3rd trip to China
Please forgive that this may be a lengthy post. I will start off by saying that this is my 3rd trip to China. Each summer I have been invited to give guest lectures in Shanghai; while in China I like to explore different areas. The first trip to China I researched tour agencies who could provide me with expertise and assistance in planning. I found China Culture Tour and read great reviews, so I contacted them. Nora planned my first experience and it was wonderful! I shared her contact information and my itinerary with colleagues who then contacted the company also with good results. The 2nd year my husband was able to travel with me. I contacted Nora and told her I wanted the exact itinerary from the first year, including the same guides because it was a wonderful introduction to Shanghai, Xi'an and Beijing. He had a wonderful, unforgettable experience. So, it was only natural that on my 3rd year invitation I contacted Nora again and asked her suggestions on new areas to explore. We worked together to come up with an itinerary to Chengdu and Guilin. Again, I could not ask for a better itinerary or better guides. The customer service is impeccable. As a woman traveling alone I felt secure and confident in the plan and company. The experiences and itinerary were so amazing, I was able to experience pandas as a panda keeper in the panda keeper volunteer program; I took an amazing river cruise, biked through incredible countryside, took a cooking and painting class, and bamboo rafted down the Li river. All of these were suggestions from China Culture Tour and were unforgettable memory making experiences in beautiful parts of China. Their expertise and suggestions were better than what I could have created on my own. The guides are always enthusiastic and helpful. Jessica in Chengdu took so many photos and videos for me (without being asked to) which was so nice as I was traveling alone. Mike in Guilin was great in helping to finesse the itinerary times to maximize the best experiences. But more than creating a great itinerary and tourist experiences, this company including people like Nora and guides like Mike are what makes them stand out. Their customer service is outstanding! There were a couple of time on my China travels over the last 3 years that I have had "bumps in the road" one was my first year where I had some difficulty in the airport before I could even connect with my guide and she was able to help me resolve my issue. The next issue came from this last trip where my own flight arrangements (that I made outside of the tour company) had a flight canceled and rescheduled for 2 days later to return to the US. Mike was with me and helping me to navigate the airline ticket counter, helping me to translate, and trying to find me another flight to Beijing to make my connection to the US asap, while I was on the phone to my airline trying to get assistance from them. Nora was trying to use her powers to help as well. Again, this was not their responsibility as these were arrangements that I made, but their extra time, support and resources helped me to not only negotiate a different flight for later that afternoon with another airline, but they also were able to negotiate on my behalf to have a complimentary hotel room and food vouchers while I waited until the later flight. Nora typically, from the very first trip, communicates directly with me during my tours to see how things are going and to make sure everything is just right. This last time was no exception. She continued to communicate with me to make sure I made it back to the US OK after my initial flight schedule difficulty. This above and beyond personal service is why I would recommend them to anyone and everyone! They will be who I call if I get another invitation to China, in fact Nora is already tentatively planning my next China Adventure and I completely trust her guidance and advice based on my experiences in the past with them. I can't wait to return and experience new adventures!