china tour operator My family (with 2 kids age 6 and 8) just returned from a two-week trip to China
Beijing, Lhasa, Xian, Shanghai, and Huangshan). We relied on friends and
relatives in Beijing and Shanghai and sought travel agents in Lhasa, Xian, and
Huangshan. To save costs, we contacted local agents separately, rather than
booking through one agent who subcontracts to local agents. John of Huangshan
was the best tour agent we had in China, and he far exceeds our expectation.
He was very honest and straightforward. I found him by surfing online.
john@chinahuangshan.com
His prices were much lower than any other quotes I received. We were initially
doubtful about his quote/services, but decided to take a risk and go with him
anyway. We were very glad that we did and were very fortunate to find such an
honest person in China. He listed the costs clearly for our hotel on Huangshan
(Beihai), our train fare to Shanghai (we took overnight sleeper train because we
thought the children would enjoy sleeping on a train), and a minivan with a
safe/reliable driver. We paid entrance fees and meal costs directly. All
other agents quote a large lump sum. It is much better to be able to see the
costs separately. And as far as we could tell, John was hardly making any
money at all, compared to other tour operators. John only accepted our payment
at the end of our trip, and there was no hidden extra charges at all. At no
point, did John or his driver try to drive us to stores for shopping (as our
other travel agents had done). John was very considerate in arranging a few
hours stay for us at a hotel in Huangshan city before our late train ride (at
10:30PM) so we could get a shower and have some rest after a long day on the
mountain. He negotiated a 1/4 room rate for us for that evening and made our
trip much more pleasant. John is obviously very experienced at helping
different clients, and he really understands our needs. The fact that he is so
honest and is willing to make so little money on the side makes him a rare gem
in the Chinese business world. I very much hope that more people discover him
and the rest of Chinese business community would learn to do business the
honest way as John does. |