The United Arab Emirates for Senior Travelers

The short version

Few countries on this site are easier in later life. Nothing is far, the roads and airports are excellent, hotels are new, the Dubai metro is step-free and air conditioned, and the private healthcare is genuinely good. Three things need thought: the heat, the dune driving and the mountain road.

Pace and distance

Dubai to Abu Dhabi is about ninety minutes, Al Ain about the same, the east coast a couple of hours. A day out does not become an endurance event. Put the middle of the day indoors and let the evening be the active part, which is what everyone here does.

The dune driving

Sold alongside almost every desert trip, and genuinely violent: repeated drops and hard lateral movement. With a back or neck problem, a heart condition or recent surgery, decline it. You can still have the desert, the camp, the falconry and the sunset without the rollercoaster; ask the operator for exactly that rather than assuming it is offered.

The mountain road

The Hajar crossing to Fujairah is a long climb with sustained switchbacks. Fine for most people and unpleasant for anyone prone to motion sickness or anxious about exposure. Sit in the front, go in daylight, and build it as its own day rather than tacking it onto another.

Health, medication and insurance

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists routine vaccines for the UAE along with hepatitis A, typhoid and rabies, and routine cover is the half most often out of date in later life. Take comprehensive travel insurance, because private care here is excellent and is charged accordingly. Bring prescribed medication in original packaging with documentation, and obtain approval in advance for anything classed as controlled, which is a broader category than most people assume. See the packing list.

A note on the emirates

Rules vary between them, and the one most likely to catch a visitor out is alcohol: drinking or possessing it is illegal in Sharjah, which sits between Dubai and the northern emirates. See travel safety.

Verify Before You Travel

Medication and insurance guidance is on the FCDO entry requirements page. Next: accessibility.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: United Arab Emirates travel advice: the FCDO issues no advisory against travel to any part of the UAE. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: UAE entry requirements: the visitor visa issued free of charge on arrival, six months of passport validity, the medication approval rules and the penalties for working on a visit visa. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: UAE health: vaccination advice for travellers. Accessed 15 September 2026.
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Travelers’ Health, United Arab Emirates: routine vaccines, hepatitis A, typhoid and rabies. Accessed 15 September 2026.