Looking for a relaxing vacation with my elderly parents this fall

[Anonymous]

Am thinking of Europe but open. I prefer somewhere safe, that my elderly parents can handle. My father walks very slowly and needs a cane. My mother easily gets winded. I will also bring my 2 yr old son with me. I would prefer an international destination because my mother has actually never left the country and it is one of her wishes. Oh and also, my parents are not great swimmers so Caribbean and the like are of no interest to them.

[Anonymous]

Viking river cruise?

[Anonymous]

Uh...it's not going to be relaxing for anyone with a 2-year old included.

[Anonymous]

Your situation seems to scream for a cruise or maybe a train trip? My grandfather always wanted to do the train ride through British Columbia.

Europe would be rough for someone with mobility issues, honestly.

[Anonymous]

Cruise!! I've done a baltic cruise to Russia and an Italian cruise. They were both very, very lovely!!!

[Anonymous]

How old is "elderly"? 65 or 85?

I'd also vote for the Canadaian Rockies train trip. We watched a video on it (can't remember the name... checked it out of the library from the kids' section a few years ago) and it looked great. my dad (77) wants to take my son (11) on it.

how well would they handle TSA?

Another option would be to fly to London, then take Queen Mary 2 to US.

[Anonymous]

My parents love cruises because of the mobility issues. We did alaska with them, and they did new England to Canada (and then a fancy train ride from Canada to new York) with other relatives. Another nice vacation might be someplace like Ireland or Scotland you can rent a car and drive around to see most sites. My sister did that with my parents and they really enjoyed it. But with that you have the problem of fitting luggage for 4 in the trunk. My mom packs SO MUCH stuff when she travels.
The Viking river cruises look fabulous if money is not an object.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you for the cruise idea. My mother gets seasick so not sure how well that will work. And I jnow Europe seems difficult but my parents are old and really want to cross an ocean and see a new country. I don't think they would be interesred in Canada.

[Anonymous]

I think Ireland might be a nice choice. The Irish tend to be kind to the elderly. Maybe stay in a couple of B&B's and just enjoy the countryside?

[Anonymous]

I posted recently about Viking river cruises -- we are dong one next year with my elderly dad who has limited mobility. Seems like a good compromise and there shouldn't be too much seasickness since it's a river -- not the same kind of rolling motion.