From taking a trip with their grandchildren across the country, to living out dreams in far, exotic destinations, today's seniors are choosing to enjoy their golden years traveling.

Staying safe and being prepared when traveling is more important than ever for this age group. Here are some special considerations for senior travelers looking for a hassle-free travel experience.

1. Visit your doctor

All travelers should plan carefully to ensure their health and safety while away. However, older people have a few extra concerns. As a senior, your health is very important and no one ever wants to get sick or injured on vacation.

See your doctor for a complete medical check-up, this is especially important if you have coronary heart disease, hypertension or any other chronic condition, or if you have recently undergone surgery or experienced a heart attack.

Schedule a checkup with your doctor before any major trip to discuss the activities you plan to do, and get written prescriptions for any medications you may need. Keep your prescriptions in their original containers so that they can be identified properly. Discuss any particular health concerns you may have, such as dietary changes and the possible impact of different eating habits on your specific condition.

If you are taking large amounts of medication with you, then you will need to take a letter of explanation from your doctor. People with diabetes will need medical advice on how to safely stagger their medications to fit a different time zone.

Organize travel insurance with pre-existing illness cover if needed.

2. Pack carefully

When packing for a trip, it's important to be prepared.  

Make sure your carry-on bag contains everything you will need for the duration of the flight.

Include a medical kit in your carry-on bag. Items to consider include regular medications, painkillers, antacids and band-aids.

It might be a good idea to take along a pillbox with compartments for different days of the week. Being away from home (and your usual routine) could make you more likely to forget to take your medication.

It may be easier if you use a suitcase with wheels.

Pack a spare pair of glasses.

Some packing essentials include a comfortable pair of shoes, a hat and sunglasses to protect the face, clothing that you can wear in layers and any necessary personal items. Multi-purpose items are always smart to pack and limit the weight of your suitcase.

3. Taking care of yourself while during a layover in Shanghai

Allow an easy day or two to recover from jet lag. 

Don't draw up a jam-packed itinerary for each and every day of your holiday --- arrange for plenty of rest breaks, particularly in hot weather. Contact us to customize your Shanghai layover tour according to your physical strength, time and interests.

Top attractions worth recommending to senior tourists in Shanghai layover tour

Yu Garden

Bund

Former French Concession

Shanghai Museum

Jade Buddha Temple

Nanjing Road

If you don't have acrophobia, you still can enjoy this vibrant city scenery from the top of modern buildings. You know, there are so many towering buildings scatter in the Lujiazui New Area. If you want to explore nearby water town, Suzhou or Hangzhou, check with us and make the best Shanghai layover tour itinerary for you!