Jasmine's China Adventure Tours

Monks at Songzanlin Monastery, Zhongdian.
(Photo courtesy of Sue Wright, Toronto, Canada)

Frequently Asked Questions

Moslem grandmother and grandchild, Xi'an (Photo by Edwin Davis)

Here are some of the most common questions I have been asked about my tours. If your question isn't answered here, please feel free to call or e-mail me directly…I may end up posting your question here! Also, please remember to review the "Terms and Conditions" page for full information on payment and refund terms, cancellation policies, limitations, and other important information.

1. How far in advance of the tour should I sign up?

You can sign up for a trip any time after the dates are posted on my Web site. A deposit of $300 will reserve your place on the tour. Final payment is due 90 days before departure. I do accept reservations and payments even after that, subject to availability, but please contact me far enough in advance of departure that I can receive your payment before you join the group.

2. Can I charge my trip payment with VISA or other credit cards?

Unfortunately, I am not able to accept credit cards for payment for the tours, only personal checks or wire transfers in U.S. dollars.

3. If I cancel my tour, can I get a refund?

For all of my regular group tours, if you cancel your tour any time more than 90 days before departure, you will get a full refund of all your payments. After that, the refund depends on when you cancel. The terms and conditions page on my Web site has the full information on this policy. Private and customized tours will have special payment and refund policies, which I will provide to you before any money is due.

4. Do you arrange air travel between my home and China?

So many of my customers use frequent flier miles for their flights or are able to obtain low-cost flights on the Internet that I do not arrange air travel myself. But if you would like help investigating air tickets to China, I can refer you to travel agents who have helped me in the past, and you can work with them directly.

5. Can I arrive in China before the beginning date of the tour, or stay longer after the tour is over?

Of course! If you wish, you can make your own arrangements for the extra days, or I would be happy to arrange the extension for you.

6. Do I need a visa to visit China?

Almost all foreign visitors to China need a tourist visa issued by a Chinese consulate in their home country. Where you will apply depends on where you live. Also, the rules and fees seem to change constantly, so when you decide to reserve a place on the tour I will tell you where and how to apply for the visa.

7. Do I need to have travel or trip cancellation insurance?

I do recommend that all of my customers obtain such insurance, although I do not require it as a condition for going on the tour. If you are interested, I can give you a list of travel insurance carriers my customers have used in the past. Please understand that I do not sell the insurance or get any benefit from its sale, and I don't have any personal experience dealing with any of these companies. You also can search for coverage on-line very easily; most Web sites permit you to calculate your premium and apply for coverage on line, even pay with a credit card.

8. What can we expect from the hotels we'll be staying in during the tour?

All accommodations are in tourist class hotels approved to receive foreign guests. In the bigger, more developed places like Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Kunming, Lijiang, Chongqing, Wuhan, we stay in 3 star or 4 star hotels according to the Chinese rating system; in smaller towns like Yangshuo, Dali and Zhongdian, we use one of the best available hotels in town. All rooms have twin beds (double beds are very rare in China) and have an attached private bath (with Western style flush toilet and bath and shower), heating and air conditioning, as well as a telephone capable of international direct dialing and a television (although usually only Chinese channels are available). The best of all is their central location--I chose them carefully to make it very easy for us to walk around to explore the city, and particularly the local street markets, on foot, and there are many wonderful local restaurants nearby!

9. If I select the homestay option in Lijiang, what can I expect there?

My local Naxi friend Mrs. He's traditional-style home is charming but does not have all of the facilities of a hotel. The house is a two-story Naxi-style courtyard compound, built from wood and stone, with a beautiful flower-filled courtyard. Mrs. He is retired and loves flowers and cooking (she is a very very good cook!). There are three bedrooms, all on the second floor. (Because there are only three bedrooms, we may have to take turns staying there.) The house has electricity but lighting is somewhat dimmer than most foreigners are used to you might want to bring a flashlight just in case. There is no telephone or TV in the bedrooms, which are very simple but clean and comfortable. The family does have a phone and a TV in the house. The toilet is downstairs, and is shared with the family and the other guests. It is a Chinese-style squat toilet with running water, like some you would see in Hong Kong. There is also a simple shower head that discharges on to the floor, where there is a drain. Staying in my local friend' s home will be arranged as a special experience for you. Of course, it is entirely optional, and you can choose to stay in the hotel if you prefer. There is no additional cost whichever way you decide to go.

10. What is the food like on the tour?

In a word, wonderful! Chinese food in China is nothing like the much paler version we get at home. You'll find many more dishes, and more vivid flavors and colors, than you ever expected. And you'll have a full opportunity to try all different styles of local cooking. As I mentioned, we eat most of our meals in small, family-owned restaurants. I always order a variety of meat and vegetable dishes, or even fish where available, so you can try a number of things. Breakfast will be very different from what you are used to. Western style breakfast isn't available in many places we will visit, but the Chinese style breakfast of dumplings, noodle dishes and sometimes even small pastries has been a favorite with my guests. The eating experience is for sure one of the hightlights of my tours!

11. Can you accommodate my special dietary needs?

I will certainly try to do so to the extent possible. It is easy to order wonderful vegetarian dishes, and it is usually possible to avoid certain foods if you have allergies or other conditions. But at the same time, China is not as advanced as Western nations in dealing with special food needs, so it may not be possible to accommodate every need. If you have individual needs or requests, please let me know as soon as possible, preferably before you finalize your booking. I'll let you know what we can do to meet your needs.

12. What types of ground transportation will we use for our tour?

Generally we travel in medium-sized buses, depending on the final size of our group. The buses are air conditioned and have cushioned seats, and of course, they are non-smoking. I usually get a larger vehicle with more seats than the number of people on the tour, to make sure we are comfortable and have room for all the baggage. These are private vehicles just for our tour; we won't be sharing them with other groups or riders.

13. How fit do I have to be to take your tour?

Anyone with a reasonable level of fitness should enjoy the tour. We don't have any really strenuous or athletic activities, but we do a fair amount of walking, some bicycling and some stair climbing at places like the Great Wall. On some of my tours, we also visit some areas of high elevation, from 6,000 to 12,000 feet. I have structured the trip so we ascend gradually, and I pace the activities during that portion of the trip to allow everyone a chance to adjust. In general, we can adjust the activities to your individual needs, and we can always arrange an opportunity to rest or opt out of anything that proves too strenuous.

14. What if I don't know how to ride a bicycle or I can only do a little?

Although the bike ride in the countryside of Yangshuo is one of the highlights of the tour, it's no problem not to ride if you don't like it or feel tired that day. Generally, I have our driver take the bus out to the village just in case anyone doesn't feel like riding that day, or to pick up anyone who gets tired along the way. So you could ride out to the village and meet us there. Another alternative is to ride out to the village in local-style transportation, a motorcycle with a sidecar. Some of my other customers have made the trip this way and enjoyed it very much. By riding the motorcycle with a sidecar, you can follow right along with the rest of the group. And it travels pretty slowly so you can see the scenery just as we do on the bikes.

15. What are the ages of the people who join your tour?

Almost any age you can imagine! There are no age limits, and I am happy to welcome children traveling with their parents.

16. How much money should I take with me to China?

Since the tour price includes almost everything, it depends on how much personal shopping you want to do. Generally, I advise people to bring at least $200-300 in American dollars or travelers' checks for incidental expenses such as drinks, snacks, and small souvenir shopping. Of course, if you want to do more serious shopping such as jade or other jewelry, or furniture or art, you should bring more. Some of the government-owned shops do take credit cards such as Visa and Discover card, but smaller local shops do not. ATMs are starting to appear in larger cities but in my experience they are not reliable for getting cash. (And if you want to try you should check with your bank to make sure your ATM card has PIN that will work in China.) On the other hand it is very easy to cash American dollar travelers' checks either at the hotel exchange desk or at a Bank of China branch. I do have some information about this and other suggestions for preparing for your trip to China that I send to people after they have confirmed their tour. It includes information about the weather, what to pack, etc. I also send out a reading list with some good books and articles on China.

17. Is it possible for us to get some references from you?

Certainly, I would be very happy to give you a list of names and e-mail addresses of customers who have traveled with me in the past few years. Please feel free to ask me about it.

Visiting a Tibetan family of barley wine brewers in Zhongdian.

C.S.T. Number 2034611-40

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