Recently on the train back from Kunming to Beijing, we shared a berth with two older Chinese PLA wives. Clearly used to being pampered and petted, these women told us all about how they never had to wait in line at the hospital, how they always traveled in soft sleeper (towards the end of the ride and absolutely fed up with the two old biddies, I’d be wondering why oh why they didn’t just fly), and always used top notch tour guides. They questioned us as to which tour service we’d used to travel to Yunnan, and when we said “none” they nodded knowingly. Ah, you did “self serve” (自助) travel, they said. Well, I suppose we did. Certainly no one served us anything. In fact, between us, my husband and I probably have more travel experience in Yunnan, than most tour guides, on the beaten path and off, so I doubt we would have gotten much out of a tour group, plus, we had relatives to visit and I doubt the group would have stopped and waited. Still, the women shook their heads pityingly – how could you do it? How rough it must have been, with a baby and all, and no tour guide.

This is an attitude most of us will encounter when we try and explain to well meaning Chinese colleagues and friends our intentions to travel on our own, no guides, no pre-bookings, no tour busses, no strict schedule. When you announce your plans to travel, the first question will likely be what sort of package you got – how many days and at what price. While many younger Chinese people are embracing backpacking and traveling with only a map or a guidebook to lead the way, most people of a certain age would not dream of deviating from a package tour. When you explain that there is no package, no set amount of days, and that no, you haven’t even booked a hotel room in advance, you’re likely to be met with a mixture of concern and perhaps a bit of grudging admiration. How will you manage without your meals planned in advance? How will you know how to get from one place to another? What if you can’t find a hotel? What if you miss out on some essential tourist attraction?

For most Chinese tour groups, traveling consists of being shuttled from one “景点” – scenic spot – to the next. Usually the tour group gets up at the crack of dawn and sets out on the day’s itinerary, all members wearing matching hats and following the tour guide, who waves a small flag to lead the way. The days are long and the schedule is usually crammed with things to do and see, leaving barely a moment for a break. There are tours of Beijing which include the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs, the Bird’s Nest, and the Water Cube all in one day (considering how far the Great Wall is from Beijing proper, this is no small feat). For us, the Great Wall alone would be worth a day in and of itself, and we’ve been known to stay overnight in places, like Shuhe in Lijiang, where we stayed for 3 nights this trip alone, where most tour groups will spend maybe 2 hours at most. Joining a tour group also means that you’ll undoubtedly be shuttled to tourist traps and shops that have made agreements with certain tour groups and group leaders. If you observe carefully, for example, the tour guides in Lijiang, you will notice that certain groups will bring their entire group into a particular shop, time and time again, even though there are many identical shops in such places, and one would presumably be just as good as the next. This is because the guides are receiving commission for purchases bought in these shops. Many people who have taken part in tour groups find themselves feeling more as if they’ve taken part in a shopping excursion than a travel tour. With opportunities to spend being pressed upon you at each stop, it can be hard to resist!

The thing is, however, that for all of their reluctance to part with the group, many Chinese travelers envy the freedom you seem to have on your holiday. When describing my past travel experiences to Chinese friends, many have regarded me wistfully and told me how they wished they’d done the same. Traveling with a tour group can more work than holiday, and many come back from their travels feeling more exhausted than they were before they left. Foreign travelers, who routinely shun the guides and the groups, prove time and time again that it is possible to travel on one’s own and have a great time, but there is still a general reluctance to part with what has become the traveling norm, with the exception of younger people, who, with their limited budgets, are following in the footsteps of their European, American, and Australian counterparts and joining the ranks of backpackers everywhere. Still, the desire for a less intense holiday and a certain negativity towards traditional package tour groups seems to have slowly started seeping into mainstream Chinese conversations, and travel agencies seem to have noticed the trend, hence the terms “self serve” travel or “free trip” that you will see attached to some deals now. Many agencies have started offering package deals which include a flight and hotel, but leave the traveler to his own devices otherwise. So, will the tour group die, tour guides become unemployed? Still unlikely. As the Chinese Army Wife on the train put it, “how would we know where to go?”

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Related Links
On the Train with a Toddler
Why YOU should be hostelling!
My Favorite Places in Yunnan

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