
Travelling all over Korea + Singapore, either alone or elderly Mother in tow.
Hey! I'm Zhen, food bloggger over at Greedygirlgourmet (Asian recipes) and now a travel blogger too!
I actually have a MBA but I decided to take a HUGE paycut and not to continue on the rat race because:
- I hate corporate life
- more importantly, I wanted a job that would allow me flexibility to spend more time with my elderly parents (They're divorced and I'm an only child, so I need 2 times as much time to take care of them! That's also why I started this blog- I wanted to help other people travel more easily with their elderly relatives. My Mom stayed with and took care of her Mom for over 30 years, so we have lots of experience. (Or to help independent seniors plan comfortable holidays in Asia! As an only child to a Asian senior, I can tell you that independence in senior citizens is undervalued.)
- True story to highlight how dependent some Asian elders can be: my Aunt once told me I should be grateful that my Mom can board a plane to UK alone! I mean, honestly, we'd already been to the country over 20 times!! (And she's fit and mobile! And English is the only language she speaks!))
I moved back to Asia (Singapore) after 11 years in the UK and experienced SERIOUS re-adjustment issues. So, I decided to start this Asia travel site to help me fall back in love with my home region (and hopefully to eventually make money!)
Being too old for backpacking, and because I usually travel with elderly relatives (75-80+ years of age)- what can I say, only child + single parent + Asian is not a good formula for independence! (My friends always ask me "Is your Mother coming too??" :P)- I realised there's a lack of information about how to travel with seniors in Asia.
For example, I love visiting Korea- we've visited around 10 times now- but it is not the easiest place to travel with mobility-challenged seniors! (Here are some travel tips for Korea if it's your first time there.)
Where possible, I highlight the tips for senior travel in gold.
Tips for solo travelers are in pink!
And general travel tips are in blue!
So Alovelettertoasia will be all about travelling COMFORTABLY in Korea, Singapore and Taiwan (eventually), with seniors (my 3 favorite Asian countries.) For traveling UK by train, head over to TJtakesthetrain instead.
I also do a series of YouTube videos on how to travel with seniors in other countries, covering:
- 5 reasons why seniors will HATE the country (such as this "5 reasons why seniors will hate Lisbon" and the "5 reasons why seniors will hate Busan" video above)
- 5 reasons why seniors will LOVE the country
(As there are so many different types of elderly people- some are more adventurous, some have mobility issues etc etc- watching both videos will help you decide if the location works for you!)
disclaimer
Do note that I am not responsible for the results of any of the activities that you try after reading about them on this blog, which you try at your own risk. By voluntarily trying any of the activities mentioned on www.alovelettertoasia.com, you assume the risk of any potential injury.
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