Wendy Wu Tour Experience

Great Tours

Our many years of experience mean that we have a great selection of well researched and thoroughly tested tours for you. China, India and Indochina are our specialities and we visit everywhere from the spectacular and well-known tourist attractions to the hidden beauty and fascination of the more remote rural areas. Together they make for an unforgettable holiday experience.

Your First Contact

Many of our London based reservations team have been on ‘educationals’ to enable them to talk to you with expert firsthand knowledge of our destinations. They will be pleased to answer your questions, provide you with detailed information relating to our tours, advise on which tour in our extensive range is ideal for you, or alternatively design a personalised itinerary that is right for you.

Before Your Tour

Before you depart we will provide you with some useful information on currency exchange, recommended reading, credit card usage, cultural differences, facilities and accommodation of the region. Also, our group tour passengers receive a Suggested Packing List and a Phrasebook to practice your language skills! Please note, the Chinese New Year falls on 26th Jan 2009 and 14 Feb 2010.Their ‘Golden Week’ public holidays fall annually between1-7 May and 1-7 October. Popular attractions may be more crowded at these times. Vietnam’s Tet New Year is on 26th Jan 2009 and 14th Feb 2010. During this time some tour attractions may be closed.

Our Partners in China, Indochina and India

Our tours would not be as successful as they are without our solid working relationship with our local partners, as well as the professionalism of our own office in Shanghai. With years of experience behind them in operating tours throughout their respective areas, you can be assured that their local knowledge in operations, touring, guides and transport means that our tours operate efficiently and smoothly and give Wendy Wu Tours a reliable presence on which you can always depend. Our local partners have an experienced team dedicated to the provision of personal service to all our clients throughout their network of offices.

Meals

All meals (excluding beverages) are included in our fully inclusive tours except where otherwise stated. Breakfast is a combination of local and western food, usually served in a buffet style. Lunches and dinners consist of traditional local cuisine, with a wide range of specialities to choose from. The meals combined with the distinctive dining atmosphere, provide an essential element of Asian culture.

Transportation

We have specially planned the travel modes of our tours with variety, comfort and enjoyment in mind. Coach tours are used for city sightseeing and short excursions to the countryside. Plane trips are to save time and for your comfort, train journeys are employed to enrich your 'authentic' Asian experience, and cruises are used wherever possible for your enjoyment. You may even travel by rickshaw or camel! All coach travel is in comfortable, air conditioned vehicles. All international flights are based on economy class mainly with British Airways while all domestic flights are with local scheduled carriers we have been using for many years. All overnight train journeys in China are in first class - the best available, 'soft sleeper' compartments of 4 berths (double occupancy at supplement). Indian train journeys are AC2, with air conditioning.

Fully Inclusive

Wendy Wu Tours prides itself on our 'making it easy' approach to our tour packages, with every effort taken to maximise your enjoyment. Each tour program includes return economy airfares (including fuel surcharges at the time of printing), all meals (except during transit and where stated), all accommodation, all transportation, daily tours, entrance fees, departure taxes (excluding Cambodia & Laos), the services of a Tour Captain (minimum 10 passengers) and local guides throughout your tour. Visa fees for British passport holders are also included (excluding Laos). So all you need to do is relax and enjoy your experiences, knowing that all expenses that can be pre-paid have been included in your initial tour cost.

Tour Captains

We have an excellent team of ‘Tour Captains’ or ‘National Escorts’. They will meet you at the airport and be with you 24/7 throughout your tour right up to your final departure. They are all graduates and are very caring, knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and proud to show off their English Language skills. Practically every letter we receive from clients sings the praises of our tour captains. They are completely dedicated to making every minute of your stay in their country an enjoyable experience! Please note, you will have a different specialist national escort in each country on our multi-country tours. Tour Captains are backed up by another much appreciated resource - our team of Local Guides. They are experts in their local area’s sights and attractions and will cheerfully answer all your questions.

Here are just a few examples...
"I want to especially mention Lisa who was our National Tour leader, she really made the trip a wonderful experience and her professionalism and hard work and dedication made the trip so special. She was an absolute star and made sure everyone was happy and everyone was looked after, nothing went wrong on the trip and this was down to her expertise and dedication."

"We really want to give a special mention about our guide Mr. M.K. Jain who was a mind of information, courteous, thoughtful and made the whole trip such a memorable one."

"Finally, we would like to praise our tour leader ‘Garry Guo’ who was outstanding and extremely knowledgeable on China and its history, nothing was too much trouble for him. Every morning we were greeted by his smile which remained all day. It was a pleasure to be on the tour with such a friendly tour leader."

Tipping

As with most countries, tipping is a way of life in China, Indochina and India. For our passengers’ convenience we ask for a compulsory amount to be paid at the beginning of our group tours to cover tipping for guides, drivers, restaurant staff etc. This needs to be made in cash to the Tour Captain who then disburses it throughout the trip. In multi-country trips this amount will be paid in stages on arrival in each country. The amount is shown for each tour expressed in US Dollars but you will be advised of an equivalent payment that may be made in Sterling. The amounts may also be higher in the unusual case that a tour departs with fewer than 10 clients. Please note that ship staff on Yangtze River cruises are not included in this arrangement - tips are at your discretion.

Single Supplements

The single supplement payment is stated on each tour. This provides for a single room in hotels and a single cabin on the Yangtze Cruise (if applicable). Please note that you will be required to share on overnight rail journeys – a single compartment price is available on request. If you are a single passenger and happy to share, then no single supplement is payable. Just let us know at the time of booking and we will find another passenger of the same gender for you to share with.

Your Next Tour with Us and Recommend a Friend

Once you have completed your tour, we hope that you will return to travel with us again, like many of our tour members. As a repeat customer of Wendy Wu Tours, you will enjoy a special VIP discount of £50 per person, for any future fully inclusive group tours. If your friends travel with us at your recommendation, your friend will receive a £30 discount per booking, and we will send you £30 after they travel.

Clients with Disabilities

We encourage clients with special needs to call us for advice. We will recommend the most suitable tour and probably advise that it should be taken as a private departure when extra local help may be available at extra cost.

Tour Grading

Unless stated otherwise our tours are accessible to most people with a minimal level of fitness and a normal mobility. Our itineraries do include walking tours, often with steps involved; however the pace is designed to allow people of a wide range of ages and abilities to complete our tours comfortably. Please contact us if you have a disability, any special needs or for advice if you are unsure of the suitability of any tour.

Private Tours

Why not put together a party of friends or family for your own private tour? We can arrange this for any size of group and you will be escorted by your own personal guides. Please do not hesitate to call us for further details.

Tour Content

Order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

Group Sizes

All tours are guaranteed subject to a minimum of 8 passengers and will depart with a Tour Captain subject to a minimum of 10.The maximum group size is 28.

Visas

Our free service works on the basis that we receive your passports and visa applications approximately 8 weeks before departure. We then send these to the Embassy together and they are returned to you with your final documents usually 2-3 weeks before you travel. We do offer an Express service at an additional cost, please contact us for details.