visas/vaccinations/stairs.

Hi

I'm set to travel on the China trip in June of this year, and I'd like to talk with those who have been on the trip in the past . . what did you think?

There seems to be a lot of preparatory work for the trip, and some confusion as to obtaining visas and what vaccinations are needed . . even the CDC website is vague and unclear.
How long does it take for the TDS visa process to complete, and what vaccinations are needed?

Also, I have concerns about the walking on the trip as I am going with my 77 year old mother, who has always wanted to see the Great Wall. I've heard concerns from other travellers about the walk up to the top, as well as the steps leading to and from the river cruise boat. Should I be concerned?

Thanks for your help.

Comments

  • You will love your trip. We took this trip 2 years ago. We live in California where a large percentage of our population is Chinese and travel to China is frequent, so we went to a local source and got our Visas there. It didn't take long at all and was substantially less expensive than other sources advertised. We did not encounter any problems with walking or hills. The Tauck bus will leave you as close to the entrance to the Great Wall as you can possibly get, and our group went to an area where a cable car took you to high point on the wall and you had the option of walking or riding down. I've heard that other groups who go to different areas of the wall might experience walking problems. Also, although there are alot of stairs in the areas where you board and disembark the Yangtze cruise I remember an "elevator". Additionally, one of our tour members was in a wheel chair and he was carried up the stairs by dockside workers, who also assisted any other travelers needing additional help. I assume that although your mom is 77 she is good health and able to travel so she shouldn't have insurmountable problems. Hope this helps.
This discussion has been closed.