When my husband first suggested we plan a trip on our own to China in July 2016, I wasn't sure. He is a savvy airline miles user had found some great miles-only fares to Beijing. I bought a couple of guide books and seeing China's incredible sights quickly went to work on the trip. I am so glad that I did and have returned to China twice since. These are just a few of the matchless places we visited in the first of our five weeks in China and some of them are places you just won't see on your typical tour of China.
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| Summer Palace, Beijing,China |
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| Yungang Grottoes, Datong, China |
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| Hanging Temple, Datong, China |
Beijing-(train)-Datong(driver)-Pingyao-(flight)-X'ian-(train)-Chengdu-(train)-Chonquing- Yangtze River Cruise-(flight)-Shanghai and Suzhou-(flight)-Hong Kong- (ferry) Macau (day trip) (ferry) Hong Kong. (More about these phenomenal places in another post).
The trip cost us about $6,000 plus international airfare and local transportation.This was about 75% cheaper than a comparable trip through a tour company, and included staying in 5-star hotels and eating in top-rate restaurants.
My approach:
After deciding the length of our trip, I researched "5 week China itineraries" online from everything like top-tier tour companies down to the itineraries posted by individuals in symposium threads on websites like Trip-Advisor, compared them and drew-up my own list of must-see places. At this point, getting a map was essential. You need to know where sights are located and construct a sequence that makes travel-sense. I printed out a blank on-line calendar and started to fill in the dates, in pencil, because my itinerary was evolving.
Following my tentative travel calendar, I started making hotel reservations. My go-to site was and still is Booking.com, because you, generally, have about 3 days prior to arrival to make free changes. This is a good option, because if you are really enjoying a place, you may want to stay a day or two longer. This flexibility is something that a tour cannot offer.
Getting there and back:
If you're booking your flight with cash, it's best to book 21 days in advance since prices often go up after that. I've learned that when I travel it's sometimes better to book a one way ticket, unless you have to be back by a certain date. It's easier and cheaper to book one-way fares with miles. For this trip to China, we booked an arrival and departure via Beijing, only to later realize that it was time-saving and easier to leave from Hong Kong. Fortunately we were able to change our departure city without a change fee.
Getting from Place to Place:
First of all, research travel distance in-between your destinations- is it short enough for a train, or would a flight be better?
I booked travel, both flights and trains online, using apps like Expedia for flights and one of the China train apps like "China Train Ticket". The one time I let a hotel concierge book a train for me, there was a very funny misunderstanding which I'll write about in my post on Chinese trains.
Sometimes, in China, I booked travel a day before leaving a city. This, like the flexibility that comes from using a hotel app, is really nice. I always found a flight or train even though it might have been a little cheaper if I'd booked further in advance. I did have one item that was set, the Yangtze Cruise and for this transfer, I had to plan and book transfers to and from in advance.
A word about transfers- always an item always mentioned in tour itineraries. It's easiest to be met by someone at an airport holding a sign with your name on it and you can book such transfers in advance even without a travel agent. But you don't have to- I never bothered. I did do research in advance googling, as one instance, "best ways to get from, Shanghai Airport to downtown Shanghai". There are tons of resources online that will walk you through various options, including discussions of how and where to find taxis, shuttles and how to avoid over-paying unscrupulous middle-men.
Make the Internet your Travel Agent:
There is so much travel information available online and it's all free. If you need your entire trip sewn-up before you take off, this isn't the approach for you. But with a little willingness to take chances and a sense of adventure you can create a journey that is totally yours.
That doesn't mean you have to do it all on your own. If you decide you want a tour-guide or driver in a particular place, you can easily find these online. Websites like Viatour and Trip-advisor are excellent resources and I would recommend consulting these and many others as a part of your trip planning. Or ask the concierge of your hotel, if you haven't planned in advance, but I prefer knowing what my options are before doing this.
Explore your phone's App Store for travel resources, like the China Train Ticket I mentioned before.
"But I don't speak Chinese";
Don't worry, neither do most of the people visiting China. People are often astounded to learn that we visited China without a guide. The fact is, throughout Asia signs in places like airports, train stations, even subways are both in the local language and English. It is essential that you be able to read English, which, if you are reading this, you can.
A real life-saver are the translation apps are available online, like Google translate and others. It's better to have one that works off-line and one that actually speaks the Chinese phrase that you need to communicate. Sometimes, I'll just show people the Chinese translation of what I want to say and that works too, but spoken is better.
VPN:
It is essential to buy and download one of these for a month (they are inexpensive), since without them you won't be able to use your internet in China since google, Facebook and other sites are blocked over there. My go-to is ExpressVPN, but there are others and some offer free short-term trials.
Visas:
You will need a visa for China, but they are not difficult to get and there are on-line instructions for the process.
And most important, get your courage on. Don't be intimidated by travel- it's a learning process and the rewards of doing it yourself are saving a ton of money
and going where you, and not some random tour company, want to go.
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