China - private tours

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zag

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We are thinking of going to China later in the year, and despite being relatively self-sufficient and organised on trips normally we reckon (given the language/social issues as well as having young kids) that we would be better off using some of the SSIA money to go on an escorted tour rather than making our own way.

I made contact with a number of companies offering such tours, but most of them didn't cater for children. I also made contact with a company who do private tours where a guide & driver meets you at the airport, brings you around the city & shows you the sites & hotel and then drops you to the airport for the next leg of the trip. At the next city a new guide & driver meets you and it begins again.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience of this type of thing and can comment on how it went ? The advantage of a private tour is that we can change the itinerary at will and if the kids are wrecked we can simply take a day off, whereas with a general tour that is not an option.

In particular, the company we are looking at are called China Highlights - but trying to research them on the web only seems to throw up their ads and their website rather than peoples reviews of their trips with them. I have found some references on tripadvisor.com, but if anyone knows of any similar sites that might be usefull I would appreciate the information.

z
 
I know of two groups of people who used these guys - [broken link removed] - in Bejing (they also operate in some other places)

One group were really happy, the other group not really happy with the service (I guess it depends on the individual driver/guide) ... can't remember what the costs were, but they weren't particularly cheap ... the did offer the exact service you seem to be looking for, and might be cheaper than a non-Chinese outfit doing the same.
 
http://www.thechinaguide.com


Check out this site. It gives loads of Info. Also check Trip Advisor. You would be surprised the amount of people that have gone over there without a tour. I reckon if you stay in a good hotel you should be ok. A lot of hotels can provide tour information. I have a friend going out next week so let me know if you want any other info. (This couple are going out with a 4 year old)...
 
Private tours are great, I've done them in Vietnam & Peru, they save you so much time,normally you would be wasting your time finding your feet etc.
All boat trips etc. would normally be private as well
They make you feel pretty special, without missing out on the real experience.
 
Hi all,
I'm planning on going with a mate in December and would be looking for some sort of tour(s) as well, not necessarily private. Any recommendations?

Cheers,
M
 
Zag, [broken link removed] with children from 6 - I'm not sure what age your children are. It really depends on how much of China you want to see and in what timeframe. If you have anything more than 3 weeks, then you might be better to go the way you are thinking. I think Imaginative also have an arrangement where they'll meet you for certain legs of your trip and buy you train tickets etc.

madmoe - not sure what you're looking for but take a look at imaginative traveller and intrepid.
 
I've gone on a few tours but normally they won't take children younger than 12. The tour guides give you a lot of information while you travel about the history etc of different areas. I can't imagine young children would find this interesting.
I think if you really want to bring young children on such a trip you would have to opt for one of the private ones mentioned above.

Miselemeas. My sister & her husband have used the Travel Department & found them very good. Bear in mind that they are both in their 60's & I think that is around the usual age group. Being a fair bit younger myself I have used http://www.insightvacations.com/uk/ , you can also book through http://www.cietours.ie (www.cietours.ie) . They have a more mixed bag age wise, because they do leisurely & more fast paced tours. You can tell by the itinerary whether it suits your pace. I love to see as much as possible so I love their tours. Unfortunately they don't do China.
 
Hi Zag,
I did tours a number of years ago and all you need to do is get to your hotel and someone there will give you times and dates and it will probably be cheaper plus they will speak english. There's no need to book in advance. Double check the price the hotel quote against one in a nearby hostel as they may offer the backpacker a better price.

I stayed in Beijing and saw the forbidden city, just a walk away, and then got bus tours to xian and took train to quindao, shanghai, guilin, yangshou and on to hong kong.

Pack a lonely planet guide and you'll be fine.
 
miselemeas said:
Does anyone have experience of thetraveldepartment? Haven't been able to get first-hand reviews on the trips they offer - their all-in prices look great, considering what they offer.

Would appreciate comments from anyone who has used this organisation


Thanks.
Click to expand...

Do a search on this forum and you'll get mixed reviews on traveldepartment holidays, including links to tripadvisor on the hotels they used on a US tour in 2006.
Overall the opinion seems to be that they're cheaper for a reason...
(travelled myself with them in early 2006 to Italy)
 
miselemeas said:
Does anyone have experience of thetraveldepartment? Haven't been able to get first-hand reviews on the trips they offer - their all-in prices look great, considering what they offer.

Would appreciate comments from anyone who has used this organisation


Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have been on 7 escorted tours with them. At first they were good but unfortunately we had a very poor experience travelling with them to the USA last year. Our trip before that to France and another to Italy were only so and so. They are dreadful at responding to complaints, dismissing what we had to say effectively. We have decided never to travel with them again. Since then we have organised our own trips very successfully and far cheaper.
 
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