My husband and I are in our early seventies and we still like to travel to far away places. China is of real interest to us. Perhaps Beijing, Xian and the Yangtze cruise. We are a little tired of the packing and unpacking routine so the cruise is attractive. I know last year when we did Egypt that was the highlight. Would there be any sense to go to Beijing and work from there or should it be a tour from here. What time of the year. Appreciate an idea or two.
Thanks.
Elsie

The ships on the Yangtze are very similar to those on the Nile in size and facilities, although some on the Nile are noticeably more opulent. I don't think the scenery on the Yangtze or the side trips can remotely be equated with those on the Nile, though. But the cruise does give a pleasant respite from the clamour of China in the middle of a tour (lots of tour guides who don't particularly care for it are nevertheless glad it's there for that reason, too).

The much cheaper tours available in China probably wouldn't suit you--they include many things Chinese find entertaining and you wouldn't necessarily find the same, and they move at a relentless pace which makes even the most action-packed tour for Westerners seem serene. The agencies used to arranging things for foreigners won't charge you much less for booking there than for booking from overseas, and although they sell most of the components to the Western companies who then repackage them for you, add in the air arrangements, etc., at least booking from home through a Western tour company gives you a certain assurance of quality control, and the option of a come-back if all is not well.

There are several Western tour companies whose parties are mostly in the 50s to 70s age range and whose facilities and itineraries are adapted accordingly, and while there are many disadvantages to taking a tour over travelling independently (and to be sure you could manage this independently if you wanted to, and for considerably less), to see the destinations you list with the minimum of fuss and inconvenience, a tour bought at home is probably the best way.

Autumn is the best period to travel, preferably avoiding the first week of October, with spring a close second.

If experience is any guide, several people will now post to say that their tour company was the best, although they've rarely sampled more than one. If there's any interest, I'm happy to post some more general suggested guidelines on booking a tour company to China, which should include rather more than simply whether the group size, type of client, and price match your needs.

Peter N-H
htpp://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

As far as tour companies go, we went with a great one, I think that most are along the same lines. One thing that we found out that they usually don't tell people, figure on climbing LOTS of steps. The Chinese built everything at the top of several steps. I guess that's why they are in better shape than we are. As far as the Yangtze cruises, we were on a five star rated cruise ship line. That is an important thing to consider. Some of the cruise ships that we seen were a little run down looking.

My husband and I are 71 and 76 and going to China. I do not pretend to be an expert, nor does my husband who has travelled twice to China in a business capacity. While we are in excellent health, I have some physical limitations so a tour in this case, is right for us. How did we find a reputable company?

You do not mention the country you live in so I can only suggest the company we are using. We learned of Laurus Travel (Vancouver based), through a fellow traveller who knows people who highly recommend it. Good words about Laurus Travel can also be found on Fodor?s Talk through a ?search?, and references are provided on the Laurus website (I have had personal contact with two of them). After going through Laurus? website, I followed up with calls and emails to Julius at Laurus, which were answered quickly and honestly. What I liked about the references is they say Laurus delivered what it said it would.
http://www.laurustravel.com/

There is good general information presented like group mix and so on. For example:

?We impose no maximum age limit, but clients must be aware that all of our tours require frequent walking and stair-climbing, which could be long and strenuous. Anyone deemed physically or mentally unfit during the tour would be asked to discontinue their trip; no refund will be issued.?

Take a look at the 18 Day China Odyssey. It includes the Yangtze Cruise on a five-star ship and takes you to the places you mention, and Air Canada.

I looked at various tours with Yangtze cruises and noticed that some ships were better than others as mentioned. I also noticed that some of the tours of fairly short duration spend a lot of time on the ship (mostly 3-5 days), and you might want to find out the difference between ?upstream? and ?downstream? cruises, and how long you will be at sea. You can probably find the answer on this talk board.

Laurus, like some other tour companies does not use travel agents and does not take credit cards. We do not find this a problem.

Since we are on a limited budget (having already made one overseas trip this year), we decided on Laurus? 15-Day China Experience, a promotional tour. It does not include the Yangtze Cruise but we are happy to spend the entire tour on land. The price is excellent ($2900 CD pp, includes 4 star hotels, most meals, inland transport, guides, entrance fees and so on), not to mention the added bonus of Air Canada all the way from Toronto at no extra charge. (For many tours Air China is used from Vancouver). Exceptions are spelled out. We leave October 15.

We wish you good sailing.

Hello Elsie,I went to China about 2 years ago and found it absoultely fasinating. I am so thankful that I was able to go and see what I did. I was on a tour, (SmarTours) out of NY and it was quite well organized. We were a large group, the youngest being 16 and the oldest being 81, and there were two of them. Yes, there are lots of steps to climb. At one point we counted 100 from the ship to the top where we got the tour bus. We went in late May/early June. At times it was rainy and the steps appeared muddy and slippery. But our guide was very attentive and helped those that needed it. There are not any hand rails in many places. My Mom said go and climb that Great Wall while you still can. And that I did. I was concerned about it being high up and nothing to hold onto. But there is a low hand rail and you just go at your own pace. Our tour started in Beijing and progressed from there. The Yangtze cruise was for 5 days. Don't expect anything like the cruise liners you catch in the U.S. There is no comparison. But you should be comfortable. Go and enjoy yourselves. More power to you! Stay active and enjoy youselves.