Due to the lack of resources available on traveling with aging parents, author and travel connoisseur Valerie M. Grubb has written the informative new book, Planes, Canes, and Automobiles: Connecting with Your Aging Parents through Travel (Greenleaf Book Group, October 2015). Chronicling the ups and downs of intergenerational travel, Grubb provides a wealth of information and engaging stories to help everyone plan a stress-free family vacation and handle any problems that may arise.

Grubb offers advice on the emotional aspects of travel, “how-to” tips on physically getting around, and suggestions for where to go and what to do when you get there!Valerie Grubb’s Planes, Canes and Automobiles: Connecting with Your Aging Parents through Travel. If the thought of vacationing with your parents makes you cringe, fear no more! Help is here! Planes, Canes, and Automobiles: Connecting with Your Aging Parents through Travel is a gold mine of practical advice, funny anecdotes, and tales of triumphs and travails from Val Grubb, who has traveled more than 300,000 miles (and counting!) with her 84-year old mother over the past twenty years. When planning a recent trip overseas, however, Grubb realized that her mom’s physical and mental capabilities had suddenly changed. Her mom now needed a wheelchair, for example, and was afraid to travel alone (even on short flights to meet her daughter for a long trip together). Grubb set out to find suggestions for handling these changes and after much research was struck by the lack of resources to help people plan vacations with an aging friend or family member. She couldn’t find any comprehensive information that shed light on the nuances of globetrotting with aging parents.

As the Baby Boomer generation continues to age, more American adults now bring their elderly parents on vacation with them than ever before. However, planning the logistics, activities, and itinerary for a vacation suitable for family members of different ages, interests, and physical abilities can be a hassle and a near-impossible task.

Informative and insightful, Planes, Canes, and Automobiles also examines
• Developing Strong Bonds: How traveling can create stronger bonds between you and your parents in ways that no number of phone calls and emails can ever equal
• Choosing a Location That Suits Everyone’s Interests: How to pick a vacation spot that all ages and interests can enjoy
• Dealing with Medical Concerns: The best ways to manage medical issues and crises while on vacation
• Changing Capabilities: Tips for traveling with your parents after their physical and mental capabilities begin to falter
• Forgetting the Past and Moving Forward: Techniques for “letting go” of the emotional baggage from your childhood and enjoying your time away together
• Asking and Listening: Why you should never treat your parents as children even when you’re the decision maker
• Prioritizing Alone Time: How to build downtime into your schedule regardless how busy you are