Travel Agent vs DIY

I%26#39;m taking my wife to China for her birthday in late August / early September. I%26#39;ve booked international airfare from Houston-%26gt;Beijing and then Hong-Kong-%26gt;Houston. The trip will last 2 weeks.

She has a list of places she wants to see; Huangshan, Guilin, Great Wall. Neither of us speak any Chinese, and I want to make sure we get the most out of each location. Big group tours are out, we want freedom to linger or hurry as we see fit. On the other hand, I don%26#39;t want to waste any of our vacation trying to organize rides, trying to find out how to get to the Great Wall, etc. I want to pre-arrange that as much as possible.

I%26#39;ll need airfare from Beijing to Guilin and Huangshan, then down to Hong Kong. I%26#39;ll also need a hotel in each city. Nothing too fancy, just a clean place to sleep and eat.

1) Is it better to arrange all this through a travel agent, transportation to/from hotels and airports, or to arrange all the pieces individually (i.e. booking each hotel separately, getting a taxi to/from the airport, etc).

2) Would it be advisable to arrange an English-speaking tour guide ahead of time? If so, how do I find one? Can they be arranged via the hotel?

3) I think I need a double-entry visa, if I read the websites correctly. Do I need a travel agent to help with that?

I%26#39;ll have more questions later, but this will get me started. :)

Travel Agent vs DIY

DIY it.

1. Look at sites such as elong.net ctrip.com and travelzen.com for hotels and flights. Just get a taxi from airport to hotel.

2. You can arrange a private guide, but in most cases just a guidebook with Chinese characters will be enough.

3. You just need a single entry. You enter China in Beijing, and exit when you leave for Hong Kong. If you are American, you don%26#39;t need a visa for Hong Kong. You either get the visa in person or through an agent.

Given the places you plan to visit, I%26#39;d go Beijing - Huangshan - Guilin - - Hong Kong. There might not be flights between Huangshan and Guilin - instead you might have to fly via Guangzhou. Stay in Yangshuo rather than Guilin. To save money, fly from Guilin to Shenzhen rather than Hong Kong.

Travel Agent vs DIY

My opinion. Cannot bear the thought of arriving somewhere with a group tour and banner, shuttled, putting up with people who forget their slippers etc. Reckon, if you do the research prior, you can organise it well, efficiently before you go, and you only need to preorganise guides to the sites you feel you will need a guide. You do not need to speak the language.

1. Beijing- you can do this on your own. Stay within the main ringroads, walking is easy. Forbidden City etc, you can do on your own. May need transport if you are not comfortable with catching buses to The

Wall. Just search this site with guides.

2. Lots of hotels to choose from. Read the reviews. Difficult to obtain accurate guide from star rating. Plenty available at good prices.

3. If you go through an agent, you will pay for more, but honestly, search on this site and all will be answered, well, honestly in most cases and what%26#39;s more you will have personal satisfaction, lots of knowledge, and a better insight into what to do, where to go, where not to go, and priceless information.

Thanks for the insights, drumbrake and PoppetAustralia. Here%26#39;s my first pass at an itinerary, with notes where I%26#39;m concerned. I can see changed needed already; I want to decrease the amount of time in Hong Kong and increase the time in Beijing.

I guess my concern is that there%26#39;s a lot of travel involved, in Beijing, Mt Huangshan, Guilin, and Yangshou. To see everything we want to see will take careful planning, and if something goes wrong, I don%26#39;t want to lose a whole day trying to reschedule the rest of the trip.

Day 1, Sat - Arrive in Beijing, 2pm. Taxi to hotel needed, probably just walking around hotel first night.

Day 2, Sun - Beijing. Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, want to see a traditional calligrapher. Taxi sufficient to get around?

Day 3, Mon - Great Wall at Simatai, Lama Temple(Yonghe Lamasery), Laoshe Tea House. Are tickets needed to these, and can I get them ahead of arrival?

Day 4, Tue - Summer Palace. What to do with luggage while we tour? Taxi to airport, flight to Mt Huangshan. Taxi from airport to hotel.

Day 5, Wed - Mt Huangshan, Shexian County, Tangyue Memorial Archways

Day 6, Thurs - Mt Huangshan, Winter on Huangshan Mountain, North Sea Scenic Area, Mt. Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), Beihai Hotel? Taxis sufficient here?

Day 7, Fri - Ink Stone Factory, transportation to Hangzhou?, Flight from Hangzhau - Guilin, transportation to hotel

Day 8, Sat - Guilin, Longsheng Terraced Rice Field (Longji)

Day 9, Sun - Yangshuo, Li River

Day 10, Mon - Yangshou, Moon Hill, cycle trip along Jima road? Show of Impression Liusanjie

Day 11, Tue - Guilin - Hong Kong, Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill, Reed Flute Cave

Day 12, Wed - Hong Kong, Victoria Peak, Repulse Bay, Aberdeen, Bird Market, Jade Market, Wong Tai Sin Temple

Day 13, Thur -

Day 14, Fri -

Day 15, Sat - Depart Beijing, 8am.

Do not return to Beijing. Fly from HK to the States. Ticket will be the same price and this will be quicker!

Doh, that should have read Hong Kong. We%26#39;ll depart out of Hong Kong, not Beijing.

I thought of two more questions if I DIY -

1 - I see I can book airfare through the web ahead of time. Can I also book trains through the web ahead of time?

2 - If a flight gets cancelled, I won%26#39;t have a laptop to rebook. And I don%26#39;t know anybody in China. What do you suggest so I can recover from last-minute problems like this?

No you cannot buy train tickets online which a major problem.

Airline schedules can change but if you book only a few days before departure (which is best any ways), the odds of a canceled flight are very slim - this is not like the US. You can book and check your flight status by using the computer from the hotel business center.

Rather than buying online you can always shop online, note the flight info and price then buy from your hotel travel desk or business center. It is easier to go back there to handle changes.

Based on your info (arriving in Beijing and leave from Hong Kong), the best and reasonable and budget itinerary as follow:

There is only one flight daily from Beijing to Huangshan, so the flight cost definitely without discount (the full price is RMB 1090 +50) especially in high season. If you take flight from Beijing to Huangshan, you have two days for sightseeing in Hong Kong.

It is better that you stay extra one day in Beijing and then take by train K45 (11:45鈥?7:33) from Beijing to Huangshan (1533km) lasting about 19 hours 48 minutes. This is the budget for you.

Day 1, Sat - Arrive in Beijing, 2pm.

Take by airport shuttle bus (RMB 16) or express subway (RMB 25) to Beijing City and then take by taxi (RMB 10/3km) to hostel. Take by taxi to hotel directly is about RMB 100.

Day 2, Sun - Beijing. Tiananmen Square, Tiananmen City Tower and Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, you can go to Liulichang Street to see a traditional calligrapher. Taxi sufficient to get around? Take by subway is budget trip.

Day 3, Mon 鈥?If you choose to sightseeing Simatai Great Wall, you have to hire a private car because of its far away from Beijing city and will spend you over half day. Lama Temple (Yonghe Lamasery), Laoshe Tea House. Are tickets needed to these, and can I get them ahead of arrival? In high season, you have to book the ticket in advance.

Day 4, Tue - Summer Palace, Bird鈥檚 Nest and Water Cube. Or take by flight CA1551 (18:20鈥?0:20) from Beijing to Huangshan. What to do with luggage while we tour? You can leave your luggage in hotel.

Day 5, Wed- take by train K45 (11:45鈥?7:33) from Beijing to Huangshan (1533km) lasting about 19 hours 48 minutes.

Day 6, Thurs 鈥?at morning arriving Huangshan. Sightseeing Mt Huangshan and stay Beihai Hotel

Day 7, Fri 鈥揟ake by bus to Shexian County, Tangyue Memorial Archways

Day 8, Sat 鈥揌uangshan to Hangzhou (230km) Take by bus from Huangshan to Hangzhou lasting about 2 hours. You can catch the flight MU 2371 (20:50鈥?2:50) if you want to fly from Hangzhou to Guilin in this day. But the time is tight for you.

Day 9, Sun - Guilin, Longsheng Terraced Rice Field (Longji) in whole day.

Day 10, Mon 鈥?take by boat from Guilin to Yangshuo through Li River.

Day 11, Tue 鈥揾ire a bicycle through Yangshuo Countryside. At night watch Show of Impression Liusanjie.

Day 12, Wed 鈥?Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill, Reed Flute Cave. The best and cheapest way is that take by train T38 (17:51--06:42) from Shenzhen to Guilin (1040km) last about 12 hours 51 minutes.

Day 13, Thur 鈥?arrive in Shenzhen and then transfer from Shenzhen to Hong Kong by boat or train or bus.

Day 14, Fri - Hong Kong, Victoria Peak, Repulse Bay, Aberdeen, Bird Market, Jade Market, Wong Tai Sin Temple

Day 15, Sat - Depart Hong Kong

Thank you for the train travel times, those are very helpful.

If I cannot buy train tickets online, is it a problem getting last-minute tickets after I arrive? I don%26#39;t want to arrive Beijing and try to book a sleeper train only to find they are sold out for 2-3 days.

mrmeyertx

Ask your hotel in Beijing to buy you tickets for your first rail journey. Ask Yangshuo hotel to buy the second train journey.