Preparation for your trip
Compared to the young travelers, seniors are more affordable to explore new places on their bucket list. Mongolia is great destination for senior by its beautiful nature, least crowded and peaceful places, as well as respecting elders is a traditional virtue. Most of the destinations in Amicus tours itineraries are good places to experience nomadic life, culture and natural scenery and suitable for general interest tourists.
We round up some useful information in the following below to help senior to have better and comfortable travel destination and experience.
How to Choose Travel Destination?
Accommodation
Firstly, accommodations are very important during the trip. Having enough energy for the trip depends on good sleep and comfortable bed. So the clean and well accommodated hotels and tourist camps will effect well to travel experience. In the city, the places where are near to the city center and some medicals and shops are fine for senior travelers. Our company carefully choose travel accommodations, based on our research, our experience, and feedback from clients, to provide the best combination of high-quality accommodations, affordability, and convenient location.
Moreover, we highly suggest to rule out of the itinerary with overnight at nomadic family or destinations with high altitude. Karakorum, Erdenezuu, Bayanzag, Gobi Desert are good, while high altitude destinations like Northern area of Mongolia (if the tour includes a lot of trekking) are not recommended for senior travelers. Staying overnight at nomadic family is probably be hard on seniors because there is no restaurant and flush toilets.
At the camps, there are accommodations based on two people sharing one room with twin beds. If a guest would like to have one ger for his/her own, let your tour company know in advance. Also check whether the tourist camp you will stay forbid guests to make noise after 10pm because some local tourists tend to sing in camp’s karaoke at night.
Majority of tourist camps consists of 20-30 Gers (Mongolian traditional yurt), a large Ger restaurant and some entertainment facilities. Each Ger has 2-4 beds. Also there are a table, chairs and a wood-stove. There is no guarantee that all camps have separated toilets in each ger. But western standard flush toilets and showers located in separate blocks from the Ger accommodations as public.
Transportation
Secondly, transportation and road condition are important. As mentioned before, the most tourist destinations are for general interest tourists, so the road is not much harsh but there are many bumps. We recommend seniors to get a flight to far places like Gobi Desert or Khuvsgul Lake. Furthermore, there are some destinations where the vehicles cannot come off, tourists need to do some trekking. To avoid this, ask and request to the tour company.
Food
Senior people have more sensitive tummies and many of them are restricted from sweet, spicy and greasy food. To maintain a good health condition, companies suggest to senior travelers to have light food in the travel. Traditionally Mongolians eat meat, dairy products and vegetables such as onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, cabbages and turnips. Nomads in countryside drink milk tea, fermented mares’ milk and an alcohol made of fermented and distilled cow milk. If the host give you a drink, taste it first like sip a little, wait, repeat it and see whether the drink suits for you. However, Mongolian diet is quite westernized and during your stay in Mongolia you will be served with authentic Mongolian and European style meals in tourist camps.
Medication
There is a chance that travelers can’t purchase the same medicine they usually take at home in Mongolia. So taking extra medicine with you is very. Try to write down your medicine names and find out the medication name you take in Mongolian if possible. Visitors should be better to take medicines for air and car sickness, jet lag, diarrhea, acute gastritis and allergy. Band-Aid is also necessary when you get small cut.
Money and Valuable items
Normally, senior people seems to carry more valuables than youngers. As for cash and credit cards, travelers need to split them into several pockets, and for small purchases you pay on the road, put a small amount of money into your wallet. It is guided to keep your nice and expensive jewelry and watches at a minimum amount. wearing expensive jewelries and watches in travel probably will make you a more obvious target of thieves.
Shoes
Sport wear is suitable for any trip. Athlete shoes are the best for travel when you need to walk a lot, also flats are good too. Shoes with heels are not recommended.
Practical tips
Check Weather before You Go! It is better to check weather condition and pack suitable clothes before you leave for Mongolia. Even it is summer in Mongolia, take some long sleeve clothes for many places may have a big temperature difference in day and night
