Traveling abroad with elderly parents in Japan was tougher than with toddlers

The author, Ash Jurberg, surprised his 78-year-old parents in Tokyo by posing as their volunteer guide, having invented a free guide program. He navigated challenges including Tokyo's complex train system (using taxis instead), queuing for food while his parents rested, and managing their slower pace and phone habits. Despite difficulties like longer breaks and his parents' physical limitations (poor eyesight, vertigo), they visited key sites like Shibuya Crossing and enjoyed local foods. The author reflects that the trip was more demanding than traveling with toddlers but ultimately rewarding, and regrets not having taken such a trip 20 years earlier when his parents were more mobile.