Expert: Tom Carter ~ Travel China Expert - 8/25/2011

Question
Hi,  Tom.

I'm planning to send my parents over to China for about a month (possibly the last week of Sep to maybe the first week of Nov) this year.  The route I'm places that I'm looking into right now are Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, and Hong Kong for about 2-3 wks and maybe Tibet or Mongolia or Thailand for about a week.  They'd like to go see the big tourist attractions like the the Forbidden City and the Great Wall but also at the same time get a taste of the local life in the major cities as well as the neighboring villiages.

1. Is the folliage nice around this time of year?

2. For the Great Wall, I read that Badaling just gets too crowded.  My parents are going to visit the wall when they go to Beijing.  Is there another part of the wall that's not too far from Beijing that they could go to?

3. Since neither of my parents speak any of the Chinese dialects, would it be too difficult for them to travel w/o going through a travel agency?  Can you recommend any travel agencies if they should have guides?  Initially, we were planning to have them fly to China and then arrange package tours through Chinese travel agencies to save on cost.  However, I read that a lot of the guides spend most of the tour time in shops trying to get tourists to buy things.  I'm worried that if my parents don't have guides that they'll experience a lot of grief getting around and getting scammed (i.e. taxi drivers running the meter).  It'd be great if they could stay at hostels, travel by rail/bus, and taste some of the local food.

4. I was planning to have my parents fly into HK and use HK as their home base since they plan to visit other Asian countries if time permits. HK...mostly b/c they speak English there.  I understand that it's common to spend a wknd in Thailand or a couple days in Mongolia for people in China (kind of like people in LA spending the wknd in Vegas).  However, it might be more cost efficient to have them use Beijing or Shanghai as their home base.  We are looking for budget travel, but safety and cleanliness comes first.

Thanks a lot!

Answer
Hi, thanks for writing.  I am glad to help.

Beijing-Xian-Shanghai-Hong Kong is what is known in China as the tourist trail, meaning you will see the "famous" sites but you won't experience much culture. However, travel is what you make of it, so there are ways to get the best of both worlds, as I will explain.

For Beijing, skip Badaling and have them go to Simatai instead. This part of the wall lacks the tourist traps and souvenir stands which blight Badaling. It's a harder hike though, so be rested and bring water/snacks!

Also in Beijing, try to book your parents a "Hutong" tour, which will show them the traditional neighborhoods in Beijing. Most hostels in Beijing run Hutong tours.

I doubt you will get them to Tibet successfully (considering the mercurial state of Chinese-Tibetan politics), but if so then this is highly recommended as it is a wonderful region. However it will require at least an additional week or two, so plan accordingly. Mongolia is cool too, but in the fall there's not much to see or do there, since the grasslands will be cooling down.

Instead, I would send them to Jiuzhaigou National Park in Sichuan province, which has the most beautiful folliage you have ever seen between late October and early November (depending on local weather conditions; call ahead). However Jiuzhaigou is swarmed with tourists during this season, so you MUST book your hotel and transportation well in advance.

I do not recommend any tour groups. As you said, most are scams and chances are your parents will be ripped off. However, if you must, then book IN China, not before; booking in China will get you Chinese prices; booking online from America you will have to pay American prices, which is often a 1000% markup (no exaggeration).

If your parents speak English, they will be fine withOUT a guide or tour group as long as they have a phrasebook and a general idea of how things work here. They can book everything from the hostel they are staying at.

As for a "base", Hong Kong is notoriously expensive, but if you have the funds, then go for it. However I would suggest Shanghai or Beijing as a base instead. FYI: Mainland China has a lower crime rate than Hong Kong.

I hope this helps. Good luck and have fun!
Best,
Tom Carter
http://www.amazon.com/CHINA-Portrait-People-Tom-Carter/dp/9889979942/