Thinking of travelling to China alone

Porkpie

36 year old bloke here, I'd appreciate some advice. I've always wanted to see China and between some mates being married and others only interested in sun resorts it looks like I'll be heading off on my own.

I was thinking of using the Travel Department. Apparently they're good for solo travellers as they do guided tours and I'd be travelling with a group. I'm just a little apprehensive about solo travel. Although I'm quite independent and don't mind the idea of travelling alone I would be hoping to socialise with other solo travellers and I really wouldn't like the thoughts of being on my own for the entire trip.

Has anyone any experience of this kind of solo travel, particularly with the Travel Department? Any advice would be appreciated.

This is the trip I was planning - Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai for 12 nights in November, total cost including single supplement is €2,588.

https://www.traveldepartment.ie/beijing-xian-shanghai-holiday?dp=dub&co=china&pr=0;6400&sb=airport&dpId=29755&datePriority=20161117

Gaz

Would be far cheaper to do it on your own, stay in hostels if you want to meet people, also, most hostels run local tours. The one I stayed in, in Beijing took about 10 of us out to the Great Wall for example.

BetsyEllen

Have to agree with Gaz - I was previously looking at a Travel Dept tour for Italy as I am also a solo traveller.

However, after reading reviews it seemed that most participants were much older then me and in couples.
A family member done a tour of China a couple of years back (not sure who with), in her late 50's with her husband and I remember her saying that they were some of the youngest on the tour!

So now I'm going by myself, staying in a hostel and arranging lots of day trips etc.

If you would feel more comfortable in a group then go for it, but I think you'd have more fun going it alone. And you'd save a lot of money!

Porkpie

Thanks Gaz and Betsy. To be honest I'm not really into the hostel experience. I hate sharing, don't mind spending a bit more for my own room. Disappointing to hear that it's likely to be full of old people on the trip. Back to square one 😕

killbillvol2

Porkpie wrote: »

Thanks Gaz and Betsy. To be honest I'm not really into the hostel experience. I hate sharing, don't mind spending a bit more for my own room. Disappointing to hear that it's likely to be full of old people on the trip. Back to square one 😕

Hostels in China are of a very high standard and will have private rooms if you want. You can meet lots of other travellers and avail of day trips without necessarily sharing a dorm.

Travelling with the Travel Dept or similar is not solo travel and you'll pay through the nose for it. €2500+ for that trip is outrageous and it's a terrible itinerary. Do some research and organise it yourself. China is easy to do solo.

suds1984

Maybe look at companies like intrepid or g adventures for group trips, more likely to have a younger age profile than travel departement.

uck51js9zml2yt

Avoid Xian. It's a polluted city and the warriors are a non event from what I'm told.

Thoie

I have no knowledge of that particular tour company, and from what others are saying it doesn't sound great, but don't let the age of the group put you off.

I went away with a group 2 years ago (solo traveller, late 30s), and I was the youngest there by a good 25 years. There could have been 40 years between me and some of the others. I had an absolute blast. This isn't a day trip to Knock The kind of older people doing big tours like that are generally very fit, and extremely well travelled and have some of the best stories.

OK, you're probably not going to hook up with anyone (though never say never), but that's not why I go on holidays.


TL;DR: Don't write off tour groups just because of the average age.

cdeb

Alec Squeaking Raindrop wrote: »

Avoid Xian. It's a polluted city and the warriors are a non event from what I'm told.

I think most Chinese cities are polluted; I don't think Xi'an isn't particularly unusual in that regard.

The warriors are a bit underwhelming alright - though only because the complex is so overcrowded. The Xi'an museum in the city centre is way less crowded and has some warriors too - and they're genuinely amazing when you can stand in front of them in a bit of peace and look them in the eye. I quite liked Xi'an as a city actually.

Be a bit aware of places like the Jade Factory on the itinerary, which is basically a shopping trip; the factory presumably pay the tour company to keep it on the itineraries. It's a bit interesting, and jade is a big part of local culture, but the trip ends fairly quickly in a big shop. (I was in the one in Xi'an, not Beijing as per that itinerary, but I'd say it's the same thing)

Solo travel is grand. Even if you're on your own during the day, you'll meet people on long-distance train journeys if you add one or two into your itinerary, or even take an (ever controversial!) trip down to the local Irish bar some evening. An event like a table quiz is a great way to meet some expats, fellow tourists or English-speaking locals, and get an insight into the country or swap stories. So Paddy O'Shea's in Beijing do pub quizzes each Wednesday, for example.

That's not to dismiss the tour company - but just another way of doing the trip, keeping an independent schedule and still meeting people.

There's of course plenty of other places you could go in China, depending on when you're travelling. Lhasa is an option - you do need a tour guide though. Harbin for the ice festival is supposed to be amazing, if freezing cold. Hong Kong is quite varied. Nanjing has I think a museum about the Nanjing massacre, which kick-started WWII in Asia. Lots of places.

I'd also recommend reading Paul Theroux's Riding the Iron Rooster before you go. It's 30 years old now, but still very relevant and will help you understand China better.

Spanish Eyes

Hi OP.

I did that trip to China with Travel Department a few years ago now. There was a huge mix of age groups, twentys, up to seventies. We had a ball. Great craic.

But it is exhausting. Every day bar one AFAIR we were taken somewhere and up at the crack of dawn. But it was interesting alright. Xian is OK, you just go to see the warriors. Beijing can be very crowded and quite polluted, but to see the Great Wall and Tianjen on the bullet train and so many other things around there was brilliant.

Shanghai was my favourite though. Just found it a nice place.

However..... once is enough. The Chinese can be strange, always staring and spitting. But when in Rome I suppose.

I am sorry I didn't go to South America really. It was a toss up between the two at the time. Not sorry I went, don't get me wrong it was an amazing experience. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

I just think that sometimes if you only have a finite amount of time it is better to be escorted in a place like China. If you DIY it, by the time you figure out how to get around and so on the trip is over! But each to their own, lots of people go solo and would be horrified to be escorted. Others wouldn't dream of going without being escorted.

Do what YOU feel most comfortable with. And BTW there were 7 solo travellers mid 30s-40s and some of them joined in with everything, some just did their own thing in the free time. There is no pressure. It's not Hi de Hi.

Porkpie

Thanks everyone for the really helpful feedback. Suds, I will look into those other travel companies. Tatranska, I heard the terracotta warriors were a big disappointment alright. Spanish Eyes, cheers for that, good to hear from someone who's used Travel Department. I think I'd prefer Asia (China in particular) than South America. I'll continue to do my research in the meantime.

grimm2005

Just to add to what Gaz and killbillvol2 have said, hostels are a great way to meet people and greatly reduce the cost of a trip. As mentioned, most hostels have private rooms if you don't want to share.

Having said that, I have no idea what the standard is of hostels in China but a quick google or check on hostelworld will give you an indication.

killbillvol2

grimm2005 wrote: »

Just to add to what Gaz and killbillvol2 have said, hostels are a great way to meet people and greatly reduce the cost of a trip. As mentioned, most hostels have private rooms if you don't want to share.

Having said that, I have no idea what the standard is of hostels in China but a quick google or check on hostelworld will give you an indication.

The standard is excellent. And there are a lot of solo travellers in China so you tend to meet a lot of people.

killbillvol2

Alec Squeaking Raindrop wrote: »

Avoid Xian. It's a polluted city and the warriors are a non event from what I'm told.

X'ian was one of my favourite cities. It's worth going to for the food in the Muslim quarter alone. It's no more polluted than any similar sized Chinese city either.

And I was impressed by the warriors but the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi was also worth a visit and a lot less crowded.

dwayneshintzy

Hostels in China are incredibly cheap, they'll all have private, en-suite rooms (as well as dorms) and some are much nicer than many Western hotels. Don't be put off by the term "hostel"; I'd very much agree with anyone saying that it might be much better to do this trip truly "solo". There'll be a bit of a culture shock, but getting around by train/flights isn't that hard, you can find day trips once in China, etc. and end up paying half or a third of your quoted travel price.

Beijing and Shanghai are very interesting cities, and definitely get out to see them if you can. But I'd personally recommend going out to south-western China; Guilin, Yangshuou, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang. Some great cities and amazing sights to see out there (Tiger Leaping Gorge being my favourite).