My boyfriend and I came back on our China trip earlier this month, and I must say it was the best trip of the year for us! Right from the start, we found this tour deal on Groupon to be unbeatable. One of our colleagues went on the exact same tour last year so they vouched for its legitimacy, which pushed us to buy the tour vouchers. We applied and received the Chinese visa on our own, saving us some money there. It was fairly straightforward. Rewards Travel China (RTC) did switch our trip manager a few times, and we were assigned to Chloe at the end. Up to the point of the trip, we had to reach out to the company a few times to ask about the logistics of all the paperwork and of the trip overall. One thing RTC doesn't do well is telling their clients how things are gonna be, so we did take many initiatives to ask many questions. Arriving in China was a breeze because everyone independently arrived to their designated airport. The entire tour group is gathered once everyone arrived in Beijing. Over the 8 days we had in China, we visited a lot of beautiful and amazing places. We learned to navigate the subway stations in both Beijing and Shanghai, highly recommended to get around the city if you don't want to buy the optional tours. The hotels were very fancy and comfortable (all 4 stars hotel) with breakfast buffet every morning. One thing you do need to get used to is to eat Chinese food everyday. The trip moved real fast once we were out of Bejing because we only got 1 night of stay for each hotel thereafter with Shanghai hotel being 2 nights. Therefore, you should be prepared to wake up early everyday and potentially coming back in the late evening (6PM) everyday, even later if you buy their optional night activities. China has beautiful landscapes and delicious food. We felt safe at all time even when we broke off going on our own without buying the optional tours. There were 2 things I didn't like during the trip. First, RTC poorly arranged a small van to take the 5 people from our Beijing hotel to the airport on our last day in Beijing. It was very cramped and uncomfortable. The van's trunk couldn't fit all our luggages to they had to be placed on people's laps and in between the seats. The person calling the van was either being inconsiderate of our comfort or failed to account for the number of luggage we had altogether. The second thing I didn't enjoy was our tour guide in Suzhou and Shanghai. His name was Frank, and his English was not as good as the other tour guides we had. Frank doesn't show an open and friendly attitude to us and perhaps other people in the tour. He was giving us a negative attitude when we repeatedly turned down his suggestions to purchase the optional tours. Furthermore, he isn't careful with his words and can come off as being offensive and unprofessional. He tried to give a history of Suzhou and Shanghai but they weren't well organized or engaging, plus I couldn't understand him half the time due to his thick accent. We had Sarah in Beijing and Laura in Hangzhou, whom I thought did an excellent job at informing us about China's history/stories. Overall, I enjoyed the trip a lot despite the negative experiences. For the price we paid, I have to give this deal 5 stars for what we received in return. 10/10 would come back to China again. read more

I have so many good things to say about my experience with Rewards Travel China (RTC) that I really don't know where to start. So let me start by saying that I have never done anything impulsive in my life but impulsively buying a Groupon for 10 days, to China, with this company. Original Groupon said that flights, hotels and two meals per day were included with transportation and an English-speaking tour guide. My husband and I saw the crazy low price of $599 per person and jumped on it. Is the price for real? The price actually varies on departure location. Because we were leaving from Orlando, Florida the price actually went up to about $800 per person. Nevertheless, with everything included, the price was still too good to pass. Thus my husband and I went for the buy without never actually having planned to go to China or knowing anything about traveling to China. We didn't even know about the Traveling Visa (which you pay for separately and was definitely an expense we were not counting on) that you need to get in order to travel to China. Though Rewards Travel China DID disclose that the Visa expenses were to be paid separately, I really had no idea we would pay around (with all documents required) about almost $300 additionally per person for each individual visa. Again... the traveling visa is compulsory and has nothing to do with the traveling agency. Furthermore, although i know people that were actually able to buy the travel package for under $600 (most of the people I met departing form the West of USA), the trip is still pretty inexpensive since China's government sponsors the trip and provides amazing discounts to the company in exchange of including government funded tours (such as the Silk Factory, Jade Factory, among others). These are all places that when you travel to China, you want to go. Most of the places you will have to listen to the history of the facility and a 10-20 minute sales pitch. Buying is optional and in no way are people pressured to buy. I purchased items on limited places and had friends that didn't purchase anything at all. Finally, the history and sales pitch is not only interesting but funny as they make it very entertaining. Meeting our tour guides. Arriving to China we followed our itinerary, passed through customs and were received by our Beijing tour guide, Peng Song aka Nick. Peng was very responsable, organized and always carried our itinerary with information. He was endearing, honest, genuine and very familiar with western culture. Peng was always available for us, was very approachable, genuine and accommodating. He was also very knowledgeable on the history and treated all of us as family. Peng had an answer to all of our questions, was patient and went above and beyond to make our experience enjoyable. After Beijing we took a four-hour bullet train to Shanghai and were greeted by Foresen, known as Sen, who was our tour guide for the rest of the days. Sen was hilarious, attentive and very approachable. Both tour guides were extremely special in their own way and both surpassed our expectations. They were very accommodating, dependable and in charge of a group of 33 people. We never had issues and both guides were always making sure we were constantly together. Optional tours: Initially, my husband and I had only booked some of the optional tours, though later decided to add them while in China. We ended up adding almost all of the additional optional tours since honestly, we didn't know anybody in China and wouldn't know were to go or what to do without a tour guide. I recommend adding most of the day tours with exception of two boat tours. The only boat tour that I would recommend is the boat tour in Suzhou ("The Venice of the East"), since it is inexpensive, the experience is worth it and you later get to walk around the town surrounding the river. The other boat tours you just get in the boat and do not see the surrounding areas. The boat tours at Shanghai and West Lake in Hangzhou I would not recommend since you get a better experience and view of the area on foot rather than by boat. All in all the schedule is pretty tight which makes it difficult to fully taking in each location. Nevertheless, if you want to make most of your trip and see most of the "must-see" places in China, you GOT to have a tight itinerary. The itinerary is well thought of and the selected locations are amazing. Even the hotels are amazing and the lunch options are well picked. Finally, my husband and I fell in love with China and hope to visit again; we would totally coordinate everything with RTC if possible. read more

What a great trip!!! We used a groupon to get a 10 day vacation and let me tell you... you get WAY MORE than you pay for. The price is too good to be true... so be aware that each day the tour takes you to a place where you have to sit through a presentation that will be a sales pitch for you to buy something.. sounds bad right? Wrong! The places they take you are the places you want to go anyway! The stuff the try to sell you.. the stuff you are going to China to buy anyway! Example: The Jade Factory, The Silk Factory, The Tea Plantation etc etc.. these are the places that anyone who visits China tries to go to.. But, after that.. they take you to all the major sites in China.. jam packed... JAM PACKED.. you will be on the bus at 7am and get back to the hotel, or the new hotel (lots of city hopping) around 9-11pm.. you will be tired.. but the hotels are top notch, the guides are super fun! Lulu did an amazing job with our bus!!! With a group full of crazy Americans.. I don't see how they do it! Awesome Job Lulu!! I highly recommend this agency. If you book a groupon tour.. know that you are going to be sold items everyday, you're addenda will be jam packed and you will not have time to explore on your own.. if you want a trip without being sold items daily and want free time to do whatever you want.. A. Don't use an agency, buy your own flight, make your own travel arrangements and do it on your own for about 20k.. or have the trip of a lifetime for around 700.00 per person... read more

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We had such a great time on our trip with RTC! Before we left I was skeptical, but they did not disappoint. Before we left they were always available to answer questions, no matter how silly the question might have seemed. We also used their visa program, and it made the entire process of getting the Visa a breeze. We all just filled out the application, mailed it to RTC, then they took care of the rest. The whole process took about 2 weeks! Once we got on the trip everything was a breeze! Pretty much every day was planned, which took a lot of pressure off of me! We were traveling with my in-laws, and my teenage little brothers, and this trip had something for people of every age! We didn't book any additional excursions before the trip, but they were very easy to add on once we were there. I recommend the Golden Mask show and the boat rides in Shanghai and Suzhou. Our tour guides were Leo in Beijing and Ivy in Shanghai. They were both amazing, and they were very helpful about helping us see parts of the cities we were in even if we didn't do the extra tours. Most of the hotels were great. One was.... not so great. But for the price you pay you really cannot beat this trip! You do have to stop at government shops, but it wasn't bad. They educated you on the products, and teach you about it's importance to the local people/the Chinese culture. Every shop has a coffee shop, and you can always go walk around outside if you don't want to be there. The price makes it hard to complain about the shopping stops, AND it's all stuff you'd probably buy anyways! But a word of advise..... ALWAYS BARGAIN! Even in the government stores. Never never pay what they ask for. My only complaint is I wish we didn't go to so many cities. Even if they'd just cut out one of the smaller cities I'd be happy. The middle of the trip is kind of rushed, and it felt like one day we took a 3 hour drive just so we could go to the government shop in another city. But we had many other great days to make up for it. Overall, I would definitely recommend this trip. I'd never have gone to China if it weren't for the price of this trip, and now I will definitely be back! read more

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Getting ready to leave on a trip to China through Rewards Travel. We got our Visa through their online pay system and it was a good experience. We read the directions carefully and got fast response time to our email questions. Victor is helping us through the process and it looks promising. We have booked quite a few of their optional trips and can't wait to experience China. I will leave another review after our safe return! Can't wait to post pictures of the beautiful. We are back! Loved the trip and the tour guides were amazing. We had Tina in Beijing and Ivy in Shanghai. Both of the guides were very knowledgeable and ready to help when needed. That being said, Victor in the main office needs some help with scheduling. He screwed up several of the reservations for hotels and our guide didn't even know that we had booked an optional tour to Xian for the terra-cotta warriors. We had to scramble for last minute air and train tickets. They got our passport numbers incorrect on the tickets and it was very hard to fix at the airport. Be prepared for a lot of government trips for shopping. We got the trip cheap so we didn't mind the extra stops. All of the hotels are very hot and stuffy so plan ahead and ask for a fan in your room. Two of the scheduled trips did not happen with no refund. Beware of scheduling the optional trips. The Shanghai museum and the West Lake boat trip were both canceled. Lost our $35 for the trip. They took some people to the top of a building for a view to make up for the boat ride. I opted out of the view and had to sit and wait for an hour and a half for the people to get back. read more

I fully read the reviews before booking the trip, so I knew what to expect. This trip is great for some people and was a great value. However, being a seasoned traveler and someone who likes to explore, this was not an ideal trip. Our tour guide in Shanghai, Billy, was great and provided us with a lot of knowledge and kept us informed about activities. The hotels and breakfasts at the hotels were very nice. The overall pre-trip communication was horrible. They never responded to emails, booked us on airlines from two different cities, sent us 5 different itineraries the week before the trip, and said we didn't pay for part of the trip a week before the trip, although I had an email confirmation from them. I don't think it's ok for the tour company to not provide an itinerary until the week before the trip. Of the four hotels we were told we were staying at, we only actually stayed at one of them. I find this to be a real safety issue if you get separated from the group or someone needs to get a hold of you from back home. For example, we took the train from Beijing to Shanghai and our Beijing travel guide couldn't tell us where we were staying in Shanghai because the hotels on the itinerary were not accurate. If we missed our stop or something happened, I don't know what we would have done. The hotels we stayed at were far from the city centers which made it difficult to enjoy your free time (over an hour away). I suppose this was done on purpose, so you sign up for the optional activities at night. We were in four cities and four hotels during the trip which was too much. Doing just Beijing and Shanghai would have been ideal. Traveling for 3-5 hours on a train or bus three days in a row really took away a lot of time to see the sites and explore. Two of the days, the objective was really to go to the government sites for Silk and Tea and we didn't see a lot besides that on those days. The prices at the government places are extremely high. I was shocked at the prices they were asking for the Jade pieces. It was pretty, but if you explore the cities, you will find it so much cheaper. So, not saying this was a bad trip. We enjoyed ourselves, but just know if you are someone who wants to spend the free time exploring or shopping, it is difficult with the hotel locations, especially if you planned subway routes, restaurants etc. around the hotels you were supposed to stay at. But, it's really cheap and you do see a lot and stay at really nice hotels, so it may be a great trip for you. read more

We had an amazing time in China. This was my first time leaving the country. The tours guides were very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. We found a great deal on Groupon $599 for 9 days(including: flights, hotels, breakfast at hotels, and lunch). They offered additional tours and experiences for a fee, which we couldn't pass up. I definitely would travel with Rewards Travel China again, and plan to do so soon. read more

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i love this company, we purchased a vacation on Groupon and it was from this company, and I must say we were treated wonderful, Miss Chris treated us like family even putting together a travel plan (that she went through with me by the way) that made everything easy and was extremely organized, I am so impressed! I highly recommend them. this company is a good company with amazing customer service. read more

We went on a discounted 10 day tour of Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai through Rewards Travel China. They were very responsive on the phone and through email. They took care of many details including our flights and ground transportation, English-speaking guides, hotels, some meals, tours, shows and tipping all of the people who assisted us. We also liked how Rewards Travel China gave us options for the trip. We could add on tours, shows, dinners and even extra days and cities. Other members of our tour group came with large families and children. Some people were retired and had age-related needs. Rewards Travel China's coordination and options accommodated everyone very well. We ran into only two problems. First, we asked for a room with a king bed for the duration of the trip but they had us in two-bed rooms the whole time. We had to work it out at each hotel, sometimes pushing the two beds together into one. Second, the hotels were different from what they had on our itinerary. It seems as if they found less expensive options at the last minute. For example, we stayed at a renovated YMCA in Hong Kong and a remotely located hotel in Shanghai. The Shanghai hotel was the biggest problem because it was 1.5 hours by train from anything we'd want to see and our original hotel was downtown. One thing that we wish we'd known was that the Chinese government pays discount tour companies to take visitors to government run stores. We were surprised that we had to spend at least an hour every day in one of these stores whether we purchased something or not. The stores specialized in things like pearls, jade, ceramics and silk. They started with a presentation about how the products are made and how to decipher quality. It was really interesting. At the end of the presentation we were free to shop for souvenirs with the assurance that we were getting good products. Anyway, our tour guides explained that more expensive tour groups don't have to go to the government stores. It would have been nice to know about those mandatory trips up front so that we were expecting them. We would recommend Rewards Travel China for someone traveling to China for the first time or folks who don't like to get boggled down with logistical details. read more

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Let me start by saying China is AMAZING!!! If your lucky enough to go you will be surprise: Clean, Modern, Safe and Beautiful. Pros: 1. Great Price!!! 2. Planned transportation, they pick you up at the airport and take you to hotels. Private transfer to all tours. 3. Hotels provided. They are all GOOD quality accommodations some better then others but for the price I have no complaints... Also all breakfast are included buffet style, mix of Asian and western dishes. 4. All tour guides spoke English and were professional. Areas that need improvement: 1. Factory tours are a must, but you are not obligated to buy ANYTHING. Many negative comments regarding this, but this is why the price is so affordable, so I had no problem going to them plus it was a nice break from all the walking and the factories were interesting so make the best of it. My only issue was that some of the factory tours were right after leaving the hotel and after having breakfast, I would recommend scheduling them in the late afternoon so you can enjoy the free lunch. 2. Some of the hotels are located quite a distance from the city center, so I would recommend hotels that are near any subway entrance even if they are far from city center. The subway system in China is incredible, we really took advantage of this and got to see the real China on our free days. We had a great time, and had no issues. read more

When I saw the price on Groupon was skeptical. I read the many reviews online and decided to book the trip anyway. Let me address the negative comments I have read in reviews. First, some people complain about lack of free time. This is a group travel trip. We visit sites as a group. You must attend all the mandatory parts of the trip but optional excursions are your free-time to explore or rest. If the majority of the group is in an area for 2 hours and you chose not to participate in the optional event, then you have 2 hours to explore before the bus leaves. Seems fair to me. Second, you must go to sales presentations. We stopped at silk, jade, tea, pearls, Chinese traditional medicine, and embroidery shops. You are not obligated to buy anything at the locations. But if you do, they typically offer free shipping back to the US and also product guarantees. Also, the prices were extremely reasonable. The sales pitches were definitely soft pitches and many places had bars or coffee shops for those not interested in shopping. I enjoyed the shopping portions even though I did not buy much. It was also a nice time to take a break and relax and use the rest room. Some of the shops had restaurants that served us food. Meals range from amazing to okay. And it was all over the place what people considered good. Some did not like the seasoned or spicy food and preferred the bland. I preferred the spicy meals and the free tea and beer that was offered. The blander meals were just okay to me. But it was just personal preference. Okay let's talk about the positives of this trip! You make new friends right away from the members in your group. Tiger was our tour guide in Beijing and he was honest, informative, and on time for everything. We saw so much in a small amount of time. This is not a relaxing vacation for sleeping. This is a learn and see as much as possible in a small amount of time experience. Leo was our guide in East China. He had a larger group of us to take care of. He was polite, talkative, and helpful. We made sure we stayed on time and saw as much as possible. Jing gave us a tour of Hangzhou and taught us about Chinese tea and mythology. The hotels are very nice. They help you exchange money and travel the city during your free time. I went to a Hot Pot restaurant called Haidilao during free time and the hotel was great in assisting me book a reservation and get a taxi to and from the restaurant. Expect to walk about 20,000-26,000 steps per day and wear appropriate shoes. Make sure to get a massage and try as many local foods as possible. The trip provides you with plenty of free bottled water and the hotels as well. Local shops are friendly if you need to buy drinks and snacks. Bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer when using public restrooms. In short, manage expectations, be open-minded, learn as much as possible, expect to walk, smile, and enjoy your trip to China!!!! It is so much fun and everyone is friendly and happy you are there. I would 100% do this again and again and again! read more

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First off, this inclusive travel package is worth every penny. Hotel quality was better than expected (4-5 star hotels). Wifi would periodically go out, but you're there to experience and not be on your phone too much. I recommend an international data plan and make sure to download a VPN since Google, Instagram, etc. are blocked in China. This travel package is planned well with plenty of optional excursions. I signed up for every optional excursion which I don't regret but it does exhaust you and will take your whole day from 7am to sometimes 10pm. The excursions that are a MUST are Forbidden City tour, Beijing Day tour, Romantic Show of Songchen and Huangpu River Night Cruise. The rest of the excursions were definitely enjoyable and gave me a well rounded experience but the others just were there to fill in the time and nothing spectacular. The tour includes mandatory exhibition halls for learning and being sold famous products from China like jade, silk, pearl and tea. You are not required to buy anything, but it can be extremely pricey. Remember, you can always bargain and talk a price down! Honestly, the food was alright. It was not bad, but it also was nothing exotic or out of the ordinary for me. The tour takes you to local restaurants for lunch and it's no fine dining just a meal. As a tour guide, I had Amy in Beijing and Michelle (also a bit of Summer) for the rest of the tour. Personally, I enjoyed both tour guides. They were both completely honest with Chinese culture and tour expectations. Also, they were both helpful with finding food options or getting somewhere. Without a doubt, I would highly recommend this tour package to anybody who wants a first glance and comprehensive experience in China! read more

I bought this tour from groupon. I took the trip in May 2018. I had to do my Visa individually in person at the Chinese embassy office bc I was born in Hong Kong (it was very troublesome/frustrating; I suggest do your Visa first then buy the tour bc the tour is nonrefundable if your Visa isn't approved in the end). - The first hotel, China National Convention Center, in Beijing was super nice. I suggest explore nearby for dinner options (yummy and $) since room service is $$$ and disappointing. There is a mall right next door (with restaurants & Starbucks!) and an underground mall with the subway. The hotel also converted currency at the market rate, no catch! They don't accept ripped or wrinkled bills though. I had some money exchanged at the Beijing airport upon arrival and that was such a rip off, $20 fee for $100. - Our itinerary had the address in English so the taxi drivers couldn't read it. I suggest have it written in Mandarin. An error is once our driver figured it out, the hotel name, phone number, and address listed were wrong - the Great Wall hotel - and we were taken to that hotel. Luckily i had a luggage tag with the address from our hotel that morning when we were dropped off. Anyway, we did the Beijing three days individually without the tour and from what I hear, we enjoyed it way more, especially the food! We searched on trip advisor for recommended places. Meals were so cheap, $10 USD for two people at really nice restaurants. And taxi is so cheap there! (Beware of taxis at touristy places who will try to rip you off if you are a tourist. They will set a high price upfront and not run their meter, I say go for the next taxi because a ~$5 USD ride to get to a destination isn't $100 USD to get back. Some had the galls to demand $200 USD. They work in clusters so walk a couple blocks to get away from touristy places. We walked to nearby hotels and requested taxis from there. - We joined the tour group for the rest of the cities and everyone was great. There were complaints about the food served bc it was subpar, American- like Chinese buffet, so towards the end, our guide changed the menu to better & more authentic stuff. The other hotels in other cities were okay, some weren't as clean, like stained yellow pillows at the second hotel. They were also located far from the town center that it is hard to venture around on foot! They did provide basic toiletry items and breakfasts were pretty good. The tour is inexpensive bc they take you to mandatory places like the jade, pearl, & silk stores, to get sales, which can be exhausting. Learning about them was interesting. You are not obligated to buy. Always bargain bc it is overpriced. There are nice stalls around like fruit stand if you aren't interested. We traveled to one city just to visit a sale place and the tour in that city was just wrapped around it. I bought jade jewelry and it turned out the metal is so cheap that some of the earrings oxidized and rusted shortly after! I question if the jade that were on the sale table were just glass. It was off the sale table after all, buy 4 for $35 USD each or $75 USD each and get the fifth free. I think if you have a native friend to take you around to shop, you won't be taken advantage of. read more

First off, I must say that I truest enjoyed our trip to China with Rewards Travel China! This travel agency truly exceeded my expectations and we have an amazing time! While in Beijing, our tour guide Terry was absolutely fantastic! He was extremely knowledgeable and was able to squeeze all of our activities into our very full days with so much to see. Terry is extremely helpful and kind and does not get annoyed when I ask so many questions about China and the history and culture. Visiting the Great Wall was my favorite and it was absolutely breathtaking! My wife and I both agreed that this hike is the shortest hike with the best reward at the top. The most incredible view you have ever seen! When you decide to book your trip with rewards travel China, make sure to request Terry as your tour guide for Beijing and you will not be disappointed! read more

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I just got back from a 10 day trip to China. Overall the trip was good especially given the price. Pros: spectacular hotels, helpful guides, many sites shown that I wouldn't have found on my own. Cons: hotels are located extremely far from the city center ( 45 minutes in the cab minimum), optional tours are very overpriced (you can take them on your own for a fraction of the price), lunches provided with included tours are absolutely disgusting, and you will be spending a many many hours on the bus. The best thing to do is to use your free days and evenings to explore China on your own. Split a cab with someone to the city or use the subway. Both are very easy to use. Our fondest memories came from the evenings we spent in the city and on our own. China is a very safe place to explore. read more

Just got back from China and it was an experience of a lifetime! China is a very modern progressive country. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Rewards Travel China. It was totally organized with our passports and visas. We flew on Delta Airlines it was wonderful. I have nothing but commendation for Nina our tour guide in Beijing and Kevin our tour guide in Shanghai. I don't think I've ever got my moneys worth like I did on this trip. The hotels are beautiful, The buses were very nice and everything was so organized. The hotels are like five star hotels gorgeous. Everything we did from the great wall to the shows were first class. This trip is not for someone who can't do a lot of walking. I walked 10,000 to 13,000 steps a day but loved it. The only negative thing I can say is the food is different and a lot of Msg And causes a lot of swelling of the feet. That is just China though in their culture. Thank you Rewards Travel for a trip of a Lifetime. read more

Did the 10 day tour of China/Beijing - here is the run down of what to expect PROS: - LOTS of value for the money, flight, hotel, food, tours for just over 1,000 dollars... The value is tremendous. - All the activities were fun and worth the money - You see a LOT - Hotels are better than expected - Tour guides are AWESOME CONS: - The food is all pretty much the same - you will get sick of it. - You will be walking a lot make sure you're able to walk a mile a day - You are in a bus more than expected - You could get a bad layover - You don't have much time to do your own thing - Too much hotel switching RECOMMENDATIONS: - Upgrade everything, we did and we were glad we did. The upgrades don't cost much but the activities are all fun. - Make sure you don't get a layover over 3 hours - that's a killer. We got the tour guides Sara and Steven - we LOVED both of them. The only 2 things that stick out in my mind as big "downers" were the flight layovers coming home (we had one that was 8 hours luckily we were able to change that) and I wish we had more time to go out on our own. You are moving around and switching hotels too much too. However all things considered the trip was a blast and lots of fun - highly recommend. read more

Bought two of the 10 day China travel packages. It's a legitimate company, however don't purchase any of the optional excursions / trip options. My spouse and I paid $400 each for them, and they ended up providing them to the rest of our tour group for free anyway. What was the point of paying an extra $800 so a bunch of freeloaders can piggyback off of our money? Look elsewhere for a travel company. read more

10 day china tour was amazing Sen was our 2nd tour guide and the entire itinerary was 5 star I've never been so happily exhausted

I am currently on the 10 day Groupon Tour today marks day 4 , so far everything has been amazing. The company is extremely organized, our hotel is amazing we are currently staying at the Wyndham (5 star hotel). I will post an updated review once the tour ends with more detail. read more

Wonderful trip ! You see so much of China and have great guides. Please note you are constantly sight seeing and should prepare to be exhausted each day. If you are looking to relax I suggest a different vacation. If you are looking to see new things I highly suggest this trip. read more

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The trip value for the money was great.. if you buy a groupon, expect to pay another $200 for a visa and $100 for tips.. also, the optional tours cost which would be expected. Tour guides... LEO and SUNNY were the best. Leo always a smile on his face, Sunny very informative on China for us. Before leaving on the trip, I was waiting on my VISA. You get a picture taken and send with your passport to Rewards China 3 months in advance. My sister received hers about 3 weeks before I got mine. I had to call several times and ask about mine.. response was I didn't send. Verified envelope for return. It didn't say to in the instructions, so for w day shipping and they would send my VISA. So I sent the money via credit card. I got my VISA three days later in the mailbox. No certified mail. No overnight shipping and it cost them $7.50 to send. Not very ethical if you ask me. We got the final itinerary about two weeks before we left. Several hotels were changed and further away from where we were supposed to stay. My sister had planned out where we were from original itinerary so we had to change it up quite a bit. NOTE - for most of the hotels, you aren't near anything. One had construction all around it.. so we had to get taxis or subways to go anywhere when we had free time. Speaking of free time.... you don't get much. We felt rushed at EVERY place except where they want you to buy. For example, the shanghi museum, tinamen square, heavens palace, the Great Wall, summer palace, gardens, etc., we had about 30 to 45 minutes at each place. Could have spent several hours at each one. But the jade factory, pearl factory, tea plantation, emerald factory, herbal medicine they have you there about an hour and a half cause they want you to buy their stuff..I am guessing Rewards Travel gets kickback from these places. You HAVE to do the tours that come included. We were told that if we didn't, we forfeit the rest of the trip tours and such. That also was not stated in original information. My sister and I wanted to skip one tour day and do the Great Wall on our own. We were going to pay an English speaking driver $150 dollars each to take us to a part of the Great Wall we wanted to go to and the Ming tombs. But we're told we couldn't skip the tour. Why? I know know that it is because the jade tour was going to be on that day and I am assuming they were hoping we would buy. Too much bus time traveling.. maybe don't cram everything in.. we did skip the last tour of embroidery tour and lunch and stayed in shanghi for the afternoon and evening. Took the subway back. Subways are easy, don't let the guide tell you otherwise. If you are familiar with subways (I am from the DC area and Japan) you won't have any problem. Taxis are good too, it a lot of the Chinese people do not speak English. Always get a card from the hotel that says in Chinese where you are staying. All in all a good trip. read more

Lulu was our guide and she was awesome! She even went out of our way to take us to The Disneyland in Shanghai! We definitely got our money's worth in buffets and great hotels! One was even a 5 start hotel! read more

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I don't typically write reviews and i have had great experiences with groupon deals to Kenya and New Zealand. But not this trip. We are to leave in March 4, 2018. The response had been great. But then i sent my passport for the Chinese visa to be handled by professional travel agents. I could have gone to the Chinese Consulat in Chicago, but i'm in the midst of moving to Detroit so it's not as easy. Anyhow, my friend who is going with me has received her passport and Visa. I have not. when asked for the tracking information, i had to email 3 times and call twice. they did not use the prepaid account information that was provided. and today, i found out through a generic image that it was delivered on January 12th to Orlando, Florida. They received it on January 3rd and it was to take 2-3 weeks to be processed. Plus, I DO NOT LIVE in Florida. i live in Chicago or Detroit. Have they emailed me back yet? No. Have they called me yet? No. Do we have our flight? Nope, and we are to leave in 3 weeks. My identity is lost and i will have to file suit. read more

Travelled Nov 2018. Overall this was a great trip at this price point. Been all over the world, but never on a group tour so was skeptical but figured for the price why not. Flight scheduling ended up being a huge snafu, but can't necessarily hold that against RTC. Hainan Airways ended up cancelling flight from SEA to PEK entirely, approximately one week before travel date. RTC changed flights accordingly but they ended up being horribly inconvenient, requiring leaving home a day earlier (taking more time off of work) and having two 7 hour layovers along the way. I contacted RTC numerous times to attempt to schedule alternate flights but was told there was nothing they could do as this was all that was available with their airline partners. I get it, but half of our group ended up arriving in Beijing entirely exhausted. Didn't appreciate being lied to about one tour. Told on arrival that optional Forbidden City tour the next day would be the only way to see it, as solo tickets were already sold out. This didn't sound right, as I was travelling in the off-season, not around a holiday. I skipped the tour anyways, took my time getting ready in the morning, and took the subway to Tiananmen Square. It was busy, but had no problem purchasing a ticket to Palace Museum on my own for a fraction of price of the tour. Forbidden City packed with groups, so it was very nice to be able to wander through on my own and skirt the crowds. It took the RTC group so long to just get checked in and maneuver around that I ended up leaving as they were only just entering the grounds. Had a great day alone in Beijing, saw everything the group saw and more for less than $20 for the day. Rest of the trip was great as well though. Sure the sales trips can be long and drawn out, but anyone who can't understand that this is what allowed us to enjoy an all-inclusive trip to China for only $650 is just dense. Our tour guides were all fantastic. Really enjoyed all the other travelers in our group, although when we mixed with other groups their incessant complaining detracted from the trip, so that might be hit or miss. Unfortunately that $650 price point attracts the whiny cheapskate crowd. Hotels were among the nicest I've ever stayed in, and the hotel breakfast buffets were phenomenal. Provided lunches ran the gamut from great to slightly subpar, although there was always enough decent food to eat, and no one got sick to my knowledge. Did some other optional tours. They were all good, but it was apparent at some (maglev train, Huangpu R. Cruise) that we could have done them on our own for a whole lot less. Plane travel between Beijing and Shanghai was also inconvenient, as RTC takes no chances and gets you to the airport very early. Some in the group got to take the bullet train, which was much quicker and a more scenic experience. Don't understand why all don't travel via it. Don't hesitate to book this trip if you have any interest. Can't have a better 10 days anywhere for the price. Feel free to break away from the group when possible. Beijing and Shanghai are safe, clean cities, and subways in each are very easy to navigate as all signage is in English as well. read more

We are 1 1/2 months away from our 10day tour With RTC. A bit nervous from reading all the reviews. But so far communication on our upcoming trip with RTC has been good. I advise to stay in constant communication via phone with them. One agent may say one thing and the other would say something completely different, so double and triple check that you are getting all the necessary information needed. Oh and make sure you are getting all the emails they say they are sending. Apparently yahoo and hotmail tend to have problems, they said gmail is better. Anyway, waiting on our visa, prayers and fingers crossed this trip exceeds our expectations, and we return with a "Best", "Amazing" or "Memorable" experience ever. Will keep you all posted. 3/9/18 - Still waiting on our Visa. We depart on 3/15. Spoke to several agents at RTC on Monday. They said our Visa will be sent out before the week is over, we even have proof via email of this from our agent Rachel. No Visa. I received an email stating my visa was approved but not my husband and we should know by 3/13. WTF. So someone lied to us that our visa's were ready? . We leave on 3/15. I don't want to have to call CNN on RTC, but I will if THEY cause us to miss out on this trip. read more

Overall a very good trip for the price. Was purchased via Groupon for $500 plus guide/ driver trips and visa $775. 9 days with guided tour, hotel airfare and most meals. Pros: inexpensive for everything you get Good guides. Our main guides were Michael in Beijing and JZ in Shanghai etc. Michael was a little harder to understand but was extremely helpful, gave the whole bus his cellphone number Incase you are lost or need help even in your free time. Even said to call him if we're ever in China again, but the additional info he gave on current issues and laws were minimal. JZ generally spoke a lot more and provided more info but he felt kind of controlling and pressured you to go and do certain things, felt like a babysitter. We would merge two groups between the optional tours where we had Tom in Beijing, he was the best out of the trip, the most honest about depicting China in a real way not just the way he wanted it to be perceived like the others. Cons: corporate office has terrible customer service and communication. All of their trip info says you have the ability to extend your trip for an added fee, which we tried to plan immediately when booking, called and told that was an option. 3 weeks of unreturned calls and emails later we find out that is not an option. The reasons we couldn't were "it's too late now" but we attempted to change immediately so that's not really a valid reason and also "since it was a discounted trip that's not an option" but all trip itineraries and information continued to list the last day of your trip as " return home or extend your trip to another city in China". Apparently it was deep somewhere in the terms and conditions but the wording is very vague and unclear. Other people in our travel group had terrible experiences like the trip stared in SFO but due to weather they were going to miss their connection to get to SFO called and emailed several times notifying them, got their own ticket to China to still arrive with the group then RC canceled the rest of their flights for the rest of the trip. They received no contact from rewards China for the duration of the trip. You don't get anything with your flight info or visa until a few days before the trip so you spend a lot of time wondering if the whole thing is a scam and will you actually take the trip or not. Something I heard from a lot of the other group members also. All the mandatory factory tours (jade, pearl, silk, tea plantation and embroidery gallery) are sponsored by the government and are not actually a tour rather a live infomercial with tons off aggressive sales people pressuring you to spend a lot of money. I know that those places subsidize the cost of the tour so it's not too bad it just takes up a lot of your time leaving less time for more interesting activities. Don't book the optional tours in advance because of things such as weather and the ability to use your time freely instead may make you wish you hadn't. non refundable if you book early The hotels were all nice But are located so far away with very little near by makes going off on your own in your free time very difficult but not impossible. At one place the only option was to eat at the restaurant at the hotel as there was NOTHING near by. All of the provided lunches were fairly bad in quality and taste and are very westernized. Experiencing the cuisine is a very important part of traveling for me and my partner so that was definitely a bummer. And not enough time to find your own place. A lot were connected to the "factories" Since much of the included itinerary we're the factories there was not enough time at the other activities. We had a little over two hours at the Great Wall which was enough time to climb to the top and back but was a bit rushed. The climb is physically difficult so if you need to go at a slower pace you won't have enough time to make it up and back. 20 minutes in a traditional market place, 30 minutes in a huge park just not enough time. Also if you skip out on the included activities they can revoke the rest of your trip and flights. The drives to some of the cities were 2.5 -3 hours and then you only spend part of the day there and then move on. I enjoyed Suzhou and Hangzhou but could have skipped it for the time it took to travel there. You lose a whole day in the travel over so 6 days of touring. ( First day on the itinerary says "arrive in Beijing and spend the rest of the day at your leisure" but our flight arrived at 6 pm and then dealing with the visa process and waiting for the rest of the group flights to arrive from other cities we got to the hotel at 11pm) Overall for the price it was a great trip, we met lots of awesome people in our group and we definitely got our money's worth but knowing some of things I mentioned would have been nice to know ahead of time. FYI be prepared to use mostly squatting toilets and ALWAYS bring your own TP most places don't provide it. read more

This review is several weeks overdue but I wanted to post my experience to help others who may be on the fence about traveling with this company. Firstly, the trip was amazing! You truly get the value for the money spent. This trip was amazingly economical and provided so much. I guess it all depends the color lens you see things. Mine are rose :-) so I totally loved this trip. When I hear the negative reviews, I'm shocked. If you want luxury then you pay for that. This trip was affordable and provided so much. How can you complain? We went to five cities and flew non-stop to Shanghai and then transferred to Beijing -- all included. The hotels were fantastic 4-5 stars. They were super organized and kept to the itinerary. Any changes that may have been made were communicated. The factory tours that were part of this trip are the reason it is so affordable as they are subsidized by the government. Admittedly, it is a selling opportunity for them; however, there is no pressure to buy. It is totally your choice. It was not a negative for me as the trips to these factories; Jade, Tea, Herbal Medicine, Silk, were always preceded by a presentation which was very informative, so for me it was a learning experience. We hit all the important landmarks; Great Wall, Summer Palace, Grand Buddha, Shanghai, local neighborhoods, ride on a rickshaw was so much fun. The only negative for me was the food. I did not like the food but you'll survive. No need to bring too much extra money. All the breakfasts are included and most of the lunches. If you abstain from shopping at the factories you'll have money to spend at the market mall they take you the day before you leave. That is where you'll find the good stuff!! Everything you can imagine, handbags, clothing, coats, shoes, sunglasses, watches, souvenirs. The people were also very nice and friendly except most do not speak any English at all but that's okay you can always use your phone to translate...lol. We purchased all the tours at $400 because this is a once in a lifetime trip and I wanted to see everything. There were shows included as well. Be prepared for the restrooms-- they are not like ours (they are on the ground-a porcelain hole), but you will always find a standard one if you are averse to squatting...LOL. It was a wonderful. It's a beautiful country. Impressive, immense and modern. I think you won't regret if you go with an open mind. Enjoy and take advantage of the great deals. It's a best kept secret....probably not for long. Oh and can't forget to give a shout out to the wonderful tour guides whom provided context to the places we visited. They were so sweet, kind and knowledgeable and work so hard. They are Terry in Beijing, Lily, Shanghai and Fiona in Suzhou/Hangzhou. They were wonderful and ensured all went smoothly. read more

Our tour guide Lulu was amazing!!! Our trip to china was awesome and the tours were great and the hotels were sooo nice!! The food was amazing!! Overall it was awsome!! Will be back with my family! read more

I see so many reviews here ranged from 1 to 5 stars and wanted to caution everyone going on the CHEAP Chinese tours. There is a big scandal on these tours. So beware on go with these cheaper tours. Below I am going to try to explain how this works by answering some of reviewers' statements. I had to cut it short because of the length restrictions on Yelp. ==They deviated from the itinerary provided, so all my original plans during 'free time' was scrapped. There won't be free time. They don't want you to be on your own because you will find out scandalous pricing on items, entrance fees, show tickets, etc. This happens because they they want to save more time for you (not free time) to go on "shopping" and not on sight-seeing. And number of shopping stops will normally increase either in amount of time spent or number of stops. In 2 words "KICK BACKS". ==Whenever I got to do some exploring on my own, it seemed the tour guide was cautious (probably they're used to tourists getting lost and having to find them). No. They don't care about you getting lost. They want to make sure that you go where they want you to go and buy from where they want you to buy because that's how they (Tour Guide Company [TGC]) get their money back on you. They PAY for you to be on their tour. One of the reasons is to keep you away from the "REAL" pricing (i.e., buy from designated stores, tickets to shows, park entrance fees, etc). Everything you paid is at least 2x more. The TGC mostly operated independently of the Travel Company (TC). These TGC "BUYS" the head counts or the group from the TC and gamble on what the group will spend at supposedly "government-whatever" stores. They get up to 80%+ of the sales price. Yes, 80%+, it's not a typo. The price TGC pays for the "group" depends on the locality. Each (foreign or domestic) group has different pricing depending on the "anticipated" purchasing power of the group. ==If you don't do the additional excursions, often you get dropped off in a place there's nothing to do with only an hour. But then the rest of the group doesn't show up for another 30 min after typically. - This is done purposefully to make you miserable. The price they charge for these excursions are 2 to 5 times the normal price. Again, this is how they make money. ==The silk factory states they sell authentic brand items, but it's even worse quality than the knock-offs I bought off the street for a fraction of the price. - At least you saw the "worse quality" items. This happened to us: 1. They showed us really good silk stuff, rival those we can get in the U.S. We purchased 5 silk blankets for $1000+, packaging and shipping included. Upon receiving them at home, they were 5 substandard grade silk blankets and not the quality seen and purchased. The silk was dirty and had a smell to them that can't be washed off. So we ended up tossing them in the trash. (Bait-and-Switch anyone?). 2. A couple purchased $2000+ silk products and never received them. They contacted the store, they claimed that they shipped it and it's not their fault. They refused further contact. What can you do now? 1,000s of miles away. ==Two tour guides. The Beijing one, "Rock", was something. He does throw tantrums, very controlling, irritable. Inconsistent. He got mad at us for 30 minutes for buying from street sellers, claiming he 'cared about' us. He doesn't care about you or any guest. Bottom line is: he doesn't want you to buy from others. He will make you miserable if you do. Like you said, throwing tantrum. It is all an ACT for him. This is a well-known tour guide's attitude: I (tour guide) need to make money, it's my livelihood, and you are on vacation (most time with kids or friends). You cannot "afford" to fight me and ruin your own vacation. You get mad, so what, I don't care. You will bend to my will or I will make your vacation miserable. I have nothing to loose. I am working and you are the ONE ON VACATION. ==They tell you if you skip the government stores you will be kicked off the tour. It just feels like the tour guides are getting kick-backs for each any everything you do. Yes. They get a HUGE kick back upward of 80%. Jade, silver, tea, and silk are among the worst. NONE of stores are government stores. They only make it looked like one. ------ I can go on-and-on, but I am limited by the length placed by Yelp. but in conclusion: If you take this type of low cost tours, then PRAY that someone in your group (or you) will make a big purchase that is equivalent or higher than TGC expected income. So everyone (including the TGC) can have a good time. Otherwise, the TGC will make your trip memorable in a NEGATIVE way. TGC doesn't care. The TC also doesn't care. No one cares, except you who is in a vulnerable position to make the best of your vacation time. It's all about making money from you. Not about good experience, customer services, repeated clients, client referrals, etc. Good luck. read more

Review for actual tour: Just returned from the 10 day China tour and wanted to provide my observations. 1. This tour involves an incredible amount of walking. I only saw one place that offered a wheelchair option and the Great Wall has hundreds of difficult steps. If walking is difficult, this tour may not be for you. 2. There is a lot of bus riding from one location to another. It seemed that each time we stepped on the bus the standard response was that it would take 1 hr to get to our next location. This is partly due to the traffic, but still, expect some lengthy time in a bus each day. 3. If you sign up for all the optional excursions, you will have no down time. Sometimes we were gone from 7:30am to 9:30pm. No opportunity to go back to the hotel and change clothes or rest unless you skip an evening outing. In retrospect, I would have skipped the evening outings in lieu of some extra rest. I'm healthy and in good shape, but the pace was excruciating while also dealing with jet lag. 4. The accommodations were very nice. All the hotels have massive breakfast buffets every morning. 5. Different tour guides for Beijing and Shanghai portion. Both good. 6. Most Chinese (including hotel and restaurant staff) do not speak English. Google translate did Not work well. Others in our group used an app called "Voice Translator" that seemed to work better. 7. If you want to access Facebook, get a VPN app that will mask your location. I used an app called Betternet and had no problems. 8. No need to take a lot of Chinese money. There are money machines in hotels where you can use your card to get local currency. Also, the tour guides will take USD and the "factories" take credit cards. 9. You do not need to sign up for the excursion tours before you leave. Each time there is an add on, the tour guide will talk about it and give everyone on the bus an opportunity to sign up. They collect money on the bus before the tour and will take either USD or Chinese money. 10. You have to go to some factories (Jade, Herbal Medicine, Silk, Pearl, Tea), but it was educational and you can always say no if you don't want to buy something. These stops are part of the reason the tour is so cheap, so I didn't have any heartburn over this like some others did. 11. If you do decide to buy something at the factory (or anywhere), NEGOTIATE! I saw people haggle and get prices dropped 70-80%. You have to be willing to walk away to get the really great deals, but negotiating the price should always be step 1 before you actually buy. They expect this. 12. When you get your flight info, go to the airline website immediately to secure your seating. RTC does not do this for you, so use the ticket info they provide to go to the airline website to pick your seats. Otherwise you might not sit together if you are traveling with others. 13. Once you are at your US airport and checking in, if you have an opportunity to upgrade your seat to Business and can afford $750/person (one-way), then it's something to take advantage of. On the way back from China it costs $4,000/person (USD) to upgrade to the business section. 14. Buy a portable phone charger and be sure to take it with you each day as there will be no place to charge your phone. read more

This review has been a few weeks overdue, but overall we loved our trip so much- it was incredible! Even though advertised as a 10-day tour, we were actually only doing activities for 7 days (they include flight days back and forth, and we arrived at 11:45pm the next day, so we lost that day as well). As mentioned the trip was very fast paced and there is a LOT of walking involved (which I needed). Every morning we got up at 6:30, ate at 7:15, and were ready in the bus by 8. Some mornings earlier due to packing of suitcases (we stayed at 5 different hotels). Every night we came back to the hotel around 10pm. This trip made the most out of every minute available and I would definitely use this agency again. The Good: -Everything was very organized- the bus was always on time to leave, the guides were there and making sure all of us were there, and they were very approachable. Water bottles were always offered. Travel times were accurate as well. The longest trip was about 4 hours, but it wasn't so bad because everyone in the bus liked to talk and later people started dozing off. -The hotels were 5 stars - they were incredibly luxurious (tubs or large walking showers, comfy beds) and the breakfasts were AMAZING. They gave us the kick we needed for the long days. -The tour guides Lily in Beijing and Kevin in Shanghai/Hangzhou/Wuxi were sweet, knowledgeable and organized. Kevin even took us to the Mag-Lev train (fastest train in the world) which was unplanned. Tip your guides well! -We loved every single place we visited. Every place had some kind of beauty to offer. I especially loved the West Lake tour, the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall and the Lingshan Buddha. They were too beautiful to put into words. The bazaar on the last day was loads of fun as well. Haggle at least 50% off, if not more! -The shows were absolutely amazing and thrilling, especially the last one -I felt that we had enough time to walk around in most places, except for the Summer Palace and the Lingering Garden, which were so enormous that they warranted more time. We had more than enough time on the Great Wall. The Bad: -Our visas came back one day before the trip. That was crazy and risky. Others had similar stories. -People working in hotel/tourist industry speaking very little English, which I found odd, as they're interacting with tourists all the time. -We had to visit certain areas, such as the Jade factory, Herbal institute (in which an arrogant 'doctor' suggested I'm not fertile based on complaints he made up for my husband, which was VERY insulting), Silk, Tea and Pearl farms. If you don't want to buy anything, try to sit down somewhere, they will leave you alone. We bought silk, pearls and tea though, which was fun. -The meals were generic and mostly the same everywhere. It also seemed there was never enough food for the 10 of us at a table. They would come in with mini-plates that we all had to share. -Be prepared for squatting toilets everywhere, especially in smaller towns. There was usually no toilet paper or any hygienic supplies, so take your own (TP, wet wipes, hand alcohol) -Crowding/pushing everywhere and very little personal space. If you're standing in line, make sure to stand close to the next person. When there is crowding and pushing, just push back and make your way through the crowd. Also take a breather occasionally, because most of the time you're always surrounded by a lot of other people. How to prepare: -Don't take too much, you'll be switching hotels a lot and it becomes a drag to pack every night when you're exhausted. Also, you'll probably buy lots of souvenirs as well, reserve some space for that -The optional excursions were well worth it. If you don't have them, they will offer you in the bus -We visited so many beautiful structures and areas. Take a good camera with you, because it will be well worth it when you look at them later -Hygienic supplies -Haggle everywhere you can buy something, it's expected (even at the factories) -Take snacks with you in your mini backpack in case you get hungry, sometimes it's hours before you eat anything -Battery pack -Bring layers (we had very bad rain the first 2-3 days, but later in the trip it was nice and warm) -Bring about $200 in cash converted to yuen Have fun! You will LOVE this trip! Just keep an open mind and a positive attitude! read more

Well worth it. This is a great deal on Groupon and was a fabulous trip. I went with my mom in March 2018. Downsides: -Our Visas arrived 2 days before we left - I sent them about a month and a half prior and paid $190 for Rewards Travel to manage this - they blamed the consulate in New York and ended up sending them to the consulate in Houston. -The reason the price of the trip is so low is that the trip is "sponsored" by various sales companies: green tea, silk factory, pearl factory, Chinese medicine....and you must attend these excursions though you DO NOT need to buy anything. It's up to you - head to the coffee shop but please don't complain and whine the whole trip. Each stop probably takes $400-$500 off the cost of the trip. -You are on a tour bus with 34 people, and invariably 2-4 people are not on time when it's time to leave some place. And they will walk in with drinks and food they ordered and made us all wait for. -The hotels are excellent, but away from the action - I didn't mind. By the time we got to the hotel, I was ready to pass out. -Not enough time for shopping, which I really wanted to do. Our flight left late on the last day, so we were able to squeeze some shopping in (under the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum...OMG it was incredible). Upsides: Too many to list! -Guide were great - we had Mike in Beijing and Jojo in Shanghai. They were amazing and answered so many questions. -The sites and the historical explanation was eye opening, interesting and made the trip meaningful -Really great group of people on our tour. Our group was a lot younger than I expected. Most in their 20s and 30s. Lots of parent-adult child pairs. -Some long bus rides (longest was 4 hours, longest between bathroom breaks 2 hours), but also some long walks through China. The buses are nice and comfortable. -We so many sites, some big (Tiananmen Square, etc.) and some off the beaten trail ones (rickshaw ride and lunch at a Beijing home). You have lots of opportunities to interact with China locals. -Great selection of optional tours. We bought all of them for $400 - well worth it, not just for the shows but for the great cultural experiences before the show. Hints: -Contact the Rewards Travel company with questions before the trip. They were very helpful. -When booking, ask Rewards Travel about the airfare difference from your closest airport, and about direct flights. We opted to pay $240 more each to save more that 18 hours of travel time, and travelled direct instead of flying to LA then Seattle then Shanghai. Others on the trip didn't think to ask and drove 8+ hours to the airport and had long (7+ hours) layovers. -Contact the airline directly and get extra legroom seats. We paid $90 each way for a 12 hour flight. Business class was insanely expensive - $3000 one way. -Be nice. Be social. Make friends. Don't complain all the time or talk endlessly about what ails you. Have an open mind, be curious. -Think twice about this trip if you are not physically fit enough to walk at a quick pace for 2-4 hours at a time on uneven ground. -Find out about using your cell phone there. Some used a VPN and wifi only at the hotels. I paid $10 per day with AT&T and had full access to everything the whole time - text, phone, gmail, Facebook, etc. I kept a Tumblr blog throughout the trip to journal pictures and a short description of what we did. -Bring about $500 US cash in small bills ($20 or smaller) and some Yuan (maybe 1000, which is about $150 US). Let your credit card company know you are traveling abroad. ATMs in China were easy to use (in English) if you need more Yuan. Many street vendors preferred US dollars and it's easiest to negotiate with exact payment. -Bring lots of hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes and kleenex/toilet paper. Toilets are, well, an experience. Most bathrooms are squatting toilets and do not have toilet paper or soap to wash your hands. And the water is freezing and probably not clean. -Bring power converters to charge your devices. -Drink only bottled water, even for making tea /coffee in your room and brushing your teeth. Don't drink anything with ice. -Learn to negotiate. Offer 10% of what they ask, prepare for them to be shocked and call you crazy. Stick to your price. Walk away. They will usually meet your price. If they don't, you know where the lower limit is with the next vendor. -Download on your phone a translation app (Google translate), a money conversion app, and an air quality map (Air Matters). -Travel light. I wore 2 pairs of pants the whole trip. 10 pairs of socks and underwear. 3 shirts. 1 packable down jacket. Pajamas. -When going through airport security, be ready to take out: portable battery chargers (there is an limit on the amount of power allowed), camera, ipad, 3oz. liquids. Have fun! read more

We just returned from a 10 day tour for $899. You pay an extra $200 per person for your Visa. Then, allow at least $50 American a day for purchases. Bring your ATM card. Lots of places only take cash, and often don't take American credit cards, so bring cash. Don't pack your cash in the suitcases that are put under the bus for you, as one of our other travelers had her suitcase opened and money taken. Bring all your prescription meds in bottles as I had my extra days of meds in a plastic bag, which was confiscated by the government before I got to my hotel room. We were marveling that the trip was so inexpensive. We opted in for the $400 each to buy all the Optional tours, which was also a great deal. It was mind boggling what $400 bought. The catch is that the tour is underwritten by four companies which provide tours of their factories. The tours are not optional. Much like a time share presentation, the products are the best, greatest, etc but seemed pricey, though we bought in each place, it's not required. If you hate that stuff, go on a more expensive tour where these stops are not required. Personally, I enjoyed them all, but I have no trouble saying, 'No'. I found both guides fine but preferred Jack, our Shanghai guide. We had an 8 hour delay at the airport between Beijing and Shanghai. Jack told all 6 of us who were delayed that he contacted Mike and the main office two days ahead as he saw the posted delay and asked Mike to change our flight, but he had not. This caused us to get in at 2:30 am and wake up at 6:30 (4 hours sleep). The company did not compensate us for the inconvenience, I enjoyed the food which was Chinese buffet each day. No one in our group complained and only one lunch seemed dodgy, no one got food poisoning except one person who ate chicken from KFC. Don't go if you are Vegan, vegetarian or have gluten issues or special restrictions. The food is high carb, high salt and my legs were swollen every day. Tremendous amount of walking each day (7 miles the first day, 6 the second including 80 flights of steps on the Great Wall). Sitting many hours in traffic on a full bus was also hard on my joints, although a nonstop supply of beer, coke and water for sale on the bus. In Beijing the beer was not cold, Shanghai bus the beer was chilly. We used the time on the bus to laugh and share pics and bond. Our group was a great one with only a few who misbehaved, returning late to the bus, getting lost, blasting music, running around, talking over the guide, etc. The guides were not able to force civility upon the crude. The hotels were fancy and a great retreat after all the walking and being cramped on the bus. I imagine the trip was a bit like cramming D.C, Philly, NYC and Boston by bus in 5 days. We got a glimpse of each place but our visas were the restricted type which meant we had to be supervised and we had almost no freedom until the last day at the Shanghai market where we had two hours to do last minute shopping. We bought dumplings to eat each chance we got and they were divine. This tour makes you see how spoiled we Westerners are. If you are expecting a tour like you'd get in Chicago, skip it. If you can't cope with dirty toilets, squatting to pee, or Chinese buffets, skip it. For us, it was wonderful. For the price, you can't beat this tour. The people who are attracted to this tour were a lively, fun loving bunch, many of whom will be our lifelong friends. The shows were spectacular and the sights were amazing. read more

There are many positive reviews here of Rewards Travel China -- please read those reviews in addition to mine. Everything they say is true! I'm only going to concentrate on some issues of concern which I had on my recent trip to China through Rewards Travel China. We had two recurring issues with this tour which detracted just a little from the final evaluation. The tour is an outstanding experience for the money you pay -- GREAT value for money. However, RTC's home office in Toronto seems extremely disorganized, and they rarely did anything for us without us asking for it first. We didn't get a complete itinerary until two days before our departure (!) and when we go got to China we discovered that several of our hotel assignments were wrong. There was no problem with the hotels (they were great) but they were different hotels than the ones we had been told we would stay in. Often they were much further from the center of town than we had been told, which limited our ability to go out exploring on our own. A related issue is that the promotional materials from RTC frequently speak of "half-day tours", implying that you get the rest of the day to yourself. RTC appears to use the 24 hour clock for the term "half-day tour"! A half-day tour would usually start at 7am and not end till 4 or 5 pm. There was almost no free time on the tour, so you're pretty much locked into the itinerary they give you, especially if you want to visit things that keep regular business hours (like the Beijing Zoo and Lama Temple, which we missed because there was no free time). The flip side of this, however, is that RTC gives you about 3 weeks of travel experiences in 1 week of travel! We had a great time with RTC on our trip to China, and the value for money is outstanding. Just be aware you won't have much free time, and don't expect that the hotels you're told about will be the ones you actually stay in. And keep riding them to make sure you get an itinerary. read more

Excellent trip to Beijing, Suzhou, Hanzhou, and Shanghai. Tour guides Amy, Lily, and Lulu were very informative and fun, dedicated to make the experience awesome. Breakfast buffets had tremendous selections that can never be duplicated in the US or possibly anywhere else. Hotels were higher end as well. Traveled in April. China is naturally beautiful. Definitely "Paradise on earth", as mentioned by Marco Polo. Golden Mask show had technology and talent that makes Las Vegas shows second class (I've seen lots of Vegas shows). Songcheng show was very classical with unique technology as well. Got to ride High Speed Train at 190mph. Also got opportunity to add 267mph Magnet Train. When two Magnet Trains go full speed in opposite directions within a few feet of each other, you experience just a blur of almost 600mph. Only bad part of trip was my representative before I actually took the trip, Wanrui. She is unorganized, lost, and undedicated. She kept sending me wrong information. Also overcharged me, but I eventually got refunded. Another couple in my group had her as well. They said she was awful. They had visa issues not their fault, and were further told they had to pay $1400 more. They fought back and eventually made the trip but were 1 day late, missing that much from their promised trip. Other representatives I talked to via phone were excellent. read more

Great trip. Lulu was a great guide through Wuxi and Shanghai. Nina was a great guide in Bejing. Everything from the forbidden palace to statue of Buddha were amazing. Great price for the trip. read more

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So, the reason this trip is so inexpensive is because it is sponsored by the Chinese government. They subsidize the cost with daily "factory tours" which are really just extended sales pitches. I would not purchase the additional tours before hand as you will get a chance daily to add these if you'd like. If you do schedule the additional tours you will not have any free time FYI. China's version of 4 star - 5 star is not on par with Americas version, so keep that in mind when you check into a "5-star" hotel and it's dirty, moldy and the air doesn't work. Overall I gave this trip 3 stars because it was mediocre at best. read more

Beware of Rewards Travel China!! They were supposed to provide flight information for my December 2 departure 2-3 months in advance. I received the flight information less than 3 WEEKS from departure and discovered they pulled a bait and switch on me. I was told--in writing--that they use Hainan Airlines, a top-notch rated airline. This convinced me to finalize my trip. What they actually booked for me was China Eastern Airlines, a poorly-rated budget airline. I did not pay for China Eastern Airlines or for promises they did not keep. I am demanding a refund for my and my wife's tickets. Please share similar stories about this less than honest company! read more

Booked a 10 day china tour through groupon + additional days in Xian. Currently writing this review in china. All previous reviews are correct. We had no idea what to expect out of a travel group but china really is not a country to travel all over by yourself. Huge language barrier, plus technology for Americans dont always work so you can't rely on translation apps. Glad we had a guide. Pros- Nice hotels but far from the city (30-45) min taxis into town. You do go to alot of Gov run factories which I thought we would hate (jade,silk,pearl,tea) but man the presenters were so funny and the info about those items were so interesting. A few days were long on the bus but not much you can do. Cons-rewards travel before you leave for the trip sucks! Got our visas 24 hrs prior to leaving the country, horrible communication but once in china it's all good! Food was not good. I've traveled all over but the gov run restaurants they bring you to are all the same and not good. Bring granola bars. Long bus rides and not alot of time to explore the city of Beijing/shanghai. We left a few of the day tours and explored these cities on our own. Tour guides were too happy about it but whatever. Totally worth it for the price,def wouldnt travel around china without a local or guide. Enjoy read more