThe editor has compiled a list of pre-trip considerations, but what should you pay extra attention to while actually traveling abroad? Let’s continue reading.

1. Keep Checking In on Them

When you’re traveling on your own, skipping meals to cram in all the sights might be normal, but this absolutely shouldn’t be the case with your parents. Your parents aren’t as physically resilient as you are, so they need to eat properly to maintain the energy for sightseeing. Breakfast is an absolute must, and when lunchtime comes around, always ask if they want to eat now or later. Dinner must be well-prepared. Also, constantly check if they have enough water to drink and arrange proper rest breaks. In short: “Keep checking in on them.”

2. Be the Porter

Unlike package tours, independent travel doesn’t come with a tour bus to carry your luggage—you’ll have to bring everything you need with you. And your parents will inevitably over-prepare, bringing items like stomach medicine, headache pills, ointments, band-aids, towels, water bottles, reading glasses, etc. All of this can add up and get quite heavy. This is where your younger, stronger body comes in—help your parents carry these items so they can enjoy the trip without any burdens.

3. Do Your Homework on Guided Tours

Every attraction has countless stories behind it. Although Japan’s attraction guidebooks are quite detailed and available in multiple languages, don’t forget that many parents deal with presbyopia. Rather than having them squint at tiny text, why not tell them the stories yourself? It’s not only easier to understand but also makes your parents feel that their child has truly grown up and can be relied upon. But don’t forget to grab those guidebooks too—they can serve as keepsakes for your parents or cheat sheets for yourself.

Also, before moving from one place to another, make sure to look up the routes and train schedules in advance. Japan’s transportation system is complex, and major stations are often crowded. If you look confused, your parents will feel even more lost. Moreover, there are certain unique customs in Japan—like keeping quiet on trains, flushing used toilet paper, or standing on the left side of escalators—that you should gently remind them about.

4. Don’t Forget to Take Photos

Travel often reveals a different side of yourself, and the same goes for your parents. While on the trip, you’ll find that your usually serious father or nagging mother suddenly becomes gentle, lovely, and even a little childlike. These rare moments must be beautifully captured with your camera. Aside from the retro-themed commemorative family portraits your parents may request or fun close-up group selfies, the photo style I recommend most is the “candid shot.”

No matter how perfect a pose may be, it can’t compare to the most natural, everyday expressions. The unconscious hand-holding between your parents, casual shoulder-leaning, or completely peaceful little arguments—capture these moments through your lens. They’ll become some of the most treasured memories in the years to come. (Editor’s eyes getting dusty.)

5. Always Stay Patient

This is the most important point of all. For young people who live online, accessing information is relatively easy, but for older parents, many things are entirely new experiences. There are lots of things they don’t know and even more questions they want to ask—and they’ll keep asking throughout the trip.

There may be times when you think, “How can they not understand something so simple?” or “How many times do I have to repeat this?” But right now, your parents are just like you were as a child—experiencing the world’s novelties for the very first time. Back then, you probably asked them even sillier and more numerous questions, yet they patiently answered you over and over again.

Matcha Editor’s Honest Thoughts

To be honest, acting as a tour guide during a family trip is truly exhausting and mentally draining—you don’t get much freedom at all during the whole journey. But how many opportunities will you have to travel with your parents like this? As they get older and you start working or start your own family, the time you can spend with them only grows less and less. When you walk behind them and notice their once-towering figures slowly growing smaller, the editor couldn’t help but get teary-eyed behind the camera lens (sweat, not tears). “Love should be expressed in time”—plan an unforgettable family-friendly independent trip now. (Okay, the editor’s crying now.)

Author: MATCHA
Blog　Fan Page