China

China is not the sort of country where you do a self-organised tour, and especially in today’s political climate you would be wise to travel in an organised group. We chose to travel with Wendy Wu Tours for our trip, and we have to be honest and say some aspects were disappointing. The standard of hotels across the trip could only be described as ‘poor’. In one hotel there was no electricity, so we had to be moved to another hotel.

Firstly, there are not too many occasions where you are left to your own devices to wander around. China is very protective of its country, and how visitors are managed. You will find that there is no access to social media, and internet coverage is only available in limited hotels.

Having said that, there are some amazing things to see and do, and in that sense we were not disappointed. Who could not fail to be impressed by the Terra Cotta Warriors, or the Great Wall of China.

We found the food of a fairly poor standard for a tour company that promotes itself as one of the best in the industry. There was a lack of variety throughout the entire trip, and in some cases there was not enough food offered for the tour group to feel that they had had a satisfying meal. The restaurants that we ate at seemed to be of a mediocre quality with not many patrons. That should be an indication of the standard of food we were offered.

Shopping is great in China and there is plenty on offer. However, like all tour groups we were herded to specific shopping destinations, specifically set up for the tourist industry, which have everything you could possibly want to buy in them. They are relatively expensive, although the choice is huge. We prefer to shop locally, and on the odd occasion when we could visit the local shops, we found some great bargains.

Travel Tips

Currency – the Chinese currency is the Yuan and we would strongly suggest taking plenty of it with you. Much easier to barter with cash, and much safer.
Visas – you will need a visa for China and it can be a long drawn out process. If you go with a tour group they will organise visas on your behalf which is much easier. This link takes you to a comprehensive visa checklist and also provides other important information for the traveller.
The weather can be quite changeable so pack accordingly.
It is probably safer to try and use cash whilst in China, rather than credit card, especially if you are buying from small tourist vendors. If you are buying from the bigger tourist shops then a credit card is fine.
Mobile phones are restricted in China as they need to comply with Chinese telecommunication networks. Best check before you go what you can, and can’t, use.

Travel Alerts

Air quality in China varies greatly. If you suffer from asthma or other medical conditions, then best to ensure you have sufficient medication with you, and we would suggest a mask.
There is no access to social media in China, and only limited internet access at some major hotels. China is quite strict on access to the internet, and we found we could not even access our emails.
Be aware that public toilets in China are usually not clean, very smelly and do not supply toilet paper on most occasions. But please note that if toilet paper is provided, it is NOT flushed but put in buckets which sit to the side of the toilet.
Squat toilets (or holes in the ground) are the norm, with few western toilets provided. These can be challenging for the mature traveller, and of course are very unclean. So take plenty of hand sanitiser with you.

Travel Adventures

There is so much to see and do in China, so you will only be restricted by the sort of tour you select. We would pick at least a 3 week tour to ensure you get a good overall impression of this very diverse country.