Are you a snowbird? You aren’t alone! Millions of seniors hit the road or fly the friendly skies every year, headed toward warmer places for the winter.
Vacations Made Easy provides a wealth of trivia about snowbirds, including the fact that the word originated in or around 1923, when it referred to seasonal workers who moved south for the winter. By the 1970s, it had come to represent seniors and elderly adults who chose to flock to the southern states for warmth during the wintertime, like birds migrating to better climates.1
Today, the majority of snowbirds are between the ages of 50 and 69, and they will often turn into “sunbirds,” meaning that eventually they will choose to move their permanent residence to a warmer state and live out their golden years without worry about extreme cold, snow or ice.
If you’re one of those lucky seniors thinking about heading south for the winter, you’ll need to pack very carefully. Here are 10 great tips on what you need to prepare and take with you.
1. Gather Your Important Documents
Of course, carrying your ID or driver’s license with you is a day-to-day thing. But when you head to another state for a while, you might also need to bring along a passport (if you have one) or another form of photo ID, just in case. You will also need copies of prescriptions, insurance policies, any pertinent medical information (such as recent test results concerning a health condition you might need treatment for when you are away from home), and lists of emergency contacts.
Keep these documents in a small fire-resistant safe that you can take with you. By doing this, you know they are safe from hazards and you also never have to wonder where you put them.
2. Load Up on Medications
Though you can likely fill your prescriptions just fine wherever you’re going, it pays to be safe and know that you have what you need, when you need it. Many pharmacies allow you to fill your medications for three months at a time; that’s a good idea if you’re a snowbird. This works well for oral medications.
If you have medications that must be refrigerated or kept cool, make sure to use a cooler with ice packs for the journey south.
Finally, make sure your prescriptions are filled through a national chain, such as Walgreens or CVS, and that there are several of them wherever you are going. Though it’s wonderful to support your local pharmacy when you are home, it isn’t practical to get your meds from them when you are gone for several months. The national chains will transfer your scripts so you can pick them up while you are away.
3. Pack appropriate clothing.
The weather is changing wildly these last few years and it’s expected to get worse. So where you once could count on great weather throughout the winter, these days… well, be prepared for surprises.
For instance, consider Las Vegas, Nevada. This city in the middle of the desert is usually well above freezing, even on the coolest nights, and so snow might fall in the distant mountains but rarely in the city itself. But snow events in Sin City are getting more common, including a rare Valentine’s Day snowstorm in 2023 that left measurable snowfall on the Las Vegas Strip, according to video from Newsweek.2
Therefore, make a point of packing a light jacket, a sweater, and a few pairs of long pants, even if you’re going to a place like Hawaii or Costa Rica. With the crazy weather these days, you never know when something “unseasonal” will be the new seasonal.
4. Take a Medical Alert System with Fall Detection
A medical alert, or personal emergency response system, is a vitally important part of staying safe in your day-to-day life, and that includes during your time away from home. An on-the-go alert system for elderly adults with GPS and fall detection can provide you with the peace of mind that no matter where you go in the USA, you will have the security of accessing immediate help whenever you need it.
5. Pack the Little Essentials
Charging packs that can help on the journey (whether by car or plane), plenty of USB chargers for various items, your laptop charger, and even an adapter if you’re headed to another country are all good ideas.
You should also pack things that you might not think you need until the moment you need them. A supply of plastic grocery bags or ziplocs can come in handy for everything from packing dirty shoes to serving as an impromptu umbrella. Pack nightlights for wherever you are staying, a small first aid kit, and some batteries, just in case. A healthy array of snacks can help get you through the first night or so in your vacation home.
You should also pack a small bag of household items, such as a screwdriver, scissors, pens, paper, stamps, paperclips, tape, and more. You never know when you might need these tiny essentials.
It’s also an excellent idea to pack a small battery-powered carbon monoxide detector. Just like an emergency button alarm, this little gadget is inexpensive and could literally save your life. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that you can’t detect on your own until it is too late. According to the CDC, about 420 people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning.3A simple detector can help ensure you don’t become a statistic.
6. Look to Rental Information for Other Packing Essentials
If you are planning to rent a winter home like most snowbirds do, pay close attention to what is included. Will you need to bring your own linens? What about pots and pans? Though most rentals will offer plenty of what you need for a stay of a week or even two, when you’re looking at a whole winter, you might not have everything you need in the space.
Make a careful list of the things that you will need to bring to the rental and then make the decision on whether to purchase them there or bring them with you. In most cases, packing your favorite set of sheets or that white noise box you love so much makes a lot of sense.
7. Consider Shipping What You Need
If you are traveling by car, you might be able to fit everything you need into the backseat and trunk. But if you are traveling by plane, packing what you need for several months becomes rather tricky – and possibly quite expensive. It might be much cheaper to pack items in boxes and ship them to your destination. This can work especially well if you are in a stand-alone rental house instead of a condo. Get the owner’s permission to ship boxes directly to the house.
If you do ship what you need, make sure that you hold back on some of the essentials, such as medications and must-have pieces of clothing. The last thing you want is for your blood pressure medication to potentially get lost in the mail!
8. Bring Mementos from Home
Did you ever go to summer camp and get homesick? Having a little something to remind you of home can be a wonderful thing no matter how old you are. And though you might love the snowbird lifestyle, it’s a sure bet that from time to time, you will long for friends and family you left behind.
To help you through it, bring some things from home that you will enjoy looking at every day. Family photos are a great thing to pack, as are a few things that make you smile, such as that bracelet your grandson made for you or that painting your granddaughter made. Tuck these away in a safe place. Putting them with your important documents in that fire-resistant safe is ideal.
9. Don’t Forget About Your Hobbies
Are you an avid golfer? You will want to bring those clubs with you rather than buy or rent a set at your destination. Do you like to crochet? You can easily bring crochet hooks and pick up the yarn you need when you get there. Whatever your hobbies are, if they are portable, bring them. Though many snowbird destinations provide a wealth of fun, there will always be some downtime. You might even get bored! Hobbies can keep your mind sharp and your day filled with little pleasures. And thanks to online shopping, you can get things delivered to you virtually everywhere.
10. Let Everyone Know Where You’re Going
This isn’t so much a packing tip as a gentle reminder that those who love you want to know you’re okay. To that end, make sure they know where you are going, when you will leave, and when you expect to return. Keep in touch while you are out of town.
It also helps to assure them of your good health and safety. Though you are entirely capable and doing the things you love, they will still worry about you. A medical alert pendant can be one of the ways you assure them of your safety and security no matter where you are. You can even list them as a contact so that the monitoring center can get in touch with them if anything happens.
Now hit the road and enjoy the warmer weather down south!
