1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

It was all memorable and exciting, but probably our best part was our visit to the remote town of Zhongwei, where few tourists visit.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

It is wonderful, but the days are long and the travelling tiring. Don't bring very small children.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

I think our holiday benefited local people in the services and products we employed and bought. I think they were genuinely happy to see us. I don't think we impacted on the environment other than the use of fuel.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Excellent. We saw all the sights mentioned in the itinerary. We were helped at all times to make the most of the towns we stayed in. Our hotel and travel arrangements were all taken care of efficiently. Our tour leader was perfect, helping us with good advice, but allowing us time to fend for ourselves as well.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Walking the Great Wall of China; spending time amongst the limestone peaks of Yangshuo/Guilin.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Take a good phrase book (eg. Lonely Planet Mandarin).

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Overall, yes. The company used local guides, transport, etc. and the tour leader discussed issues of responsible tourism at the start of the holiday and on one or two specific occasions during the holiday. My main concern was the inclusion of an optional visit to a primary school near Yangshuo, to teach two 40-minute English sessions to pupils as part of the Canadian-run Volunteer English Teachers project (www.VET-China.org), which is supported by the Tour Company. We were able to spend time with pupils without any selection/vetting procedure, with no need for skills or experience in language teaching or working with children, and with no supervision during the classes (apart from a fleeting visit by a volunteer co-ordinator). VET's website says that volunteers can take part for very short periods of time, and that they need no prior experience or qualifications. They also receive free accommodation. Whilst the "experience" was a highlight for many of the members of our tour, I am concerned that our participation - and possibly the project overall - benefits tourists/volunteers more than local children or communities; and that the lack of selection, preparation, training and lesson planning does very little for children's progression in English learning, or for a sustainable approach to language teaching in schools. I would like to see the Tour Company carefully investigate whether local projects are genuinely sustainable and of high quality, seeking the advice and expertise of well established organisations such as VSO, which operates in China; and that the Tour Company excludes this experience from future tours if it is genuinely committed to sustainable local development.

Read the operator's response here:

Vet is in its infancy and our involvement is a recent trial, we are therefore keen to get feedback to know whether the practice is as expected.

Whereas many other language schools and travel agencies offer school visits which are disruptive, this VET programme is designed to integrate with each schools own English language curriculum. The co-ordinator knows which schools have English classes planned and at what times and matches up volunteers with the schools requirements. Volunteers are never supposed to be forced on a school. Eventually the program hopes to get enough volunteers through to provide a regular supply of support for the teachers. The ideal would be for long-term commitments, but in the absence of these, any volunteer is better than none. Many of the local school teachers know only basic English, and speak that with a heavy accent. Even untrained support can benefit the children in China.

It is true that we could support only large organizations such as VSO but small projects like this need help to get going. Since we have an office manager on the spot we can monitor what is going on - and curtail our involvement if we are not satisfied with the activities included. Thanks to l.Amery for the feedback.