Many of us older folks spend years working for a living and providing for our families. The majority of us get paid vacation time, but how many of us end up spending many of those vacations at home, fixing this, that and the other. All we do is work for ourselves or take the time to actually relax.

My wife saw a program by Burt Wolf that talked about the benefits of traveling on vacation. He relayed several facts that you should find compelling, especially for many of us older folks, and keep in mind that this doesn’t mean just traveling abroad, but also includes domestic traveling.

He said that the Global Coalition on Aging found that upon returning from a vacation in which people traveled, they felt their health was better, their energy productive and focus had improved plus they were happier.

He also shared that traveling on vacation can also increase your lifespan according to the Framingham Heart Study who looked at 12,000 men who were at risk for heart disease and found that the men who did not take an annual vacation had a 32% greater risk of death at an earlier age.

Then Wolf shared 5 tips to consider before traveling that will help you enjoy and survive your travels. Here is a summation of those tips:

1) Find out what is going on at the place you are going to in terms of health and personal safety. Sometimes this information can be found online at the CDC (cdc.gov/travel). The site can tell you which vaccinations you need before traveling to a specific area (keep in mind that some vaccinations take up to 6 weeks to be effective, so plan in advance). Also check out the State Department at travel.state.gov, for information about areas you should not travel to. They also have the Smart Travelers Enrollment Program (step.state.gov/step) which enrolls your trip with the nearest US embassy or consulate in the country you are going to. This allows them to send you up-to-date information about anything happening in that area that may be a concern. It also allows the State Department to get in touch with you in the event of any emergency, such as civil unrest, natural disaster or with the family back home.

2) Check your medical insurance plan. Most policies don’t cover you once you leave the United States. Medicare is supposed to cover in-patient hospital care, ambulance services and dialysis in foreign hospitals, if the hospital is closer than the nearest US medical facility.

3) Check to see if you have enough of your medications before traveling as trying to get them abroad can be difficult, problematic and your insurance likely will not cover it. Best to take extra with you in case of any unplanned delays in getting home. Do this early so the drugstore you get your meds through has time to get them for you. Always take them in your carry-on bag so they are with you. Take a list of your medications – generic and brand names in case you need to get a medication in a foreign country as they often have different brand names. He suggested keeping that list on your mobile phone.

4) You need to prepare physically for your trip in advance. If you are going to be doing a lot of walking, then start walking at least two months in advance. If you visit some place that will require you to do a lot of steps or climbing, like the Mayan pyramids, prepare for that in advance. You should probably work on balancing, cardio, and stretching exercises in addition to walking. If you know you will be sitting for long periods, like on a long flight, wear compression socks to help the blood flow in your legs. Avoid a lot of fat-filled foods before flying as that will help slow blood flow in the legs. To help avoid jet lag, avoid alcoholic drinks and sugary foods or drinks.

5) Sometimes, eating foreign foods or drinking foreign drinks can trigger a food allergy you may not know you had. You also may be intolerant or sensitive to some kinds of foods. There is a test you can take in advance called the ALCAT Test that can help identify these issues before traveling.

Enjoy your next vacation and hopefully you’ll be able to do traveling, even if it is just in the US. Travel and live longer.