Plan a China Vacation Budget

We can squeeze our China vacation budget into a single week, but that's a lot of squeezing. If we are going to invest in a complete China vacation, we should budget for a time span of about 10 days, or even two weeks.

We want to make sure our China vacation budget includes not only Beijing but also Shanghai, because Shanghai will show us a cleaner and more progressive view of life in China, still near the dawn of our new millennium. We will need time at the Great Wall, of course, and we'll want a stopover in Hong Kong.

To help you save time in exploring the idea of a China vacation, and measuring your China vacation budget, here are some websites we discovered.

-- Vacation Safaris advertises an admittedly "cheap" 10-day excursion for $2,380, departing from Los Angeles, San Francisco or New York City. By the third day, we already are in the Forbidden City at Tiananmen Square. (It's been 20 years now, but when reference is made to Tiananmen Square, we can't help but think of the government's crackdown on dissidents.) Hong Kong closes the deal, and we can stay an extra two days for $475. All of our meals, lodging, sightseeing and entertainment are covered.

-- Here's an interesting concept: At DIY China Tours, we sort of mix and match our own China vacation budget, rather than facing the dictates of a visit that is organized for us, minute by minute by minute. They'll still help us out, but we have opportunities to make our own choices. For example, we can stay in a Crowne Plaza in Beijing for $136, or we can opt for a Days Inn at $70. A 13-day Grand China tour is $1,995 plus a $493 hotel retainer, but we can opt for a shorter China vacation and a reduced budget, such as $849 for Shanghai and Guilin.

The DIY China Tours website also offers an excellent Q & A page for planning a China vacation budget, with enough information to fill a book. We should have an easy time converting our American currency and using our credit cards. The Chinese government maintains a friendly exchange rate in order to seek advantages for international trade. Participants in group tours are recommended to give $3 to $8 apiece to drivers, and $5 to $10 apiece to tour guides. For "active" tours such as biking or hiking, then the tour guide's payment should be doubled. At local markets, bargain on the price and be firm, but don't stop smiling. Vaccinations should be for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies and typhoid.

SOURCES

http://www.vacationsafaris.com/Great_Wall_of_China/China_vacation.html

http://www.diychinatours.com/faq/diychinatours/What-is-DIY-China-Tours.htm

http://www.diychinatours.com/faq/china-travel-tips/