Absorbing the sites with seniors

Others have said senior citizens have taken good care of them. Narrating his experience, Cai said the senior citizens "gave me food, offered me health tips and shared their family stories with me".

They have so much life experience and have everything one might need during group tours, from scissors, nail-clippers to bowls and chopsticks. When you feel hungry, they offer you food, when you have a cold, they give you medicine. They even help you sterilize your slippers and toilet seat in hotels. It is like traveling with a group of babysitters, Cai said.

"More importantly, one can learn a lot from elderly people on tours. They are open-minded, free of pressure, free-spirited and living in the moment. You cannot help but be affected by them." However, traveling with elderly people can also be very tiring, because they are surprisingly more energetic than you expect them to be. And they never complain about tight schedules, Cai said.

Last June, Zhu Min, 22, traveled with a group of elderly people to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for eight days. She and her friend were the only two young people in the group. The trip has had a lasting impression on Zhu, who finds senior citizens very easy to get along with on tours.

"They are very nice and have strong social skills. Moreover, they never complain about long rides. Xinjiang is a vast region and traveling there can be very tiring, but you will never hear them say a word about it," Zhu said.

Happiness is writ large on their faces. They get pension and have all the time in the world to enjoy the tours. Since many have traveled to lots of places, they can do whatever they want, she said.

An elderly woman even offered Zhu career advice. Zhu was about to graduate from college and had done a three-month internship at an internet company. But she did not like the competitive atmosphere and busy schedule of the company, although the IT industry is known for high salaries and quick promotions.

"The lady told me that I am still too young to worry about work. She told me that I only need to follow my heart, and any decision I make will turn out to be great. She also reminded me that life is long and I should not dwell on a couple of months of unpleasant experiences," she said.

"I feel that since she has so much experience of life that nothing can bother her, so I followed her advice and chose to find work at a government institution, which suits me better," Zhu said.

Traveling is very important for Zhu. She usually plans for a trip months ahead and any time she thinks about it, she feels immensely happy. As the time of the trip comes closer, her happiness grows and although the trip itself is not always fun, she has accumulated some beautiful memories from them, she said.

In April, Wu Qiuchan, 33, too, traveled to Xinjiang with a senior citizens' group. She decided to sign up for the tour after watching social media posts on Xiaohongshu of other young people traveling with senior citizens.

Traveling with a group can save people the trouble of making plans or worrying about which places to visit. The key is to find a group with welcoming people, which is what senior citizens are, she said.

"One thing surprised me is how much older people like to make videos and share them on short video platforms like Douyin," Wu said.

Another common myth about older people is that they can be easily tricked by tour guides into buying things they do not need. They are too smart and savvy to be tricked by anyone, she said.

Moreover, most elderly people look five to 10 years younger than their real age. People who go on tours frequently are more alert and friendly, Wu said.

When people want to travel in the vast northwestern region of China, they prefer to go in a group to save the trouble of finding suitable transportation and hotels.

She said that she would prefer to travel with a senior citizens' group on a tour of the Tibet autonomous region.

Cai said he loves traveling and wants to continue to share his experiences with others on social media platforms.

"I will be very unhappy if I stay at my home for too long. I just want to go to different places and see things I have not seen before," he said.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, he managed to visit different places. Traveling has also made him more opened-minded. He is no longer obsessed with monetary gains, even though he likes making money, Cai said. "I want to live happily, stay positive and be realistic."

Thanks to his experience with senior citizens, Cai encourages young people to be more patient with their parents and grandparents. One might think older people have difficulty catching up in this age of the internet, but if young people teach them, they can learn things very fast, Cai said.