Last Updated on May 8, 2022 by Tina
Last month, I went on a trip to Singapore with my mom. When she asked me to accompany her to Singapore, I was excited because I haven’t been out of the country since the pandemic started. But part of me was wondering how it was going to be because it will be the first time that we will be traveling together with just the two of us. Will it be smooth sailing or will there be a point where we’ll bicker? Aside from that petty incident at the airport on our flight back to Manila, everything actually went well. And since today is Mother’s Day, I thought of writing this post about how to travel with your mother as an adult and have a great time together.
How to Travel With Your Mother as an Adult
Select a destination that you both like.
This is the most crucial part of your trip planning. Make sure that the place you are visiting is something that you both like. This way, you will both look forward to the trip and will have a great time together.
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Ask her what she wants to see and do.
You’ve been together for most of your life so you probably know what her preferences are. But it doesn’t hurt to ask just to be sure. Especially if you haven’t been together for a long time. Things may have changed. For example, when I was planning our trip, I was thinking of not including Singapore Botanic Gardens in our itinerary because there will be a lot of walking. But when I asked her, she said she’ll be fine as she’ll be wearing her rubber shoes. She also told me she did a lot of walking too on a trip to Canada with her friends.
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Prepare an itinerary.
I may have said this already in my previous posts, but I will repeat it again. Having an itinerary saves you a lot of time and money. You may skip doing this if you are traveling alone. But if you’re traveling with your mom, you’ll be glad that you prepared one.
How do you do it? Prepare a spreadsheet of the things that you will do per day (including ticket fees) in the order that you will do it. You will need to check Google maps for this so that you could cluster the attractions that are near each other. It also helps if you include restaurant options. If you’re done, save it in Google Drive or your phone so you could access it anytime.
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Do things at her pace.
You’re probably used to traveling with so many activities planned out in a day. But you have to remember that your mom is getting older. She gets tired easily and will need to take plenty of breaks to recharge and relax her feet. If she wants to take pictures, wait for her. Don’t rush. Keep in mind that this trip is hers, not yours. Make sure your mom enjoys every minute of it. You’ve had your time when you were a child. Now it’s your mom’s turn.
Bring in a buffer.
After spending a few days being together, from the moment you wake up until you go to bed, you’ll probably run out of things to talk about and maybe get tired of seeing each other’s faces already. 😂 If you have a friend in the place you are visiting, meeting up with him or her is a good way to have a break from each other. And if you don’t, consider joining a group trip. This way, you and your mom will meet other people, and she will have somebody else to talk to other than you.
On our third day in Singapore, we met up with my college block mate, Walter. He treated us to brunch in Tiong Bahru Bakery in Fort Canning Park. I think my mom had a great time talking to him, and Walter did too (based on his IG story). And for dinner, we met with her godson and his family. It was a nice catch-up.
Offer to Take Pictures of Her.
I don’t know about your mom, but I know that my mom loves to take pictures and post them on Facebook. So I offered to take her pictures and even told her where to pose (based on what I’ve been seeing on Instagram). Of course I asked her to take my photos too and taught her how to take them. I think she is a better photographer now. 😀
Extra tip: While it’s nice to take her to the usual spots, take her also to places that are not too common. As we all know, in Singapore, the places that tourists usually visit are Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa Island, and Marina Bay. Aside from these places, I also brought her to Little India and Chinatown. She was very happy when she saw the House of Tan Teng Niah. She said she hasn’t seen pictures of it from her friends who have been to Singapore.
I may also have said many times in my previous posts that I prefer traveling alone, but surprisingly, I enjoyed my trip with my mom a lot. I found out a few things during the trip like she actually has a fear of heights 😀 and that one of the reasons she wanted to go to Singapore was because of me. We had a great mother-daughter bonding during that trip.
If you haven’t done this with your mom yet, I encourage you to do it. We aren’t getting any younger, and neither is your mom. Do it before it’s too late.
Thanks for the trip Mom and looking forward to our next trip together (maybe to Rome?) hehe. Happy Mother’s Day!
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