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October 16, 2007
Design for elderly travel
At Milan's Centrale FS on my usual commute to Turin yesterday, I saw an elderly couple on the escalator parallel to mine. The man had on a blue batik shirt that caught my eye, and something about they were dressed and carried themselves gave me the impression that they were seasoned travelers. We chatted on our way to our respective train platforms; their train was next to mine.
The man had bought the shirt in Malaysia, he spoke basic bahasa Indonesia, and I was the second person in Milan that morning that had asked him about his shirt. They are Swiss Germans and were heading back home that day after spending time in Italy.
I love seeing older generations actively traveling; this couple seemed to be in their late 60s-early 70s and although they seemed active and healthy and independent, I wonder if in some ways they had needs still unfulfilled in today's travel context. Interesting subject to explore further. I hope when I'm their age, I'll still be traveling around like them.
In the meantime, I'll be digging up old posts on the elderly on the Putting People First blog.
Posted by Yasmina at October 16, 2007 04:06 PM
