If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Traveling to China with kids
Hi-
I'm looking for some net.wisdom on traveling to China with my wife and two kids (8 and 11). My wife has been looking at some of the package-tours that you can buy here in the States. From the description of these, it looks like you would spend most of your time in 5-star Western hotels (Hyatt, et al), eating western meals, riding around in tour busses with a bunch of other Americans (and I'm guessing that most of them would be, ahh, "mature"), and basically running from one tourist-trap to the next. And that after the first day or so my kids would be bored and tired of it. And we mostly eat Cambodian, Thai, and Viet food, not hamburgers, so McDonanld's is not considered a treat in my family. My wife is ethnic Chinese, speaks some Mandarian (in addition to her parent's dialect), and our kids have been taking Mandarian classes for several years. So I'm thinking that we would be better off with a tour designed with children in mind (nothing like having other kids to talk to/play with during long bus/plane rides) or just putting a package together ourselves and hiring a private guide. I'd still like to stay in higher class hotels (yes, I know about the Chinese attitude about bathrooms) but other than that I'd rather eat in local restaraunts (assuming food safety isn't an issue) and do things that would be of more interest to the kids (say visiting an amusement park, or a school) rather than trouping thru the 17th Imperial bedroom of the day. Anyway, I'd be interested in feedback on all this, particularly from folks who have taken their own school-age children to China. Thanks, -dm |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
"Dennis McCrohan" wrote in message ... Hi- I'm looking for some net.wisdom on traveling to China with my wife and two kids (8 and 11). Are you thinking more specifically than just "China"? Asking about "traveling to China" is, of course, somewhat like asking about "traveling to North America" - the question covers too much territory to be really addressed well in short order. Some parts of China, and especially Shanghai and Hong Kong, I could definitely see as a family destination. (I haven't personally been to Beijing yet, so I can't say much about that.) Other parts, though, I can't imagine that the kids would find interesting. Also, are you planning on any other stops in the region before or after China? My wife has been looking at some of the package-tours that you can buy here in the States. From the description of these, it looks like you would spend most of your time in 5-star Western hotels (Hyatt, et al), eating western meals, riding around in tour busses with a bunch of other Americans (and I'm guessing that most of them would be, ahh, "mature"), and basically running from one tourist-trap to the next. And THOSE do sound like you're looking at places like Shanghai or Hong Kong. Both cities have everything you mentioned, from the Western hotels and restaurants to the well-established tourist traps. However, both cities also have far more to offer the visitor who is willing to ditch the package tour, or at least to go out on their own in addition to such a tour. Of the two, just for a place to start, I would have to say that Hong Kong would probably be of more interest to the kids than Shanghai, unless the kids are unusually (for their ages) interested in seeing places or items of cultural or historical interest. I should also note that I'm not saying any of this from the perspective of someone who has actually taken kids to any Asian destination; my experiences in the Far East are from numerous business trips there. But I can at least think about these things with regard to how I think my own daughter (now 13) might look at them. Bob M. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Bob Myers wrote:
"Dennis McCrohan" wrote in message ... Hi- I'm looking for some net.wisdom on traveling to China with my wife and two kids (8 and 11). Are you thinking more specifically than just "China"? Asking about "traveling to China" is, of course, somewhat like asking about "traveling to North America" - the question covers too much territory to be really addressed well in short order. Some parts of China, and especially Shanghai and Hong Kong, I could definitely see as a family destination. (I haven't personally been to Beijing yet, so I can't say much about that.) Other parts, though, I can't imagine that the kids would find interesting. Also, are you planning on any other stops in the region before or after China? We would be just going to China. The "usual" destinations of most of the pre-packaged tours are Bejing, Xian, Shanghai. But I think we are still pretty open at this time. As I hinted, I'm less concerned about seeing particular sites than an overall experience that would be good for our kids. -dm |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 09:14:40 -0800, the renowned Dennis McCrohan
wrote: We would be just going to China. The "usual" destinations of most of the pre-packaged tours are Bejing, Xian, Shanghai. But I think we are still pretty open at this time. As I hinted, I'm less concerned about seeing particular sites than an overall experience that would be good for our kids. -dm I suggest an overnight train trip or two, preferably both in hard sleeper and soft sleeper class. And some tours aimed at the locals (for example, in Guilin). Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
"Dennis McCrohan" wrote in message ... Bob Myers wrote: "Dennis McCrohan" wrote in message ... Hi- I'm looking for some net.wisdom on traveling to China with my wife and two kids (8 and 11). Are you thinking more specifically than just "China"? Asking about "traveling to China" is, of course, somewhat like asking about "traveling to North America" - the question covers too much territory to be really addressed well in short order. Some parts of China, and especially Shanghai and Hong Kong, I could definitely see as a family destination. (I haven't personally been to Beijing yet, so I can't say much about that.) Other parts, though, I can't imagine that the kids would find interesting. Also, are you planning on any other stops in the region before or after China? We would be just going to China. The "usual" destinations of most of the pre-packaged tours are Bejing, Xian, Shanghai. But I think we are still pretty open at this time. As I hinted, I'm less concerned about seeing particular sites than an overall experience that would be good for our kids. Yes you do want to plan your trip around specific sites. Imagine going to China and not seeing the Great Wall or the Forbidden City or Xian. It's like going to NYC and not visiting the Lady. Your kids will go back to school and when asked what did you see in China, give a blank look. "Well, we didn't see anything in particular. We just had a good overall experience." -dm |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
If you visit Beijing, it's a "must" to visit the Great Wall and Forbidden
City. I never been to Beijing or Shanghai. In my impression, they are places for sightseeings because they have so many impressive historical buildings. They are also modern and busy cities. Maybe there are much more than I can imagine because I am not familiar with these cities. If i have a chance, I'd love to visit them. For cities in Guangdong (e.g. HK, Macau, Zhuhai, etc.), it's more like a city for having various fun. Macau and HK have some historical buildings reflecting the past time of being colonies but it's not as big and impressive as those buildings in Beijing and Shanghai. Other places in China has great nature. "PeterL" ¦b¶l¥ó ¤¤ ¼¶¼g... Yes you do want to plan your trip around specific sites. Imagine going to China and not seeing the Great Wall or the Forbidden City or Xian. It's like going to NYC and not visiting the Lady. Your kids will go back to school and when asked what did you see in China, give a blank look. "Well, we didn't see anything in particular. We just had a good overall experience." -dm |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 09:14:40 -0800, the renowned Dennis McCrohan
wrote: We would be just going to China. The "usual" destinations of most of the pre-packaged tours are Bejing, Xian, Shanghai. But I think we are still pretty open at this time. As I hinted, I'm less concerned about seeing particular sites than an overall experience that would be good for our kids. -dm I suggest an overnight train trip or two, preferably both in hard sleeper and soft sleeper class. And some tours aimed at the locals (for example, in Guilin). Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
"Bob Myers" wrote in message ... "Dennis McCrohan" wrote in message ... Hi- I'm looking for some net.wisdom on traveling to China with my wife and two kids (8 and 11). Are you thinking more specifically than just "China"? Asking about "traveling to China" is, of course, somewhat like asking about "traveling to North America" - the question covers too much territory to be really addressed well in short order. Some parts of China, and especially Shanghai and Hong Kong, I could definitely see as a family destination. (I haven't personally been to Beijing yet, so I can't say much about that.) Other parts, though, I can't imagine that the kids would find interesting. Are you kidding me? First of all Hong Kong is not China. And both cities are, IMO, pretty much just big cities. Kids of this age would find lots of other locations much more interesting. Beijing is much better as a tour site than either HK or Shanghai. Then there is Xian, and the Three Gorges (less so now with the dam), Nanjing, and the southwestern part of China. Also, are you planning on any other stops in the region before or after China? My wife has been looking at some of the package-tours that you can buy here in the States. From the description of these, it looks like you would spend most of your time in 5-star Western hotels (Hyatt, et al), eating western meals, riding around in tour busses with a bunch of other Americans (and I'm guessing that most of them would be, ahh, "mature"), and basically running from one tourist-trap to the next. And THOSE do sound like you're looking at places like Shanghai or Hong Kong. Both cities have everything you mentioned, from the Western hotels and restaurants to the well-established tourist traps. However, both cities also have far more to offer the visitor who is willing to ditch the package tour, or at least to go out on their own in addition to such a tour. Of the two, just for a place to start, I would have to say that Hong Kong would probably be of more interest to the kids than Shanghai, unless the kids are unusually (for their ages) interested in seeing places or items of cultural or historical interest. I should also note that I'm not saying any of this from the perspective of someone who has actually taken kids to any Asian destination; my experiences in the Far East are from numerous business trips there. But I can at least think about these things with regard to how I think my own daughter (now 13) might look at them. Bob M. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
In article , Bob Myers says...
tour. Of the two, just for a place to start, I would have to say that Hong Kong would probably be of more interest to the kids than Shanghai, unless the kids are unusually (for their ages) interested in seeing places or items of cultural or historical interest. I would avoid Hong Kong, because it's basically a very crowded place full of skyscrapers with a very high population density (people, people everywhere. Not a place where to relax with kids. It's a very urban area, with not so many attractions for children. -- Alfred Molon http://www.molon.de/Galleries.htm - Photos from Myanmar, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Egypt, Germany, Austria, Prague, Budapest and Portugal |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
"Alfred Molon" wrote in message ... In article , Bob Myers says... tour. Of the two, just for a place to start, I would have to say that Hong Kong would probably be of more interest to the kids than Shanghai, unless the kids are unusually (for their ages) interested in seeing places or items of cultural or historical interest. I would avoid Hong Kong, because it's basically a very crowded place full of skyscrapers with a very high population density (people, people everywhere. Not a place where to relax with kids. It's a very urban area, with not so many attractions for children. While I would agree with the first part of your reply, I'd have to disagree that HK has not many attractions for children. There are plenty of shopping, electronics, and sight seeing for children. -- Alfred Molon http://www.molon.de/Galleries.htm - Photos from Myanmar, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Egypt, Germany, Austria, Prague, Budapest and Portugal |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Gene Difference May Explain SARS Epidemic | Mighty Land | Asia | 6 | February 10th, 2004 11:37 AM |
Taiwan parliament bans selling of dog meat | Mighty Land | Asia | 15 | January 22nd, 2004 03:35 AM |
The AIDS TIMEBOMB is ticking in China | [email protected] | Air travel | 1 | November 27th, 2003 09:55 PM |
The AIDS TIMEBOMB is ticking in China | [email protected] | Asia | 1 | November 27th, 2003 09:55 PM |
Children - More OT Kids $tuff that hits home | Bare Nookey | Cruises | 3 | September 24th, 2003 03:20 PM |