I am a month away from booking the Inspirational China trip in April, maybe with the Hong Kong add-on I'm not sure yet, which will be my first single/solo holiday. I just wanted to see if anyone else has booked this trip, or if you've been on the trip and have any advice...

Thanks in advance.

Dan

Hello to all my fellow single/solo travelers,

I am a month away from booking the Inspirational China trip in April, maybe with the Hong Kong add-on I'm not sure yet, which will be my first single/solo holiday. I just wanted to see if anyone else has booked this trip, or if you've been on the trip and have any advice...

Thanks in advance.

Dan

I'm a first timer and have booked China for September .Im in my seventies and looking forward to it

I did this trip in 2010. Although the itinerary has changed slightly , the main sites remain the same. The highlights for me were walking through the Forbidden City, standing on the Great Wall and seeing the Terracotta Warriors. The trip is very full on but is very enjoyable. Have not been to Hong Kong but I am sure that this too will be an experience.

Hope this helps

Lesley

I did the Highlights Of China with Honk Kong add-on trip as a single traveller with Travelsphere last October, so pretty much the same itinerary as the JU one you are going on but in reverse (we started in Shanghai and ended up in Beijing before flying on to Hong Kong).

Be prepared to do a lot of walking on this holiday, particularly in Beijing. You literally do the best part of 4 miles walking in Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in one afternoon. The Great Wall is another physically demanding outing as well, although the section of the wall that we visited, you had the choice of walking a less physically demanding stretch. We were very lucky in Beijing - we were there at the time of the APEC meeting so the government had shut down all the factories so no smog - blue sky and military personnel everywhere! Hopefully you will have Allan as your local tour guide in Beijing - speaks very good English, very knowledgeable and entertaining. He takes good care of you.

There is also quite a bit of walking involved at the Terracotta Warriors site, as the exhibition is spread across several buildings. Also quite a bit of walking at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Centre. Suzi was our local tour guide in Chengdu - she was also very good and interesting to talk to.

We had afternoon and evening meals all included in our holiday - there were only 11 in our group so we got overwhelmed with food. It is highly recommended that you bring antiseptic hand wash with you - we were all washing our hands at the tables before eating.

There weren't too many optional items on our holiday and because all the meals were included, I literally had too much money with me. Most of it went on tips for the local guides. We had the option to hug a panda baby in Chengdu for the equivalent of £200 but no-one in our party took up this option.

I was the only one to do the HK add-on, so I basically planned my own itinerary as there was no tour guide. There was an included tour of both Kowloon and the main island on the first day, including a trip to Victoria Peak and Stanley. I also did 2 optional excursions - HK by night and Lantau Island (the latter has an incredible cable-car system that takes you down the side of the mountain and towards the airport). I was advised to avoid going to Macau - just casinos there now, not much to see.

Be prepared for a lot of early morning starts because the itinerary is relentless. Hope you enjoy it.

I am already booked for the trip to China in April :)

Very nervous as this is my first long haul on my own, however also really excited to be going. I have not booked the Hong Kong ad on, but am just glad that you posted as I agree with a lot of these posts that it is useful to have a chat with your fellow travellers before going.

Regards

Stargazer

Hello to all my fellow single/solo travelers,

I am a month away from booking the Inspirational China trip in April, maybe with the Hong Kong add-on I'm not sure yet, which will be my first single/solo holiday. I just wanted to see if anyone else has booked this trip, or if you've been on the trip and have any advice...

Thanks in advance.

Dan

This will be my first just you holiday, so looking forward to it...

I'm still undecided whether to do the HK add-on, seems a lot of money extra for just a couple of days...

Don't know how many are on the trip or who the TM is. I've done a few JY holidays and enjoyed them all.

I sent my visa off last week, not sure how long it'll take but will be happier when it arrives.

I've been reading the other forums on past trips re reduced luggage etc. any advice will be appreciated.

I was 74 and suffered mildly from arthritis in my spine but I never found the amount of walking too tiring, including the Great Wall where there were no restrictions on how much or how little you walked, unlike as Altyjohn described. We had two hours to wander freely and I and a slightly older lady wandered the distance between four watch-towers with a packed lunch to enjoy halfway through. But the flat (as opposed to stepped) gradients down and up between each tower were challenging on the upward slopes!

The outstanding excursion amongst so many had to be the Terracotta Warriors and I shall not spoil the surprise of seeing it for the first time, so unlike the familiar close-up footage we’ve all seen on television. But it is staggering and, again, I’d disagree that the walking is not an exertion as you can do so at a very leisurely pace and also have a good two hours to explore.

I shall always remember the sudden realisation that hit me as I stood in Tiananmen Square, saying to myself “Wow! I’m in China” – somewhere so unbelievably exotic yet familiar from tv that had never been on my list; and certainly not in my 70s!

My one very minor criticism is the food. I had expected a few “Western” or “International” dishes but few if any ever appeared. It was a relentless succession of Chinese food three times a day. It was so good of course, being truly authentic, that it was very enjoyable for the first 3-4 days but come the sixth.....

It is a relentless tour with many early starts, as AltyJohn wrote, but once you’re up and had a cuppa (take your own tea-bags just in case!) you get used to it.

However, you will have a truly fantastic trip I am quite sure.

Hi Danny 52 and Stargazer. I'm on the April trip and really looking forward to it. I'm flying in from Manchester on the 15.15 to T5. Not sure how I'll be transported to T3 but soon find out now.

Don't know how many are on the trip or who the TM is. I've done a few JY holidays and enjoyed them all.

I sent my visa off last week, not sure how long it'll take but will be happier when it arrives.

I've been reading the other forums on past trips re reduced luggage etc. any advice will be appreciated.

Hi traveller Lynne,

Good to read there will be three of us at least. I have not travelled with JY before so unsure about baggage weight restrictions etc. I presume we will get all this information a couple of weeks before? Look forward to meeting you in April

No one else going in April...I know there are more of you out there...come on show yourselves... :-)

Hi Danny 52

Well at least there are definitely three of us !

I endorse most of what AltyJohn posted on 17 Jan. I did this fabulous trip (but with the Yangtze add-on, not HK), in Oct 2013 and still describe it as my “Holiday of a Lifetime”, aware that that and the word “fabulous” are both grossly overused. But in this case, absolutely valid.

I was 74 and suffered mildly from arthritis in my spine but I never found the amount of walking too tiring, including the Great Wall where there were no restrictions on how much or how little you walked, unlike as Altyjohn described. We had two hours to wander freely and I and a slightly older lady wandered the distance between four watch-towers with a packed lunch to enjoy halfway through. But the flat (as opposed to stepped) gradients down and up between each tower were challenging on the upward slopes!

The outstanding excursion amongst so many had to be the Terracotta Warriors and I shall not spoil the surprise of seeing it for the first time, so unlike the familiar close-up footage we’ve all seen on television. But it is staggering and, again, I’d disagree that the walking is not an exertion as you can do so at a very leisurely pace and also have a good two hours to explore.

I shall always remember the sudden realisation that hit me as I stood in Tiananmen Square, saying to myself “Wow! I’m in China” – somewhere so unbelievably exotic yet familiar from tv that had never been on my list; and certainly not in my 70s!

My one very minor criticism is the food. I had expected a few “Western” or “International” dishes but few if any ever appeared. It was a relentless succession of Chinese food three times a day. It was so good of course, being truly authentic, that it was very enjoyable for the first 3-4 days but come the sixth.....

It is a relentless tour with many early starts, as AltyJohn wrote, but once you’re up and had a cuppa (take your own tea-bags just in case!) you get used to it.

However, you will have a truly fantastic trip I am quite sure.

Hi Mike21

Thank you for your post, really useful and up to now I have tried not to get to excited about the holiday. However as you said, this will be my trip of a life time and I am really looking forward to it. Not long now 🙂

No one else going in April...I know there are more of you out there...come on show yourselves... :-)

I'm on the trip too, so at least thee will be a few of us! I fly out from Heathrow at about 8.20 pm so am hoping to meet up with others there. My second JY holiday - I just did a short walking break in Yorkshire last winter, and I found that most enjoyable. Only ever been to Shanghai for a couple of days stopover so this will all be new to me and I'm very much looking forward to it and to meeting my fellow travellers.

rosie

Hi Danny 52 and Stargazer. I'm on the April trip and really looking forward to it. I'm flying in from Manchester on the 15.15 to T5. Not sure how I'll be transported to T3 but soon find out now.

Don't know how many are on the trip or who the TM is. I've done a few JY holidays and enjoyed them all.

I sent my visa off last week, not sure how long it'll take but will be happier when it arrives.

I've been reading the other forums on past trips re reduced luggage etc. any advice will be appreciated.

Hi traveller Lynne,

Good to read there will be three of us at least. I have not travelled with JY before so unsure about baggage weight restrictions etc. I presume we will get all this information a couple of weeks before? Look forward to meeting you in April

I phoned Just You before I booked and there was 18 already booked on the flight...what has everyone done about currency? I've got 6000 Yuan, which I'm thinking is too much...

rosie