Pre China Trip Questions

OK, so I finally have decided to visit one of the Countries of my handful of Countries that I have always wanted to visit. I have always loved the Oriental history and culture. I have the option to go with a friend but I made the decision to visit China alone (solo). From the packages I have seen online I have noticed most charge a single supplement fee which range from $300-$600. For those of you who have visited China before I would be grateful for any advice. I would like to stay in China for 12-15 days

1- Should I pay for a package deal (Flight, Hotel, Tour Guide) or should I simple purchase all individually?

2- If a complete package is recommended then do any of you recommend a specific one? I enjoy five star hotels and would like to visit Beijing, Xi%26#39;an, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

Thank you,

Robert

obby@soturecords.com

Pre China Trip Questions

I%26#39;ve never seen a package that was cheaper than booking individually.

However, if you are traveling alone, you may prefer a group tour, which would allow you to travel with other people.

Pre China Trip Questions

Where are you from, as I could maybe recommend a travel agency that specializes in tours of China but ';Earth'; isn%26#39;t too specific...haha.

Once in China, the hotels often offer the same or similar rate whether it is one or two people staying in the room.

As countless people on this forum will confirm, travelling to the cities that you mention is very easy without an organised tour. If you like, you can book a guide for one day when you get there.

Just DIY. Relatively very simple since your hotel and destination choices are very well-touristed.

If you are staying in five-star hotels, you can always get their help to arrange transportation locally and between cities, and can join hotel organized tours if you wish. The only thing is, I%26#39;m not sure this will be cheaper than going on a tour since 5-star hotels charge a lot for everything, but it would give you more flexibility.

One advantage/disadvantage of a tour is the other people--do you prefer to travel with the other people? Are they going to be like you, or different--wanting to shop when you want to spend more time seeing the sights for example?

The ';Earth'; statement is my sense of humor. I live in Miami, Florida and yes, I would prefer to travel alone. No strings attached. I want to first, see the historical sites then second, shop a bit.

if you%26#39;re going inland, they don%26#39;t speak much english (except for the big cities) and the signs are in Chinese only. I reco a guide or you%26#39;ll waste time, get frustrated, get lost and you won%26#39;t get the full experience. we just finished an 18 day Inland China trip with Gecko and had a great time. don%26#39;t think there would be a solo extra fee but check. you can get 5* hotels but the adventure is all in the being right in there with the locals.

If you want to travel solo, then by all means do. You must get a good guidebook and a good phrasebook, and don%26#39;t try to pack too many cities into your itinerary.

OK, from what I see I am better off booking a package deal with a travel agency. I went to hotels.com to see how much the flights alone would cost me and I was quoted more that $3000 just for the flights.

Rather than dealing with a domestic travel agency, would you guys recommend finding a Chinese travel agency to do the same?

Here are a couple of domestic packages I found:

www.friendlyplanet.com/taste-of-china.html

http://www.ritztours.com/earlybooking2.html

I don%26#39;t know what dates you are travelling or where you looked but I just checked in May on Kayak.com and was quoted $1100 for return flights (United).

5-star hotels can be found for between $100 and $200. No extra charge for single traveller, quite the countrary, they will charge extra for second person for extra breakfast.

You can book your interior flights after you arrive here. You choose one on www.ctrip.com but byt with your hotel concierge.

I always travel alone here and never buy a package. These are big developped cities that are easy to visit. some places like the Forbiddent city have audio guides you can rent. You can hire a guide at the entrance as well if you wish; it gives you some company as well as guide you if you feel bored.