What’s Included and What Isn’t: Transfers, Hotels and Meals
Airport pickup, three- to five-star hotels, and why meals are normally not included — plus how we decide which vehicle meets your flight.
The question we are asked most after "where should we go" is what is actually included. This is a plain answer: what a private arrangement with us covers, what it deliberately does not, and why the exclusions are usually in your favor.
Is airport pickup included?
Yes. Every arranged trip includes arrival and departure transfers, and we plan them around your flight rather than around a schedule.
That means the driver tracks the flight, waits if it is late, and meets you in the arrivals hall with your name. After a long-haul flight, not having to negotiate a taxi queue or work out a ride-hailing app is worth a great deal.
How do you decide what vehicle and driver to send?
We look at four things, in this order:
- How many people and how much luggage. This determines the vehicle. Two people with two suitcases and six people with six suitcases are not the same booking.
- What time you land. A late-night arrival changes the plan, because some transport options thin out after a certain hour.
- Which terminal and which airport. Big cities have more than one airport, and some have separate terminals a long way apart.
- Whether everyone is on the same flight. If your group arrives on two flights an hour apart, we plan for that rather than leaving one party waiting.
If anyone in the group has limited mobility, needs a child seat, or is traveling with oversized items, tell us when you book. It is much easier to plan for than to fix at the curb.
What if our flight is delayed?
The driver waits. Flight tracking is standard, and delays of a few hours do not create a problem or an extra charge on our side.
If a flight is cancelled and you are rebooked to the next day, tell us as soon as you know — the hotel will usually hold the room, but the day's sightseeing needs rearranging.
Can you arrange a pickup for a very late arrival?
Yes, and this is one of the cases where arranging it in advance matters most. Late-night arrivals are when airport taxi touts are most active and when legitimate options are hardest to work out on your own.
Give us the flight number in your enquiry rather than just the date. It is the single most useful piece of information you can send.
Are departure transfers included too?
Yes, both ends. For departures we plan pickup time around your airline's recommended arrival window, the terminal, and the time of day — an international departure in the morning rush needs a different calculation than a midday one.
What hotel standard do you book?
Whatever you ask for. We work with three-, four- and five-star properties, and the choice is a budget question rather than a capability one.
Tell us what you are comfortable spending per night and we will propose options inside it. What we do check regardless of star rating is that the hotel is licensed to accept foreign guests, that it has a lift if you need one, and that it is somewhere you can get food within a short walk.
Can we choose our own hotel?
You can, and some travelers prefer to use points or a specific brand. Tell us which property and we will check it works logistically — location relative to your sightseeing, and whether it can take foreign registrations.
What we would not recommend is booking a hotel purely on price in an unfamiliar city. The two things that ruin days are a hotel far from anything and a hotel that cannot check you in.
Do all hotels in China accept foreign guests?
No, and this catches people out. Not every property is licensed to register foreign passport holders, particularly smaller hotels and guesthouses in less-visited cities.
We verify this before booking. If you are booking independently, check it explicitly rather than assuming.
Is breakfast included?
Usually yes, if the hotel offers it. Whether you will want it depends on the property: many Chinese hotels serve a local breakfast of rice porridge, pickles, steamed buns and noodles, which is very good but not what everyone expects at 7am.
If someone in your group needs something specific — a Western breakfast, halal, gluten-free — say so in advance and we book accordingly.
Are meals included?
Normally no, and we would rather say this clearly than bury it.
Why are meals left out?
Because a fixed meal plan forces you to eat at a set time, in a set place, whether you are hungry or not — and because the food is one of the best parts of traveling here.
What actually happens on our trips: we recommend places we know, book where a booking is needed, brief you on what to order, and then leave the choice to you on the day. In Jiangxi we take guests to the places we eat at ourselves. Outside Jiangxi, your local guide does the same for their city.
If you would prefer meals arranged and prepaid, we can do that too — some groups find it simpler. It just is not the default, because it usually makes the trip worse.
Can you recommend restaurants and book them?
Yes. Two things are worth knowing:
- Popular local restaurants fill up, and a reservation in Chinese is far more effective than turning up. We make it.
- Dietary requirements need to be handled before you sit down. Vegetarian, halal, no pork, allergies, cooking wine — tell us in advance and we will have it written in Chinese to show the kitchen.
What is usually not included at all?
- Meals, as above, unless you ask us to arrange them.
- Attraction tickets, unless we agree otherwise. This is deliberate: it keeps the pricing transparent and lets you drop a sight without arguing about a refund.
- Personal expenses — shopping, laundry, hotel minibar.
- Tips for guides and drivers. Tipping is not customary in Chinese restaurants or taxis, but it is appreciated for a guide and driver who have looked after you for a week. It is entirely at your discretion.
- Visa fees and travel insurance. Arrange both before you fly.
What happens if we want to change something once we are there?
Usually it can be arranged. Routes, the running order, adding or dropping a sight, hotel upgrades, extra vehicle days — all adjustable while you travel.
The limit is anything already ticketed. Major attractions use timed, real-name entry slots that are generally non-refundable once booked. So we agree the plan with you before we ticket it, and after that, changes are about the days around it rather than the ticketed slot itself.
What do you need from us to quote?
Dates, number of people and their ages, which cities interest you, hotel budget per night, and any dietary or mobility requirements. That is enough for us to send back a real plan rather than a brochure.
If you want to understand how we structure a week before committing to anything, our free seven-day China guide is available without a booking.
