Family travel · Chronic pain · Sandwich generation

Sandwich-Generation Family Travel Guide & Checklist

How to survive family travel without breaking your body.

You’re packing for kids, maybe helping parents, clearing work deadlines, and quietly wondering whether your back, knees or migraines will cope with another “holiday” that is really logistics with sunshine. This guide turns that mix of love, duty and pain into a calmer, body-aware plan.

TL;DR — What matters most

If you only have 2–3 spoons to plan, start here:

Protect travel days: ask for assistance, divide roles with your partner, and keep bags light for your joints.
Limit ambition: one “headline” activity per day, everything else optional – especially after flights or long drives.
Block real rest: schedule at least one lie-down window daily where you are off-duty and guilt-free.
Stick to your meds: use alarms and a day-of-travel pouch so doses aren’t lost in kid chaos and time zones.
Have a flare rescue plan: heat/cold, rescue meds, quiet space and a Plan B family activity if you need to tap out.

Parents living with chronic pain

Economy seats, tight budgets

Harm reduction · Pacing · Energy management

1. Before you say “yes” to the trip

Not every trip is automatically a good idea just because flights are cheap or school is on break. When you live with chronic back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, CRPS, migraines or a mix of all of the above, the first step is to ask: “Is this trip workable for my body this year?”

Look at three layers together:

Your body: recent flares or hospital visits, new meds, clot risk, unfinished treatment.
The trip: long-haul flights, multiple connections, stairs-only accommodation, heat/cold, demanding relatives.
Flexibility: can plans be slowed, split or adapted without family meltdown or major cost?

If 2–3 of those are “red”, it’s a sign to adjust the plan or delay. TBL’s Decision Hub exists specifically for that “Should we even go?” moment.

2. The logistics of pain on travel days

Travel days are where many sandwich-generation travellers spend most of their spoons: rush, queues, lifting, keeping everyone organised. A few adjustments can save you from a Day 2 or Day 3 crash.

Divide roles on purpose

You handle meds, documents and “body admin”.
Your partner or another adult handles heavy luggage and kid herding.
Use airport assistance even if you “look fine” – you are protecting your body for the rest of the week.

Make economy seats more survivable

Spend money where it counts: an aisle or extra-legroom seat on the longest leg.
Use a small lumbar cushion and a folded jumper under your thighs if hips or knees complain.
Set a gentle alarm every 60–90 minutes to move, stretch, or walk the aisle when the seatbelt sign is off.
Stay ahead of headaches and swelling: water, light food, easy clothing, and compression socks if your doctor recommends them.

Body-saving mindset: you are not trying to “earn” your seat by suffering in silence. You are trading small adjustments now for fewer days lost to flares later.

3. While you’re there: pacing for a real human, not a brochure

Most marketing assumes unlimited energy and no pain. Your trip can’t be planned like that. Success for you is not “we did everything”; it’s “we had real moments and my body wasn’t destroyed”.

Rules of thumb that work for my patients

1 headliner per day: one main thing (beach, museum, outing). Everything else is filler and optional.
Daily lie-down block: a real rest in a quiet room with your body horizontal, not “resting” in a noisy lounge.
Early warning signs: brain fog, snappiness, clumsiness are often your “10-minute warning” before pain spikes.
Plan B options: one low-demand fallback the family can enjoy if you need to tap out (pool, movie afternoon, board games).

4. Coming home & the recovery week

Many sandwich travellers forget that the trip doesn’t end at baggage claim. You still have laundry, work emails, school schedules and maybe medical appointments. Protect recovery like you protect travel days.

Keep the first 48–72 hours after returning as light as you reasonably can.
Get your meds back onto their usual schedule and check refills.
Plan gentle movement (short walks, stretches) rather than abruptly “collapsing” and then over-correcting.
Take five minutes to jot: “What worked? What broke me? What would I change next time?” and keep it with your TBL notes.

Sandwich-Generation Travel Checklist

A phase-by-phase list you can skim on your phone or print. Use the boxes as visual anchors – no perfection needed.

Phase 1 – 3–4 weeks before departure

Set the foundation with your body, your clinician and your route.

Ask your clinician: “Is this trip medically reasonable this year?” – share itinerary, diagnoses, recent flares and clot risk.
Request a one-page medical summary + travel letter (diagnoses, meds with generic names, devices, fitness-to-travel note if needed).
Check destination rules for your key meds, especially stronger painkillers or injectables.
Decide your pain-saving budget: where can you afford an upgrade (seat, luggage, hotel access) that genuinely protects your body?

Phase 2 – 7–10 days before departure

Turn plans into concrete supports.

Organise at least 1.5–2× the meds you expect to use (within legal limits), split between two bags in case of loss.
Build your economy survival kit: lumbar cushion, soft scarf, eye mask, earplugs, brace/support you already use, compression socks if advised, refillable bottle.
Confirm airport assistance / wheelchair if you need help with standing or walking long distances.
Choose seats strategically: prioritise aisle or extra-legroom on the longest leg.
Check accommodation access: lift vs stairs, bed type, bathroom access, distance from main activity areas.
Have a 15-minute pacing talk with your partner about dividing kid care, luggage and “body admin”.

Phase 3 – Day before travel

Make travel day as light as possible.

Pack a small day-of-travel meds pouch in your personal item with everything you need from leaving home to reaching accommodation.
Print or save your medical summary and travel letter in an easy-to-find folder on your phone.
Prepare snacks/hydration that don’t trigger your pain or migraines (simple foods, plenty of water).
Plan a low-demand arrival dinner (room service, supermarket picnic, simple local option).
Block your first full rest window into your calendar for early in the trip.

Phase 4 – Airport & flight

Real-time body protection.

Use assistance or priority lanes without apology; you are preserving energy and joints for later in the trip.
Keep meds in your personal item, not overhead; declare liquids as requested.
Use your seat supports from take-off, not just when pain appears.
Move every 60–90 minutes when safe: ankle pumps, knee stretches, short aisle walks.
Go gently on alcohol and very heavy meals; they can worsen pain, swelling and sleep.

Phase 5 – During the stay

Protect the days you actually came for.

Choose one headliner activity per day; treat everything else as optional.
Protect a daily lie-down rest window in a quiet space – not multitasking on a couch with noise.
Use your flare-rescue tools early: heat/cold, gentle stretches, meds as directed, short walks and a quieter environment.
Keep one agreed Plan B activity for the family if you need to bow out (pool, card games, movie afternoon).

Phase 6 – Return & recovery week

Give your body a softer landing.

Keep the 2–3 days after you get home as light as you can; avoid stacking big events or deadlines there if possible.
Resume your usual meds schedule and check that you have enough for the next weeks.
Gently reintroduce movement and sleep routines rather than swinging from “all activity” to “total collapse”.
Capture 3 bullets: “What helped?”, “What hurt?”, “What will I do differently next time?” and keep that with your TBL tools.

This guide and checklist are not about making you a “perfect traveller”. They are about helping you come back saying, “I did this differently – and my body, and my people, noticed.”