Hi Lin,
According to my friend there are quite a lot of tips to hand out as there is a different guide on each trip. They pooled their tips each time which made it easier all round, no doubt our rep will put us straight on that one!
We also visit lots of places where there are tempting gifts to buy. She had to buy a bag to bring all her extras back and so suggests not taking too many clothes as there is so much to buy there (and at a great price).
She showed me the most amazing photo, standing with the great wall in the background, I can't wait!
I suppose the amount of money you take will depend on whether you plan on buying lots of pressies etc, I'll probably get something for my mum and step dad (the rest for me) but won't be going mad.
We will also need money for the souvenir photographs etc, they come with a background history/facts of the place (the wall for example) and either a group or individual photo of the place of interest, not sure how much they are, not cheap I'll bet.
It really is difficult to know how much to take though. I will definitely take my plastic friend, just in case!
Apparently beer is served at night but you have to buy spirits etc. They took a naughty little bottle in their handbag, oops!
Like you, I'm not sure whether to take American traveller cheques, Maybe we can get some info and advice from the tour manager.
Looking at my friend's photographs the age range of the group was quite varied which was nice.
It really is going to be a holiday of a lifetime I think.
Looking forward to meeting everyone.
Best wishes
Therese