I've taken 15 trips to Europe and one each to Thailand and Hong Kong, all independent travel, so I am a seasoned traveler -- so are my friends.

Three of us are thinking of traveling in China for about ten days (hopefully, the U.S. dollar will go farther in China than it does in Europe today). We are not great with tours -- we like to get up when we want, eat when and where we want, shop when we want, etc.

We would like to see the Great Wall and the terracotta soldiers. I would like to see at least one village known for canals. If possible, I would like to avoid Beijing, perhaps flying into and out of Shanghai.

Is it difficult to travel around China without a guide? Shall we be brave enough to make all our own arrangements or make an exception and sign up for an escorted tour? Is a stop in Beijing necessary due to flights? We depart from LAX.

Thanks.

No bravery whatsoever is required. Hundreds of thousands of trips around China are made every year by people without any knowledge of Mandarin or previous experience of the country. If you usually prefer not to take tours then there's no reason to take one in China. The tourism industry in China is horribly corrupt; it will cost you more to take a tour than to travel independently; you'll lose control over where you eat, where you go, when you go, and you'll be spoon-fed a lot of pap about China.

Don't expect great things of the U.S. dollar though. It has dropped rapidly from a little over ¥8 to a fraction under ¥7 or so. But the cost of accommodation, food, and transportation is of course much less than Europe, although you can certainly find European-priced services if you wish to.

There's no problem with flying into Shanghai: there are flights there from LA.

But there's one thing you do have to accept: 'making your own arrangements' does NOT mean booking everything in advance. In many cases things cannot be booked in advance, and in many others they shouldn't be. You can book your accommodation if you must, and if your plans are to stay at familiar foreign brand-name hotels in the four-five star range then you'll find the best prices on the hotels' own web sites (but expect to pay Western rates). If you plan to stay in Chinese-run hotels then booking on-line will only cause you to pay more than if you show up at the counter. Sometimes a great deal more; only a little more if you book through a China-specialist discount agency, although there are reasons for not doing that. But air and rail tickets, if you insist on buying them in advance, you may easily pay twice what you need to pay, and sometimes more multiples than that. In China you need to be flexible and just book things are you go. There are plenty of agents to help you if you don't feel like doing it yourself.

Don't calculate a minute-by-minute schedule, and be prepared to be flexible, although it's becoming rare not to get the travel arrangements you want a couple of days in advance.

Various water towns are easily reached from Shanghai as day trips. You can take an overnight train to Xi'an but would probably find it better to fly, and that's easily arranged on arrival in Shanghai. If you want to see the Great Wall, however, you'll probably need to go to Beijing, although you could see sections from Tianjin (but not many other reasons to go there), Shanhaiguan (possibly a bit primitive?) or by going further west. Beijing is the obvious choice, however, with several different Great Wall sites in reach.

A little reading perhaps? Sounds like you might need an open jaws ticket into Shanghai and out of Beijing.

Peter N-H

Thank you for such a thorough response.

Put it in another way, it'll not be as easy as going by yourselves to Europe or Thailand or Hong Kong, but I can pretty much guarantee that you will <b>NOT</b> enjoy going with a tour.

I, too, was anxious before I went, by myself, to Beijing and Shanghai last spring. No worries! Really quite easy. I did hire a private guide in Beijing and was pleased.

You can read my report which discusses these two cities and a private car hire to a water/canal town outside Shanghai, Xitang:




http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34984181

You can certainly travel independently, but it seems a shame to forgo Beijing for Shanghai (unless large modern cities is your thing).

I just returned my HK/Beijing/Xian/Shanghai/Bangkok vacation. The new terminal at the Beijing airport was one of the many highlights of the trip - it's fantastic.

My wife and I return to China in a few days after an absence of 15 years.

We return because we want to see the many changes that have taken place, either for good or for bad. We expect this time -- as we found in l993 -- that China is the most fascinating destination we have ever encountered.

The original poster is accustomed to traveling independently. So are we. And we have taken tours as well. There is no argument -- it is an individual preference. We have traveled the world, both with tour groups and on our own.

However, we have reached an age and a level of economic comfort where we prefer to travel with a group -- both of us being in our 80s. We prefer now to let someone else tote the bags, make the arrangements, and attend to the many details that go with travel today. What once was fun for us has become a series of barriers, something like a steeplechase in double-time. We like to poke along, compare notes with other folks our age, and kick back at the end of the day.

Let us hope that the original poster reaches such an advanced age and is in as good physical and mental condition as we are.

And, so, happy travels to all! We may or we may not post a report of our experiences upon our return. Are you interested in our experienced perspectives?

We are now completing a 23 day trip to China independently using local guides where it would be helpful. I will post a detailed (very detailed) reply to this question when I return. I am grateful for the help given to me by ekscrunchy, Peter N-H, Shanghainese, Marksfour and others. If you read their reports, you will get lots of ideas for how to make traveling on your own possible. Stay tuned for my report (after we return on April 23) and my simple answer is definitely, yes! Travel on your own, but get lots of help before you go from people on this and other Forums and from local guides to make your days productive and informative and much, much easier!

Linda

PS Don't skip Beijing -- I loved it!

USNR--
Of course we're interested in your experienced perspectives. We'd all like to be fortunate enough to achieve them someday! Do write about your trip and have a safe and wonderful journey.

wiselindag-
Can't wait to read your report!
marksfour