Tailor-made holidays to China with NT Travel

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Advice on Travelling to China

We always aim to deliver excellent service before and during your holiday to China

Health Formalities & Medical Conditions

NT Travel no longer offers holidays for sale to the general public. You can still arrange your holiday to China through the BYTS branch China Lazy Vacation based in Beijing ( Block D, Room 309 of China Lazy Vacation, No.3, on Beiwa Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China Tel: 008610-88423966, Fax: 008610-88423966-616, Email: zsjq01@live.cn or to receive a call back from China call Neville in the UK on 07939 624828 or if calling from outside the UK on 00447939 624828). BYTS stands for Beijing Youth Travel Services and is a consortium of travel agencies based in China. Member agencies are required to pay an insurance bond as a form of consumer protection as a condition of entry.

NT Travel currently works as a marketing consultant to China Lazy Vacation/BYTS. We are currently helping China Lazy Vacation to develop a China holiday website for overseas visitors to China. This website will be packed with information about China and what to do there and will allow customers to talior their own holidays choosing from a wide selection of hotels, domestic flights and other forms of transport including chauffeur-driven car hire, and sightseeing tours. Similar to NT Travel's original philosophy, you will be able to be as independent as you like or opt to have a guide with you throughout your entire tour. We are also developing a discount card for travellers to be used in local attractions, shops and restaurants in China. This new website should be live in late 2010. In the meantime China Lazy Vacation would be delighted to book your travel arrangements in China whether you only want to book a hotel or a flight or whether you would like a full tailor-made tour.

China Lazy Vacation already has two agency shops in Beijing and currently mainly sells domestic flights, hotels and chauffeur-driven car hire to Chinese nationals. It also arranges foreign holidays for Chinese nationals. There are ten staff in total working in these two travel agencies.

NT Travel is also promoting China Lazy Vacation's services to the travel trade in Asia and Europe in key visitor source markets for China. If you are a travel agent we would be delighted to hear more about your clients' preferences and tell you about the China ground services provided by China Lazy Vacation. Please contact Neville on 07939 624828 or 00447939 624828 or email him on nevillekendall@yahoo.co.uk for more information.

We have also started to establish links with local suppliers in Indonesia on behalf of China Lazy Vacation which will also be offering holiday services and tours in Indonesia including Bali.

We advise you to consult your doctor concerning vaccinations required for your trip to China. You should advise your doctor where you are travelling to in China. You should also inform your doctor of any intentions you have to visit any other countries before or after the tour you book with us. It is advisable to do this at least one month before departure. You will be required to complete a health questionnaire upon arrival in China and prior to proceeding through Customs. This may be distributed on your outward flight. At the time of booking we will ask you for details of any medical conditions or medical prescriptions which we may need to be aware of during your trip. Should an emergency arise we will pass this information to the relevant medical services. Prior to departure we require you to send us a relevant medical note outlining the nature of your illness and any medication you are taking. You may wish to take with you supplies of general medication which you normally use at home such as cold and flu remedies, allergy treatments and vitamin supplements. You may not be able to purchase these in China.

Passport/Visa Requirements

Advice in this section is restricted to British passport holders. You will need to apply to the Chinese Embassy for a visa in order to visit China. You must hold a valid ten year passport. This should still be valid for at least six months from the date you return from your holiday. You will also need two recent passport photos. You should apply for your visa at least one month prior to departure. Customers from other nationalities should consult the Chinese Embassy for further advice.

We will send a visa application form when we confirm your booking. Application forms can also be downloaded from the Chinese Embassy website ( www.chinese-embassy.org.uk ) and can be obtained from the Chinese Embassy. The London office is located at 31 Portland Place London W1B 1QD (office hours 9 am-12 noon Monday to Friday). You can also phone the Embassy from 2-4 p.m. Monday to Friday on 0207 631 1430. You can apply for your visa in person at the Chinese Embassy. Postal applications will not be accepted.

We can also assist you with your visa application depending on the timescale between your booking and departure dates. This service costs £35 for 1-6 applications which are sent to us in the same envelope and £45 for 7-12 applications which are sent to us in the same envelope. We will not provide a refund for any applications which are declined.

Making Purchases in China

The currency in China is the RMB (also called the yuan ). Each person travelling to China can take 20,000 RMB (roughly equivalent to £1420) into and out of the country. We would recommend carrying money into China in the form of travellers cheques in US dollars which can be exchanged once in China (your guide will help you to do this if you wish). UK debit and credit cards may also work in Chinese cash machines. Most credit and debit cards are accepted in larger outlets. Small shops/street vendors normally only accept cash (RMB). Outside Beijing and Harbin it is normally only possible to pay for goods and services in cash. In all cases we strongly recommend that you seek the advice of your bank(s) prior to travelling to China in order to establish the most cost effective way of taking money to/spending money in China.

There are approximately 14 RMB to one pound sterling as of.

Estimated costs are provided below for goods which you may wish to purchase in China. Our team in China will be pleased to help you to purchase goods at the lowest possible prices.
Two litre bottle of Chinese mineral water bought in a shop    £0.40
A 550 ml.bottle of beerbought in a shop    £0.40
A lunch or dinner in a Chinese restaurant    £6.00
Packet of good quality Chinese tea    £3.00
A silk scarf    £6.00
A shirt/blouse    £15.00
A pair of shoes    £20.00

Hotels & Meals

In locations outside Beijing hotel staff may only speak limited English or no English at all. Your main point of contact whilst staying in your hotel will be your guide who will deal with any requests you may have. In addition we will provide you with a printed list of key phrases/requests written in Chinese (with English translations) to which you can point should the need arise.

If you intend to bring electrical appliances with you from the UK you will also need to purchase an adaptor plug which is suitable for Chinese sockets. We recommend you purchase this prior to your departure.

Do not drink the tap water in China unless signs clearly indicate that it is drinkable. We will provide two litres of bottled water per person per night in your hotel room. If you would like to purchase more water or any other goods/services our guides will be pleased to help you. Boiled tap water is perfectly safe for making hot beverages. Our prices do not include items consumed from hotel minibars.

Weather & Clothing

Temperatures in most of the popular locations we feature vary from very warm/hot in summer to warm and cool in winter and spring. You may also experience high levels of humidity in locations in South China during the summer. In winter temperatures in Harbin and North East China can fall to - 20 degrees Celsius and below. We will recommend appropriate clothing if you intend to travel to North East China during winter.

Lost Items & Thefts

These should be reported to your guide or a member of NT Travel staff in China.

General advice on travel to China

Up-to-date advice on travel to China can be obtained from The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (www.fco.gov.uk 0845 850 2829).

Excess Baggage and Shipping of Bulky Items

If you would like to send excess baggage and other bulky items home from China we recommend the services of The Overweight Baggage Company (O.B.S.). This company operates independently of NT Travel and is part of ALMO Ltd., Unit 20, Cygnus Business Centre, Dalmeyer Road, London NW10 2XA, 0208 458 1768. NT Travel cannot accept any responsibility for any activities of this company in relation to the shipping of any items you may purchase in China.

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