Tours
 

We are considering a China trip and have been asked to join an Advantage 21 day tour group which might include 42 people, which does not appeal to us. Has anyone traveled with Advantage in China and if so, what are your thoughts? We are also looking at Abercrombie & Kent which offers smaller group tours; however, it is only for 2 weeks and the cost is about the samr.

We did a group tour to China earlier this year, with Travelsphere. We don't usually go for the group thing but were nervous about tackling China on our own. With hindsight, we should have been a little braver. The group aspect of this trip was just awful, and our best times... were when we abandoned the organised outings and did our own thing.
Don't have experience of the companys you mention. Consider doing it independently....I wish we had!

Our suggestion for personally:
1-You need to DIY schedule by yourself if you want to experience real China .
2-I never ask my friend to attend big group which would be a waste of time since you can't find what you want to visit. You have to walk with lots of people or do some shopping also.
3-For some spots if you are not familiar, you can find some private tour guide to visit. Also if you think you can do everything by yourself, then just go ahead.

Enjoy!

Take look at China Plus. An excellent company and groups are limited to 20 people. We only travel independantly and were very wary of a group escorted tour to China but I must say that this tour company was excellent. The other travelers were intelligent and all were well-travelled. The tour guides and tour director (usually one of the owners) were excellent. I recommend China Plus without reservation.
In the event you are thinking of doing a 3 week trip to China independantly, remember that, in all likelihood, you will be taking at least 4-5 flights within the country. This is not as easy as flying in the US or Europe and can be quite a hassel and time-consuming.
Good luck whatever your decision.

Five years ago,we went with General Tours. There were 3 couples and were in a group of 16 people with Norman our guide. We loved it! Our guide was great and the group was wonderful. We e-mailed for years afterwards. The tour included 6 flights inside China including Tibet. We laughed, talked and have a wonderful time with the guide and fellow travelers. On the 3 day cruise section Norman sketched out pictures of us, we got him pie-eyed one night, and agreed to meet for drinks on the ship before dinner. On our last night in Hong Kong we met in the bar to talk about the "best/worst" parts and to say our good byes. It was on the anniversary of 9-11 and as we stood to leave, one membered mentioned the date and began singing "God Bless America" in an absolutely beautiful voice. We all joined in. There wasn't a dry eye in the bar including the Asians. They all stood, and were absolutely quiet. It was a moment that I'll always remember. Our group was very diverse and we had an awesome time with them. Please don't assume that all groups are terrible. I think it depends on you and your friendliness. We've traveled alone, with friends and with tours. I can honestly say that each tours was fun with great people. Please keep an open mind concerning tour groups, they can be a real positive experience. You see a country and make new friends.