Henry

My wife and I have travelled a lot, to some pretty exotic countries. Yet China is a bit daunting--travelling to and from the airports, getting a decent guide when we need one, which will be often--so we thought we might get buy a tour. But still the thought of travelling in a pack with 15 to 30 people at a regulated pace is really off-putting. Is there a tour group that would do what we think of as the minimum: book hotels, flights, perhaps meet us at airports, certainly find good guides? <BR>Leave us alone for meals--no Peking duck banquets, no dancing or magic shows, no tourist junk.

Kathie

I'm sure there are companies that would do that for you. I always just make my own arrangements. I've found it easy to choose a hotel and reserve it in advance, take a taxi from the airport to the hotel, and I typically ask at the hotel for them to recommend tour guides. I've done this all over the world, and have never had a bad experience. You get maximum flexibility that way, and the guides are often less expensive than you would pay if you booked as a package.

Brenda

Dear Henry, <BR>TOURIST JUNK?

Al

Try China International Travel Service (CITS) - western tour operators / travel agents would have to go through them anyway and by dealing with CITS direct, you can avoid any miscommunications between the tour operator and CITS (sorry, had some bad experience with one of the UK operators before) and hefty surcharges that some travel agents may add onto the price. CITS web address is: <BR> <BR>http://www.cits.net/ <BR> <BR>Usually they would arrange transport between airports and hotels (a local CITS rep will meet you at the arrival point, and will give you his/her contact details, and tell you what to see and do locally), as well as reservations for any domestic travel. They will also offer local guides for personal tours---- they have suggested itineries, but it can be flexible, and this will also give you some degree of flexibility on what you want to see and how long you want to stay. <BR> <BR>Eating out can be a problem (language-wise) if you want to try the local hangouts, but the CITS local reps can also help in this respect---- they can arrange meals for you (sometimes at cheaper price).

Margie

My husband and I just returned from China and all arangements were made by CITS, both the group tours and our individual trip to Guilin. The guides were excellent. Our personal guide and driver in Guilin were really special. <BR>Enjoy your trip!