Looking back, there are a few mistakes I made while traveling internationally with my grandma. Emily Schlorf 2025-05-13T14:12:01Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? In summer 2024, I traveled with my grandma, mom, and sister to Montreal. I wish I'd thought more about my grandma's physical needs when planning the itinerary. It would've been nice to have more downtime in our schedule, too. Despite living 1,800 miles apart, my 81-year-old grandma and I have always been close. We share a love for "Downton Abbey," cross-stitch, and strong coffee, and I couldn't imagine spending weeks in the summer anywhere but her sunny kitchen table in central Minnesota.Of course, I'd be naive to assume my time with her is unlimited. That's one reason my grandma, mom, sister, and I decided to embark on a trip to Montreal together last summer.Although I'm grateful we were able to take this trip, it could have gone a lot smoother had I known these three things about traveling with an older relative. The itinerary should have reflected everyone's physical needs, not just my own I should've considered how long it would take my grandma to get to excursions like our afternoon tea. Emily Schlorf I'm the most frequent traveler in my family, so I took on all the planning myself and approached the task the same way I do for solo travel: leaving no stone unturned.I thought my grandma would be well-prepared for the long days, given that she walks 3 miles a day and eats a far more balanced diet than I do.What I failed to consider, though, was how difficult it would be for her to walk on the uneven cobblestone streets. On our first day in the city, we nearly missed an afternoon tea reservation since I didn't factor in the slower pace we'd have to take to accommodate my grandma's careful steps.I also didn't realize just how exhausting a full-day Three Pines tour would be. Although fantastic — with stops at a monastery, local museum, and five-star resort for lunch — our visit to the villages that inspired the fictional location of my grandma's favorite mystery series was nine hours long. My family and I went on a nine-hour tour of Three Pines. Emily Schlorf As the day progressed, we took turns snoozing in the back seat of our tour guide's van. Upon arriving back at the bed and breakfast, my grandma exclaimed how long of a day it was; and I didn't disagree.Similarly, I didn't consider my grandma's physical limitations when choosing restaurants. Although they weren't lacking in ambiance — picture patios swallowed in bougainvillea and cool, brutalist interiors overlooking Lake Saint Louis — the dim lighting and small font sizes made it challenging for her to read the menu.My mom, sister, and I mitigated my grandma's vision issues by taking turns reading the menu aloud, line by line, but that got old fast.In retrospect, I wish I'd shown up equipped with solutions, such as finding the menu online so she could zoom in on my phone or reminding her to bring her readers, to improve everyone's dining experience. A long trip means extended time away from routinesEveryone gets to a point on vacation when they're ready to return home, but I would argue that the feeling is stronger for older adults like my grandma, who travel once or twice a year and may be used to a strict daily routine.Although my grandma never expressed this feeling to me outright, I noticed as the days went on, she became less game for her granddaughters' plans.For example, on our last evening, my sister and I wanted to check out the shops lining Saint-Laurent Boulevard, but my grandma preferred to have takeout in the hotel.We compromised, and my sister and I walked to the boulevard to pick up dinner, but we ditched our shopping plan since we felt bad keeping my mom and grandma waiting.I wish we'd had more downtime together One of my favorite memories from the trip was when we spontaneously visited a speakeasy. Emily Schlorf Instead of jam-packing every day with new experiences, I wish I'd taken my foot off the gas as the trip progressed — for my grandma's sake as well as my own.As we reached days five and six of the trip, my excitement for the activities I planned dwindled, and I found myself wishing I hadn't planned them at all.Besides, the memories I cherish most from the trip weren't the museums or guided tours, they were the unplanned ones: a shared bottle of wine with our bed and breakfast hosts, a visit to an outdoor antique market, and a nightcap at a speakeasy.Despite the challenges, I'd love to travel with my grandma again I would love to go on another trip with my grandma. Emily Schlorf To anyone contemplating a multigenerational trip, I say do it, but be more considerate than I was. Take time to plan the trip together, think of everyone's needs, and be content with slowing down.Strolling through the city hand-in-hand with my grandma, I learned that it's OK to leave some stones unturned, because the real joy comes from who you're turning them with. Recommended video

A former Rockstar Games developer that has previously worked on Grand Theft Auto 4 has said that the studio should work on a remaster of the game. Responding to social media X users asking him a question about rumours surrounding a GTA 4 remaster, former technical director at the studio Obbe Vermeij said that it should happen, considering other successful remasters in recent times. “I hadn’t heard those rumours,” posted Vermeij on X. “I think GTA IV should be remastered. It’s a great game and there have been a number of successful remasters recently.” Vermeij also wrote about wanting to see GTA 4 protagonist Niko Bellic return in some form, saying that he is still the best protagonist of the franchise in his opinion. “I would like to see it updated,” Vermiej responded to a post asking his thoughts. “Niko is still the best protagonist in any GTA game I think.” Rumours about a remastered release of Grand Theft Auto 4 first started making the rounds all the way back in November 2021. The rumours came in light of the at-the-time recent release of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition. At the time, the rumours indicated that the remaster would be released in 2023 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and that it would include the Episodes from Liberty City expansions as a bundle. However, 2023 is a long time ago when it comes to video game releases, and Rockstar Games has still been quiet on the matter. While smaller rumours kept popping up here and there, they started coming back in earnest this year. A more recent rumour, courtesy of known Rockstar Games insider Tez2, indicated that a port for modern platforms is still in the works. Taking to the GTA Forums, Tez2 said that Grand Theft Auto 4 is being ported to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and that work on the ports had been going on for more than a year. While the post didn’t reveal too many details, it did indicate that Rockstar might be looking to tide fans of GTA 6 over in light of its recent delay to May 26, 2026 by releasing the GTA 4 port later this year. The insider also said that the GTA 4 port would be part of a larger plan by Rockstar to also release a remaster of Max Payne 3 down the line. The latter would be released in time with Remedy’s current work on remaking the original Max Payne games. “Someone at R* hinted at the [GTA] IV port, and by now it should’ve gone up a year in development.+,” he wrote. “We may end up seeing it drop later this year. And it’s one more reason, in addition to existing reasons, the LCPP mod was taken down. If they still follow their plan laid out from the pandemic days, they’ll do an MP3 port after IV. So that is an opportunity to do a bundle or a Definitive Edition. Max Payne 1 & 2 remakes, and a Max Payne 3 port.” Grand Theft Auto 4 was originally released back in 2008 on Xbox 360 and PS3. It has since also been released on PC, where it can still be played on modern systems alongside its Episodes from Liberty City story expansions. I hadn't heard those rumours. I think gtaIV should be remastered. It's a great game and there have been a number of successful remasters recently.— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) May 12, 2025 I would like to see it updated. Niko is still the best protagonist in any gta game I think.— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) May 13, 2025