The Essence of China vacation
This is a 'small group adventure' - on our group trips you'll be with a maximum of 11 like minded travellers and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting people from other parts of the world as well as seeing new places!
Because of our small group size, we're able to guarantee departures for all of our trips. Once you have booked and paid your deposit, your trip is guaranteed to go!
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
- We provide all travellers with reusable bags and chopsticks in order to avoid waste.
- We encourage the use of “tea flasks” for drinking water (or tea, like the locals do!) so as not to purchase multiple plastic bottles. Safe drinking water is available in all our accommodation and transport. Any bottles that are purchased are given to the community of waste collectors who rely on this for an income.
- Wherever possible we take local transport. This can mean anything from public bus, trolley bus, tram or subway. We also have the opportunity to explore on bikes and on foot and travel overland on all our basic trips.
Community
- Food left over after group meals is collected and boxed up to be left where homeless/street people might easily find it and take it without them having to go through garbage for a meal.
- All suppliers are issued with RT recommendations in their local language and leaders and groups act as “ambassadors” for spreading the RT message not just to travellers but also trying to involve the local tourism industry.
- Informal local language lessons are included to give travellers a head start into understanding the culture and communicating with the people we meet along the way.
- When taking trains we travel 2nd or 3rd class (hard sleeper in China) which is the way the majority of locals travel - this gives us maximum chance to meet and share stories, food, games and the journey with local travellers.
- At the end of out journey we encourage our travellers to donate unwanted clothes, toiletries or other goods which we then distribute to local organisations.
- Our tour leaders are all Chinese locals.
Join your leader for a walking tour through Old Beijing along the ancient network of alleyways and lanes known as hutong to see how important it is to protect cultural heritage in the face of rapid development.
While in Yangshuo we have the opportunity to participate in the Volunteer English Teaching program for rural kids in one of the villages around or attend a conversation class for teenagers in the city. On the way back from the Terracotta Warriors, there is a chance to stop in for lunch with a village family. Also in Xi’an we can meet with our friends at Xi'an Huiling (meaning "wise spirit") - a special project for people with intellectual disabilities.
