Independent Travel in China

In terms of paperwork between independent travel and a package tour in China, the same visa rules apply. However, travel companies do have more pull with the Chinese government. The companies can obtain visas even during tough political times.

Most package tours to China fall into the very formulaic, textbook variety. They don't do the country justice, showing visitors only what they already expect and very little off the beaten path. Independent travel allows visitors to plan on their own and set the pace.

Mainland China is about the same size as the U.S. Proper exploration of the country might take many months, if not longer. Therefore, it's important to decide on which parts to visit. Trying to mix the east coast, north, center, south and Tibet requires at least a month on a very expedited schedule.

There's no shame in mixing independent and organized tour products. For example, excellent day trip packages are offered from downtown Beijing to the Great Wall. A real independent visit to the Wall requires a car, either a friend's or hired with a driver, which would be very expensive. Currently, a visit to China can't realistically be entirely independent.

Travel in China independently and bypass the strict limitations of package tours. Those typically have people stay in Beijing only 3 to 4 days, for example, when the city can easily keep a visitor busy for three times that long. Ditto Shanghai. Further, most tours skip smaller towns, even though many have great value to visitors.

Book hotel rooms as much as possible in advance. Plan ahead before getting on the plane to China. Also, remember it's impossible to rent a car there without a local license, which visitors can't obtain.

The biggest problem for independent visitors is language. The majority of people don't speak English, even when English signs indicate service providers might be able to do so. Get a good phrase book with Chinese characters to show locals.