I Travel All Over Europe With My 70-year-old Mom, and We Won't Go Anywhere Without These 12 Essentials

Travel + Leisure

a day ago

As an adult, I've always found traveling with a parent feels a little backwards. Suddenly, I've become the checker-inner, holder of passports, navigator of security, and hailer of cabs. And I love it! Finally, I can repay my guardians for not misleading me at Orlando or Palma Airports or the service stations of deepest Wales; never did I realize until now how much responsibility comes with the role of leading a group on a trip. Being in full control of the itinerary and preparation, I need to ensure we are packed weather-accordingly and that we have ample safety measures in place. I like to factor in sufficient entertainment for slow afternoons, long delays, or times where we're getting on each other's nerves.
With ageing comes a little slowdown; these days, when we travel together, we'll be in our twin beds at 9:30 pm with a face mask on. And after two ankle surgeries, my mom officially qualifies as disabled in many situations, so I have to think ahead and alert airport staff as to any mobility assistance if she's having a bad day on her feet. Both my parents have separately mentioned their anxieties with travel, especially as they get older. Being the self-appointed boss, I make sensible playlists and include travel accessories like a lightweight pop-up stool for sightseeing days, as well as some other comforts to make away from home feel not just luxurious, but safe, too.
My mom and I opt for this Sweden luggage brand's popular carry-ons when we fly together. They have a polycarbonate shell with aluminium for durability, plus secure lock clicks and a lightweight design. The strip of color at the top of each bag makes it easier to spot on the luggage belt; I like everything being easier to locate when my mom and I have our objects in tow in a foreign place.
I also live in a different part of the U.K. than my mother and like to get to the airport a little later than her. The smooth, 360-degree silent spinner wheels and easy maneuverability let me whip through security and the terminal at lightning speed to meet her at a bar near our gate for our first wine. Plus, the modular interiors include sets of compression straps and a compression pad so you can fit more inside, and the slim zipped interior pockets and washable fabric just add to the bag's functionality.
Backpacks are my favorite cabin bag to travel with; they tend to be far more practical and balanced on the shoulders than a weekender, and I can use it during our travels, too, so I can tote everything around and save my mom the chore of carrying things. This Cotopaxi backpack is my top choice, and I adore its washability, durability, and noticeable colors in a crowd (which is important when my mom and I lose each other in the company of discount shoes and handbags, or we're in haggling mode).
I love that I can pack in an organized fashion with this backpack, thanks to the zip panels and divided sections; we both usually take extra clothes, toiletries, and medicines in our hand luggage when flying, and this backpack has plenty of room for it all and more. Also, I've found it's good to have my laptop handy to instantly sort out any changes in the schedule, rebook anything last minute, or look up something on a bigger screen than my phone. This bag fits a 15-inch laptop, and overall, it has a large 35-liter capacity.
This handy portable stool with padding and a fun cover and carry bag is very sturdy and durable for those times when the queue to the Doge's Palace, another basilica, or that much-lauded secret trattoria requires patiently, sweatily, hungrily waiting for as much as 45 minutes. My mom gets a little tired in the ankle department following two surgeries, so having somewhere to just nicely pop a squat during a busy day of sightseeing is game-changing, and not pushing herself too much avoids later friction and arguments. Basically, it's a win-win.
We've done a few trips that have had multiple train journeys, and sometimes that means leaving luggage at the far end of a carriage from where we're sitting—which sends a shiver down our paranoid spines. These Bluetooth trackers assure us of the whereabouts of our stuff at all times, and I love seeing how impressed mum is with some light travel tech. Clunky padlocks and lost keys no more—though I do always use the built-in luggage locks, too, for extra protection. We've also found that leaving these trackers in our handbags can be super useful if we're caught up at the market or in a busy resort.
My mom basically ironed everything of mine to perfection, from tie to underwear, for a good decade. The least I can do now is not show up at our glam little vacation lunches like a crumpled bag of dusty linen. There's always a need for steam, and I honestly think my mum cares more about this than any other personal upkeep. Ergo this travel steamer, at the ready at the flip of a switch when we unpack at our hotel. One charge carries up to eight minutes of continuous steam, and it's easy to use, small to pack, and comes with a bag.
This pretty Owala water bottle is the perfect solution, and its huge 40-ounce capacity might just be enough to one day convert my mom from her bottled Evian habit. So often, there's access to good, clean drinking water at taps around airports and even cities. Saving money and plastic is always incentivized by the idea of having more room in the budget on the other side, and if we do happen to be a rush, we can avoid that heinous duty free queue for water and just go swan through our boarding gate to our seats.
This genius product fits cups for both of us, whether it's the aforementioned water or iced coffees at the airport. This travel cup holder helps me get around the airport without ever having to put my beverage down on public surfaces or tables; I like to keep anything I'm putting near my face—phone, headphones, pillow, drink—away from these often unhygenic surfaces. My mom agrees—we like to bond over our attention to hygiene; it's like the beginning of the vacation for us!
The Kodak moments of the '90s gave way to some of my favorite family vacation pictures. Mom and I love to cherish the moments we get just us, and this Polaroid SpiceCam lets me get snaps of us instantly. It can also be nice to take pictures of people you make friends with on trips—taverna owners, random families on boats, saucy waiters—and hand them over as a memento. These slick little credit-card size prints are great post-trip memorabilia for the fridge back home. The FujiFilm Mini 12 Camera Lilac Purple is super cute and features a Fujinon 60mm f/12.7 Lens, auto exposure, and flash, plus extra film. My mom insisted I take her to Tivoli in Copenhagen a couple of summers ago, and we still have the cutest pictures of us there.
This lightweight, mineral-based, oil, oxybenzone- and octinoxate-free Shiseido sunscreen formula is the best I've ever tried. Maybe I'll never even look sixty in my skin with a lifetime of this gorgeously smooth fluid, which also smells incredible. It's clinically proven to smooth lines and even skin tone within a fortnight, and it includes a protective technological veil that's boosted by heat, water, and sweat. It even regenerates its properties when thinned by movement or chafing for a long-lasting, even coverage. Typically, when away, we have early coffee and a light breakfast, exercise, then apply our sunscreen fifteen minutes before hitting the outdoors.
Available in grapefruit, rosemary, and eucalyptus scents, these organic Japanese shampoo bars are ideal for travel and all hair types—which is especially good when you're traveling together with minimum luggage and fluids. We avoid most hotel shampoos and soaps at all times; heavily perfumed soapy goods aggravate our sensitive skin types. This rice shampoo bar is also free from sulfates, parabens, artificial fragrances, and dyes and claims to stimulate hair growth, strengthening each strand from the outside in with the Japanese rice water formula. I've used other liquid rice peptide-based shampoos if that's more your speed—the unscented Phyto is a great choice. It's a classic French pharmacy brand that you can pick up in person at a lot of places, should you be on your travels in France.
My mom hasn't taken many trains around Europe, so last summer, I was determined to do take her to her dream city of Venice and catch a few trains north to the lakes. I even asked the cards for advice on where to go. We ended up heading through Verona and up to Garda, and while the heavens gave us mostly thunderstorms, it was a beautiful journey of slow travel. I love to carry a deck on train trips, as it can give rise to some really fruitful realizations and chats. This classic Rider-Waite deck is the one for travel when I can't cart my huge Dali deck and book around.
As I mentioned before, my mother and I both suffer from different sensitive skin conditions. One thing that can affect a flare-up is the strong and starchy detergent used by hotels, and complimentary robes can cause quite an issue for us (bedding doesn't seem to be much of an issue while wearing pajamas and towels are used too briefly). If I'm on a trip where there's a lot of lounging or spa-ing, I've taken to bringing my own linen robe. This Danish brand is superior in my opinion; it has all organic materials and is entirely sustainable and environmentally-conscious. I love the distinctly Japandi vibe with a 'One-of-a-Kind' concept that reimagines and mends damaged or unsellable pieces from production and shops into truly unique Aiayu pieces. Their pieces are excellent investments that significantly enhance any trip. Some people reserve space in their luggage for copious pairs of shoes or bikinis; I just need to ensure my rolled-up robe in its linen bag is coming with—and one for my mom, of course.
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