Recently my girlfriend and I travelled to China using Affordable World for the 10 day, 3 city package of Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. I can say without a doubt, we wish we could have stayed longer!!!! The trip was amazing, Affordable World took great care of us from the flight over in Air China to accommodations, tour guides, and excursions. All the Air China flights in country were prefect, with no issues. We were highly impressed with the professionalism, knowledge and language ability of each guide we had. Special thanks to Henry in Beijing, Lucy in Xi’an and Vivian in Shanghai. Let me say, one of the highlights of the trip was the accommodations! We loved each hotel, which really makes things just that much better after a long day of sightseeing. Affordable World definitely gets 5 stars from us. So if you are thinking of going we highly recommend using Affordable World, they provide great service, from start to finish..

This trip was incredible! Affordable World did a wonderful job. The hotels were very nice and clean, the flight was fine. But the best thing about this trip were our tour guides in each city. They were so knowledagable, fun, and took the best care of our group. I learned so much. We had Gary as a guide in Beijing and he was so much fun! We went to the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Sacred Way. We had JC as a guide in Xian and he was awesome. Gave us a very thorough background and was happy to answer all of our questions. He really liked it when we asked questions. We had Vivian in Shanghai as a guide and she really went above and beyond for our group. She helped us order lunch and took us to the airport and helped us check in the entire way until we went through security. She gave us wonderful recommendations. She was very proud to be from Shanghai and gave us a great history of the city and China. All 3 guides were fantastic and you knew they really cared about us! I highly recommend doing this trip! I would definitely book another trip through Affordable World. The only thing I don't recommend is doing the excursion to Souzhou. I thought it was going to be a boat trip on a gondola through a pretty canal in China, but it wasn't that at all. It is a river boat which is very loud, and you go through a very poor part of China, and it is really depressing. Other than that, everything else was amazing!

The trip of a lifetime. Everything from getting greeted right off the plane to food and the sites. I can't fault this company for anything. A truly wonderful experience and I am looking forward to traveling with them again in the very near future..Thank you Affordable WORLD.

My son and I just came back from our 10 days trip to China and it was AMAZING!!! We stayed in 3 different hotels and all of them were 5 stars, the service and the food was top notch. Our tour guides were very friendly and knowledgeable (Katie in Beijing, Lee in Xian and James in Shanghai). I wanted to make this review because I know that I lot of people like me check reviews before buying something. I really recommend this travel agency and I will definitely use it again for future trips to Asia. My son and I had a great time thanks to Affordable World.

Everything with this trip was great, except it was National Day. I wish I was warned about National Day in China. National Day runs the entire first week in October and everyone in China has the week off and is encouraged to travel. This leads to extreme congestion everywhere. Everything you do takes twice as long to get there, and once you arrive, the experience in greatly diminished by the fact that thousands upon thousands of people are already there. I took my parents who are both senior citizens and had to worry about them everywhere we went do to the massive crowds and everyone pushing to get through people. You spend a lot of time traveling to sites due to traffic, and even more time trying to just get a decent glimpse of what you went to see. I am a little disappointed that the magnitude of National Day isn't mentioned when booking this week for travel. I missed out on probably 40% of my trip just due to increased travel times and extreme wait times.

Things to note: Food: the first day in Beijing was a half day (lunch on our own)' the second day at the Great Wall we went to a restaurant serving Western food - it was just okay, our day in Xi'an had a better lunch at the Terra cotta warrior museum, the dinner show food was outstanding as well, in Shanghai we paid for our lunch (you will need to eat at the museum), but the dinner with the acrobatic show was fantastic - dumplings! Some of my group went to the dumpling banquet in X'an and said it tasted like frozen dumplings - definitely not worth the money. We ate at all three hotels - the Doubltree Beijing and the Grand Noble Xi'an were good, but slightly off their western dishes. The Renaissance Shanghai was spot on and their breakfast buffet was outstanding. They have a slightly pricy dinner buffet, but worth the price. Transportation: We were shuttled around in a small van due to our small group size and it was air-conditioned, but sometimes not as cool as you would like. Also, unless you are at a more westernized restaurant, you won't find cold drinks unless you ask for it. Even in the high 90s they will serve hot tea. The flights were all Air China and there are no tickets in advance. Your guide will show them your passports and get you a seat. Make sure to put all your electronic devices, Chargers, etc in a bag for the airport - you will need yo remove it along with liquids, iPads, and cameras. Also, you will get padded down - everyone does so do t be freaked out. Some airports were quite thorough. They also might swipe your bag at the entrance for explosives or make you walk through a temperature station for fevers. Other than that, they function like Amerucan airports. You don't have to take off your shoes which was a nice change! Hotels: All the rooms had complimentary water - again, not cold. Bring it with you on your tour - some guides gave us water and some did not. Some hotels had English channels and some were more comfortable that others, but they we all nice. Tips: They suggest $10 a day per person for tipping, some of our guides didn't think it was a suggestion and held me up for more money. I'd advise bring the full tip amount with you so you don't run out of money like I did. Tours: I liked all the tours and guides - they would answer all our questions, even about how the government ran the country. Sometimes we did things out of order, but we did it all. Each stop was for about 20 minutes to an hour, so there won't be any long stops anywhere. We walked up to 14,000 steps on tour days and 8-10k on travel days so bring good shoes. Be advised that you signed up for a dinner and show you will have little time to rest before going out again. Take advantage of the slower travel days to rest. The hotels dill take credit card for meals, so we saved our cash and ate there on travel days. Traffic was bad so it'll take a long time to get places. All the airports are about an hour outside the city so use the bathroom before leaving - basically use the bathroom wherever you see one. Ladies - there will be western toilets but sometimes you must squat when it's not available. Some places have soap and toilet paper, but a lot didn't so bring your own!! I would use them again for another trip - paperwork arrived promptly and they always answer your phone do you can call with any questions you might have.

Love the itinerary. Great experience!

This entire tour from the airline to the guides was a very pleasant surprise. Because of the low price, I expected lower quality. I am happy to say I was wrong. Air China was very comfortable for economy seats and the flight attendants were always available. The hotels exceeded all my expectations. They were modern, very clean, well stocked and each had comfortable beds. The breakfast at each hotel was plentiful with everything you could possibly want, both American and Chinese. The tours were well planned and the guides competent. Our guide in Shanghai was Ocean and he was fantastic. There was no request, great or small, that he did not fulfill. He was very knowledgeable about his country and shared this knowledge freely. I enjoyed the stories he told about the people and how they lived. I was tired one afternoon and he personally flagged a cab and gave the driver directions to our hotel. This is a first class tour at a bargain price.

I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO ONE OF OUR TOUR GUIDES IN BEIJING. HIS NAME IS LEO, AND HE WENT ABOVE AND BEYOUND BY STAYING WITH ME WHEN I NEEDED EMERGENCY HOSPITAL CARE.

I cannot say enough complimentary words for this trip. The hotels were great and the guides took such great care of us. Their knowledge of their country's history was incredible. My husband and I really appreciated how they maximized our time while we were there so we could see as much as possible. We arrived very early in the morning so our tour guide gave us a couple of additional tours we could do that day since our rooms were not available for check in. Both of these options were fabulous. We wish we would have had some advance notice of these tours as they did not take credit cards as payment. They would take U.S. Dollars or Chinese Yuan but most of us had not brought that much U.S. and since it was the first day of our trip we were a little nervous about using our Yuan. It might be nice for future travelers to receive a heads up so they will feel a bit more comfortable with joining these optional tours on the first day. We would hate for anyone to miss them for fear of running out of cash. These two extra trips were well worth the money and a great opportunity to see yet even more of Beijing.

Had a wonderful time, hotels were excellent, staff friendly and helpful, and accommodating, airline portion very good. Buffet breakfasts were supberb.

We had a great time on our tour of China! The entire tour was planned out very well and the guides were fantastic! My only minor complaint is that the included meals were just okay and I wish they included more than one small drink. Other than that, I have no regrets. Great tour, great deal, met some great people and got to explore China!

The hotels were excellent

Very weel organized from beginning to end. Tour guides were extremely knowledgable and knew all the in's and out's of how to make the tours run their best. Everything and everyone was super efficient!

Overall the trip was fantastic and I would highly recommend it. It is a great value for the money and we are very happy about the experience. The only exception was the food, which was terrible. Tony, our tour guide in Beijing, was terrific. Joe, our guide in Xian, was ok. The guide in Shanghai was horrible and should not continue.

Hotels were wonderful. Guides were friendly and informative. However, we do wish they would recommend more street markets and food that was more authentic to the city and not westernized. We liked that we had time to go on our own to get food and go shopping.

Each of the tour guides were very knowledgable and able to pass that knowledge on to the tour members which made us understand the history and current affairs of the areas we passed through. They made the trip exciting and meaningful. They made sure we did not miss any of the sights and experiences available in their territories. They were great and together with the excellent hotels made the tour wonderful. Our guides were Gary (first day), Henry, Minnie, and Jenny. We also continued to Hong Kong and Patrick showed us the sights of HK island. He was just as good as his China counterparts and had a flair for comedy in his presentation, As my companion had previously lived in HK I was lucky to have my own tour guide for areas not normally visited by western tourists.

This was our first guided tour and first time to China. We had an amazing time. The tour guides were very informative and were easy to understand. We opted to add some of the additional tours which kept us very busy. Beijing seemed a little more rushed than Xi'an and Shanghai. The lunches provided were very good especially the noodle restaurant. The only thing was they seemed to serve us the same thing at each place. The tours themselves were great. We saw some incredible places. Some were crowed due to a holiday. The only thing I would complain about is the add-ons. We had already purchased additional tours but once there, there were other tours one could "purchase" if the group wanted to. For the most part you were already on the bus and with everyone headed to or from another place and you had to decide and pay. (what were you to do?) kind of stuck at that point. Had some friends we met that missed a part of a tour that was included because they didn't do the extra tour. They should have been taken and had the return to the hotel covered. Overall we had a great time. The tour guides were great and knowledgeable. We saw and learned a lot about a country with a lot of nice people. I would and have recommended Affordable World as a way to see China. The trip was "Affordable."

Flight arrangements, hotel accommodations and guides were all good to excellent. One area of improvement would be welcoming at each airport, which was somewhat chaotic.

I was very pleased with Affordable World. The Tour Guides went above and beyond. Very professional, very accommodating. The trip was excellent thanks to Affordable World.

My son and really enjoyed our trip. Thank you so much for it not being a complicated and crazy booking trip;). Everyone in booking and tour guide,were the best. I have to say Tony was above all, the GREATEST guide wish we had him for all three city's.

I cannot explain how wonderful this trip was from start (Air China was terrific) to finish! You should really change the name of your company as Affordable Asia would lead one to believe these tours may be done on the cheap and that is very far from the case. The guides (we had Hawk in Beijing, Lee in Xian and Ocean in Shanghai) were fabulous, kind, helpful, entertaining and so knowledgeable. They were always anxious to answer any of our questions. The hotels were all five star.....rooms were great.....could have used a little more air conditioning, but we opened the windows..... and the buffet breakfast were marvelous......never saw so much food! Great way to start the long and informative day. The buses were comfortable and roomy and the drivers very experienced. All the tours we took were terrific too from the Great Wall, to the Terra Cotta Warriors, to the canal ride in Suzhou....my favorite. The Acrobatic Show and the Tang Dynasty review were great too. Loved that we kept our same group through the entire trip as we became great friends with some folks from New York and California...we are from Tennessee. We are 68 and 75 so this trip kept us hopping.....we were exhausted every night and didn't take some of the late excursions but our younger tour mates loved them. I didn't mind the side trips to the Jade or Cloisonné Factory or the Silk Shop as the guides provided us with much information and I did like making some purchases there. We have traveled all over Europe and South American but this was our first trip to the East and we would definitely use Affordable World again and recommend it highly.

Excellent tour. I'm a pretty independent traveller but it was useful to have everything arranged for me. The guides were very good about giving information to me when I wanted to be more independent. I wish we had more time in Xi'an.

I booked our trip almost a year in advanced,one of our dream come truth wonderful country,mystical and challenging at the same time.I will start with the positive feed back regarding Affordable World tour. Great price for the package,greats hotel 4 to 5 stars if you book in advanced,responsible agency in L.A California location,you will visit a lot,must recommended the majority of the attractions with them like the Great Wall,Temple of a heaven and the The temple of Dalai Lama,and some others,overall the tour guides are good just be patient with them,sometimes their culture may be a challenge to understand our American culture,the are slow some times. Ok constructive critics that I will recomended, please be ready the food is not that good, if you are difficult or picky to eat most of the time you will only eat chicken,rice and noddles,all breakfast are great except for the lunch or dinner,the are very punctual with the time be ready at all time when they tell you to meet at one point.At one of the attraction in Xian the tour guide did not account correctly the amount of people,he assumed that all people were there and left us only because we were late 5 minutes,after an hour waiting and figure out out to make to be at the show another tour guide took us over there,so far we we're available to eat and se the entire show,The tour guides if you ask them a lot cuestions they may be so feel frustrated at one point be patient.In China the people they are not that friendly and most of them they don't speak English or understand a word so be ready to practice mandarin or just uses your body language costumer service in general they are not that good but that is something unfortunately out of Affordable World hands.In Hong Kiond is the most beautiful city please please you can not missed it Hong Kong you definetly need to extend your trip to Hong Kong,costumer service are fantastic,people are more open and willing to help,food are delicious and the experience is unique you will fall in love with Hong Kong, try to add an extra day so you can visit more or go to Macao Island. Ok you need to visit all the attractions period,in Beijing go to the Silk Market you will found a lot great stuff over there get a taxi Its sheap go with time and you need to negotiates with them first do not pay what these people are ask first,just offer them the lowest price until you get the deal you want to pay.In Hong Kong you need to visit the Lantau Island the Big Budha you can't miss this attraction what a fantastic experience you can doit in half of day take the cable car is like $32 dollars but you will be fast and do not waist time in China,enjoy every minute and sleep just the necessarily trust me you will not retreat it.Have fun to each of you and enjoy it,in overall I will recomended Affordable World you will not find this type of tour with great price and wonderful expericne.

The trip was flawless. I learned so much and enjoyed every aspect of this amazing journey

Overall, I was pleased with our experience. The following are things I think could be improved. As this trip was purchased by my daughter, the trip was initially registered with my daughter's email. Although I requested the email address be changed to my address, that was never done. Regarding contacting China Air, it was impossible to do that via the internet. Only by calling them, was I able to confirm my flights. That should be noted in your instructions. The hotels were excellent. The guides did a great job. Our tour went to Suzhou to spend one night and then two nights in Shanghai. I highly recommend that option over spending three nights in Shanghai. The last day of the tour, we went to the Art Museum in Shanghai. We did not choose the River Cruise. It would have been nice to have the option to be taken back to the hotel, instead of waiting at the Bund for several hours before having to rush back to the hotel and leave almost immediately to do dinner and the acrobatics program. There wasn't much time to get everything packed and ready for the flight back early the next morning.

Tony you were the best guide on the whole trip?? wish you could've stayed for the other city's. My son and I really enjoyed all the sites also anougher great part of the trip was our group. We met the most nicest people from all over the U.S. Which made our trip even that more enjoyable.

The tour is not always handicapped friendly. But the tour guides tried to help. The tour guide (Tony) in Beijing was most helpful and tried his best to help which made it very enjoyable for my mother who was in a scooter. The tour guides in Xian tried to be helpful while the one in Shanghai was not overly helpful with regards to the handicapped issue. But all of the tour guides were amazingly helpful at airport helping us get the wheelchair on the board the plane each time. Overall, I would reccommend this tour to people without hesitation that do not have a disability.

We loved how much we were able to see and experience while we were in China. From day one when our flight arrived very early and our rooms were not ready the tour guide offered us an optional tour that was great. At the end of our tour our rooms were ready. This was much better than sitting around the hotel lobby. He also offered an additional tour the next day which was just as enjoyable. I would suggest that this information be included in the package we receive from Affordable World letting us know that these tours may be offered and to bring extra U.S. dollars or Chinese Juan as they do not take credit cards for these optional tours.

The tour was fantastic with very few slip ups. Our 3 assigned guides were great, but the non-assigned guide who took us from our hotel to the flight home was not. He constantly insulted America and it's people. The hotels were great, the breakfasts above par. Buses were clean, guides were knowledgeable. The dumpling banquet was horrible as they just threw tiny dumplings on a lazy susan and expected all the people at the table to fight for whatever they could grab. The wait staff was not friendly. In contrast, the Tang Dynasty dinner was great, the staff fantastic and the food was exceptional. We did not do the Acrobat show, but our fellow tour people who did, said it was fantastic. All in all, everything went well. I will complain how the security and lines at each airport was not acceptable. It seemed as though they intentionally tried to give you, a Westerner, a hard time. The lines were massively long and I was frisked and questioned at every turn while Chinese travelers were moved along free and calm. But, that would have happened no matter what tour group I went with. So, I will give Affordable World a top rating and will highly recommend them to others.

Overall, the tour is excellent with good tour guides expecially Tony from Beijing. The pre-book for international and domestic flights work out very well- thank you for booking it and taking care of the domestic booking. The only lacking is the meals that comes with the tours eventhough there are breakfast at every hotel that we stayed in. Sometimes there are long stretch without lunch and it could be difficult for some people.

Gary, in Beijing, is a fantastic guide. His organization, knowledge and attention to detail were fabulous. Overall, the food was very good with two exceptions; the dinner before the Acrobatics Show in Shanghai was in a small crowded room with quantity rather than quality food and the lunch in Suzhou, Shanghai was again quantity over quality. We understand that finding restaurants to serve such large groups and are in convenient locations might be difficult, however, these particular restaurants were noticeably of lesser quality. The rest of the trip, including the other guides and locations were very good.

This was a great and amazing trip! However, it would be helpful if info about luggage requirements and the need for TSA level luggage locks was provided during the initial contact information. or on the website. We did not get that information until about a day o or so before we left, and we were already traveling at that time. Also, informing tour members to bring toilet paper or tissues, hand sanitizer and wet wipes would not be amiss, as well! Otherwise, we had a ball!

Great organization. ...

The best experience ever. Memories I will have with me forever. New friends to keep in touch with and plan our next tour trip with Affordable World. Thank you for an enlightening experience!!!!!

Very good service and hotel stay in all cities

It would have been nice to have more than two hours at the great wall. I would also have liked to have two full days to explore xian. I did like the fact that I was able to join other tours that I didn't sign up for so that I was able to sight see with my friends who were a day ahead of me. Overall this was my best trip.0

Gary, our guide in Beijing was the best!! I will tell people to specifically use Affordable World because of Gary.

Affordable World staff were professional, knowledgeable, and easily accessible. Tour guides provided historical information as well as helpful information for independent sight seeing. Great excursions, itineraries were followed and stayed on time. Hotel accomdations were excellent! It would have been helpful to know about the restricted Internet prior to arriving in China as well as accurate time differences. The U.S. observes daylight savings time (Oct.-April), this was not included with time differences. Overall, Affordable World exceeded my expectations!

I may not do this trip again (due to wanting to diversify my trips), but I will definitively see where else Affordable World travels. I will probably seek them out in the future. I have already recommended them to my students, friends, and family members.

I couldn't believe how nice the hotels were, and how much they fed us! We only had to buy three meals the entire trip! The guides were really friendly and had a LOT of information! I loved the entire trip, and it was a fabulous value. I would recommend this trip to anyone!

Wow, the guides were great, would have been lost without them. The guide in Xi'an taught me a few Chinese characters. It was cold and snowy, but uncrowded. Our group was really good too. The Acrobat Show was really good

All accomodations exceeded my expectations. The guides were all exceptional and well versed in the culture and city, especially in Bejing.

We loved the tour package and the tours; the tour guides were wonderful - very friendly, courteous, and knowledgeable! Was disappointed that Affordable World would NOT make our domestic air arrangements - as we prefer that our tour operator handle ALL aspects of our tour/tour package; we had to make those arrangements on our own; fortunately, we made the connections in good time. The flights were good - but, of course, too long - wish they could be shorter - but that is not possible [sad face]. The hotels in Beijing and Shanghai were very good; however, the hotel - or at least the room we had - in Xian was lacking - furniture was broken (did provide feedback to hotel manager); the one down-side, and I would guess it is because we were on a tour package, no good views from any of the hotels. The free breakfasts were great! Sorry I did not have enough time to take the Guilin (countryside) tour. Would highly recommend Affordable World and this particular tour package to China - great introductory tour to China.

Really great trip. Would recommend Affordable World highly.

This was my first trip to Asia and my first escorted tour. The price was so reasonable it made me nervous. This was so far above expectations! Our guides, Nina, Lee and Jean were professional, approachable, patient and very informative. The accommodations got better and better as the trip progressed. It was a fascinating trip. I will recommend this company to everyone and look forward to using them again. A brilliant experience!!!

The tour guides were absolutely wonderful. The hotels were beautiful and the breakfast buffets were incredible. It was everything I hoped it would be. I would recommend this trip to everyone.

I was very pleased with this trip. All of the accommodations and excursions were excellent. You did not let me down at all. Rather the contrary, Affordable World exceeded all of my expectations. I am recommending it to everyone I know. This trip was so wonderful I am going to choose to go on another trip with Affordable World. Our guides Leo and Zhou were amazing. They knew a lot and kept our attention. They knew when to speak and were very personable, particularly Leo, who took the time to get to know individuals of thee tour by name. It made us feel very special. Although all of the hotels were amazing and I liked the Renaissance in Shanghaii the best, the staff in the Hilton Double Tree were the most personable. All of the hotels were also conveniently located near subway stations, thank you.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Affordable World experience. All of the guides, especially Leo in Beijing, were knowledgable and very friendly. The hotel accommodations and bus transportation were also unbeatable! China was absolutely beautiful and I still cannot believe what an incredible adventure I had! I will definitely be back to visit again, and plan to book through Affordable World.

This was an amazing trip. I felt safe traveling by myself with the tour group. The cost was a great deal. I look forward to booking another trip. The Hotels were 4 and 5 star!!

Fantastic value for the price. I strongly recommend AA to any person who wants to visit Asia. we will do more trips with AA thanks GC

Tour guides were helpful, fun and informative.

This trip was excellent, we thouroughly enjoyed it. Our 3 tour guides spoke exzcellent english and they knew their China history and facts.

We would highly recommend this trip to everyone. It was everything as advertised and more. Hotels were incredible as were the guides. Our guide in Shanghai who was a Ocean was great. Well informed and very articulate We cannot say enough good things about the trip An exceptional value for thr money

We were extremely happy with the entire trip. The accommodations were outstanding and so was the transportation. Our group was amazing and the itinerary allowed us to see the most in limited time. The tour guides in each city were exceptional and so knowledgable, making every trip worthwhile - even longer bus rides :) Gary in Beijing and Ocean in Shanghai were particularly eager to please our large group. They were not only entertaining, but went above and beyond to answer any questions, give recommendations and just be helpful. Outstanding customer service!!! I'd definitely recommend Affordable World to all my friends and family. Worth every penny!!!

Far exceeded my expectations. The tour guides were wonderfully.

We enjoyed our tour and have already been recommending Affordable World to friends and family. The tour guides (Gary, Joe and Ocean) were fantastic! We made great friends on the trip and have stayed in touch with them too. I would highly recommend your tour and look forward to going on another Affordable World tour in the near future.

Overall very good!. Exceeded my expectations. The only problem we had, is that the tour guide was 45 min late to pick us up from the airport on Day 1. Other that that, I think that the included meals could be better. Overall very very good! I would really recommend it.

We ste very happy with the service, guides and hotels. It was a perfect week. Two recomendacions, you need to consider the Jade shop visit in Xian and the dinner place before the acrobatics show in Shanghai. Thank you for the good trip.plan to receive good deals for future family travels.

We had a great trip and the order of the cities and tours was perfectly arranged. I would recommend your tour provide water upon arrival from each flight.

It was great . tour guides Nina n ocean were excellent !!!

We just recently returned from our 10 days China Discovery Tour. It was a fabulous tour of Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. Excellent accommodations and over all exceptional service from the staff, guides and coach drivers. Our tour guides,Katy in Beijing , Zho in Xian and Jean in Shanghai were very knowledgeable of the history of China. Katy was exceptional and easily the group's favorite. Having the guides with us at the airports was very helpful and check in was a breeze. We would definitely recommend this tour from Affordable World.

My Wife and I were first a little hesitant on what to expect. To our surprise we ended up having a great time!!!!! Our tour guides were very helpful and had a bounty of information, very knowledgeable about their country. We only have great things to say to our family about the trip and would recommend it to friends and family. Each optional tour we took, which was almost all of them, were very well worth it. All the hotels we stayed in were very clean and definitely 4-5 star hotels.

Like Elisabeth, we weren't sure what we were getting ourselves into by purchasing an overseas trip to China through Groupon...however it turned out so much better than we could have thought it would! The pre-planning was attentive and secure, all the tour guides were excellent and helpful, the hotels were all beautiful, and the sights we saw were magnificent. There's a few excursions we did that I would have passed on (the dumpling dinner in Beijing, the Chinese History show in Xi'an), but everything else was top notch. We would not only recommend this company and trip to our friends and family, but are planning another trip already through Affordable World to a different country. We have confidence it will also go above and beyond what we expected!

We just recently returned from our 10 days China Discovery Tour. It was a fabulous tour of Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. It covered the main places to see in these 3 cities. Our tour guide Gary in Beijing was very good and Jevons in Shanghai was excellent. They were both very knowledgeable of the history of China and spoke English very well. Our tour guides in all 3 cities were accommodating with requests. They also made our airport check-ins very convenient and smooth. The hotels and the breakfast provided everyday were very nice. I would definitely recommend this tour from Affordable World.

My sister and I were skeptical about a Groupon deal with a company called "Affordable World". Neither of us had ever taken an organized tour before, but the deal was literally too good to pass up. How bad could it be? As it turns out, this tour exceeded, by a wide mark, our every expectation. Affordable World (AA) was organized, responsive and accommodating. The flights were as comfortable as 13 hour flights can be, but Air China was one of the nicer airlines I've experienced in recent years. Even the in-flight food was not bad. Once we landed in Beijing, we were delighted every day. Our guides were great - Gary, JC, Jackie were all extremely knowledgeable, spoke excellent English, were patient and flexible. We somehow managed to be on the same itinerary as the FLOTUS for two days, but both Gary and JC managed to rearrange things so that we were still able to see everything. Clearly the locations gave all the guides fabulous material, but they were great to talk with about current and past events in China and taught us lots about China, in addition to the things we saw. We did virtually all the optional packages, and the only one that was not great was the dumpling banquet. The dumplings were good, but the service was VERY rushed. We could have passed that up. Good food was available everywhere. The hotels were all top-notch. One thing I might recommend - we arranged for a private tour for the Forbidden City and the Great Wall (because there was an evening event we wanted to include that necessitated some rescheduling on our part). It sounds as if we got to see more of both, because we had our own guide and spent more time in the less traveled parts of both locations. If AA could encourage the guides to go to the East side of the Forbidden City, and perhaps the Badaling Ruins (which were challenging - but there were children and senior citizens handling it), participants would have a less herded experience at these two amazing locations. AA offered an amazing tour, terrific from start to finish, and I would absolutely use them again!! Thank you, AA, and your guides, for a trip of a life-time (so far).

My wife and i just returned from the march 14 thru march 24 trip. I had never beenon an escorted tour and am now spoiled for life! We had scott in beijing and daniel in shanghai and they were wonderful! Our guide in xian was great too, i just cant remember his name. Everything about this trip was almost perfect. I am so depressed that it's over! From the tours to the hotels to the service at airports was just 5 star.

At first I was hesitant about booking a trip through a relatively new company but I have no regrets at all. They jam pack so many activities for you to do everyday. if you want to explore on your own on certain days you have the flexibility to do that or you can attend all the events that are on the itineray. The optional tours are well worth the cost. All of our tour guides were well prepared and made sure we were safe. I honestly dont know how this company affords to sell these tour packages so cheaply. Dont second guess going with them they are great !!

I don't generally write reviews, but our recent trip to China has been so amazing I have to say something. First off the flight is what it is - 12 hours is a long time to be on a plance however Air China were friendly and all announcements were in both Chinese and English. Food was not great but then what airlines have great food? Once you get to Beijing the experience can truly begin. My family arrived at around 4.30am local time and Leo the tour guide was waiting for us at the arrivals section. Leo was extremely knowledgable and we definitely enjoyed our time. All of the tours in Beijing were awesome. The hotel was way more fancy than we were expecting and we are still trying to figure out how they did it at the cost we were charged! Leo made sure we got to all our tours and on the flight to Xi'an in time. Arriving at Xi'an we were met by JC who was an ex-History teacher, he was equally knowledgable about his city. All tours were worthwhile, although the hotel here was not as high end as the Hilton in Beijing it was fine and we only stayed 2 nights. Again JC made sure we got to the airport ready for Shanghai. Shanghai we were met by Shirley who was also very knowledgable. Here were in the Rennaisance (Marriott) which was just as fancy as the Hilton in Beijing! Shirley also made sure everyone got to their flights at the end of our time. In short this was the trip of a lifetime and every tour guide was excellent. Hotels were above expectations and tours were outstanding. This was the best money you can spend on a guided tour of China.

We just returned from a March 6th-16th, 2014 tour of China with Affordable World. It was absolutely wonderful. Our guides were the best...we had Gary, Tony, Jimmy, Jeff and Ocean. We saw the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, the Spring Palace, the TerraCotta Warriors, Suzhou and many more sites. We have never taken a tour before, have always winged it on our own. This was so relaxing and carefree...a great way to enjoy your vacation. I highly recommend it to everyone. (one recommendation...In Xi'an, Jimmy took all our luggage to the airport and gave us our boarding passes. This did not work out so well. Many couples and families were not given seats by each other and several individuals were not comfortable having Jimmy take their luggage. It really didn't save us that much time. People would rather do their luggage and seat assignments themselves.) But that was our only complaint. The food was excellent, the guides were wonderful, and China is spectacular. Can't wait to return and see more of such a beautiful country.

JINX Reviewed 03/22/2014 07:20:38 My son and I just returned from this trip and I have nothing but positive reviews about this company. Everything was organized,the hotels were top notch, the tours were exciting and the tour guides, Gary, Lee and Ocean were the best. The food was excellent. I honestly don't know how Affordable World makes money, because everything was top of the line. If anyone wants my email address, I will give you more details. The air quality was poor in Beijing but we weren't there for long and decided not to wear the masks worn by about 10% of the residents. There were no glitches during the trip. The guides provided excellent information and warnings. The guides kind of over-promoted the extra excursions, but they didn't push. I would recommend Affordable World to everyone! You'll get EVERYONE'S money's worth!

I returned a couple of weeks ago from my trip to China with Affordable World. I had a wonderful time, and can't stop thinking about the things I saw and did. Affordable World did a great job arranging all of the details of the trip, and the flights and accommodations were excellent (Doubletree in Beijing was my favorite). The guides were excellent and very helpful. All of the stops and tours were worth every penny. I was traveling solo (small kids at home), but did not feel excluded at all. I had plenty of time to explore and wander on my own. I would definitely recommend this to others considering a trip to Asia!!

Got back from this tour two weeks ago and dollar for dollar it is extremely worth it. I don't even know how the airfare was covered, but the hotels and tours on top of that make it worth every penny. The mix of Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai leaves one with a sense they saw the best of China. The downsides though are that none of the pictures of the tour are what China actually looks like-there is often pollution that makes it impossible to see past two city blocks, people are everywhere, and there is traffic anywhere you go at any time of the day. The plus side of this being you don't have to worry about traffic with Affordable World. With the optional tours-Great Wall and Terracotta warriors are the two essentials that MUST be bought. The Tang Dynasty dinner and Acrobat show in Shanghai are also very much worth it. I wouldn't really recommend any of the others, nor the ones the guides try to sell you as an option along the way. It's much better to wander off on your own and see things for yourself. Often taking a taxi and getting dinner will be cheaper than the excursions anyway. Other than that I would recommend this tour simply because if you want to see the essential China this tour provides you with it, so that like me, by the time you get back you will say that you got to see everything you wanted to and have no desire to go back. (I'm ripping on the country here, not Affordable World by any means-their tour guides were nice-save for the one in Shanghai that was money hungry, the hotels fantastic-get to the breakfast buffet early in Beijing-once the food runs out it doesn't come back, and their reliability was fantastic-our guide waited for us five hours till 3:30 A.M. when our plane was delayed from JFK due to smog. So again, yes this tour is worth it because you will not find a cheaper price for all you get to see and do.

We just returned from the China Discovery 10 Day Tour. (3-7-14 to 3-16-14) We travel alot, and when we first booked this, we were somewhat skeptical about how inexpensive the tour was, and what kind of service we would get for such an inexpensive price. You can't even book the airfare alone, for how much we paid for the whole tour. This Affordable World Tour was everything it says it is. Our tour guides, Tony and Gary in Beijing, Jeff and Lee in Xian, and Jeff and Ocean in Shanghai were top class, well educated tour guides, who spoke excellent english. (Tony was my very favorite) The hotels were 4 star, and the morning buffets were delicious, and I always felt safe. As soon as I can get back into a normal routine after this amazing vacation, I will write a detailed review on Trip Advisor, (including any minor problems we encountered, and some helpful tips that I wish I had known).

My family and I traveled with Affordable World during the end of January 2014. Our trip coincided with the Lunar New Year, which turned out to be really great for our group. Our tour group consisted of about 15 people and everyone was very warm and kind. Our tour guides were also very knowledgeable and flexible. For the optional tours, we only chose the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and Terra Cotta Warriors. All of these sites are amazing, and it was a great convenience to not have to worry about travel or getting lost. We landed in Beijing early on the first day, so we chose to visit the Summer Palace by ourselves, which was a great decision since the grounds were beautiful; the cab ride there was also really cheap. We spent most of the time in Beijing touring the historical sites, obviously, and didn't get much of a chance to experience the local food (aside from Peking duck). Although we only had a short time in Xian, the city is amazing and the hotel is centrally located, which makes walking to the Muslim Quarters and Drum Tower easy (it's still a little bit of a long walk). I highly recommend enjoying the bustling nightlife in Xian; we felt safe walking around at night and sampling the street food. My family and I took a cab ride to the Famous Noodle Under the Sun restaurant for dinner and we luckily chanced upon a nighttime water fountain show. In Shanghai, we didn't go on the Suzhou optional tour since we read that it wasn't really worth a whole day trip. Instead, we did a whole subway tour trip by ourselves. The subway system in Shanghai is clean and fast, but slightly crowded on some lines. It's also really cheap if you buy the one-day pass. We visited the Longhua Temple (it was very crowded due to the New Year holiday, but that just made it more fun), Tea City (most of the shops were unfortunately closed), and the Underground Shopping Mall. We also hit many restaurants recommended on TripAdvisor, like Din Tai Fung. While the tour does provide breakfast at the hotel, usually, you're on your own for lunch and dinner, so I suggest you do some research if you want to find some good restaurants near your hotel or whatever site you're visiting. All in all, the trip was a great value and let us see all of the big-name China sites in comfort and convenience, while still giving us a lot of flexibility to do the things we wanted to do, which mostly involved eating. :)

I just returned from my trip to China. I traveled from 2/27/14 to 3/10/14 with Affordable World and have to say I am more than impressed and happy with my recent travel experience. I flew from Miami, FL and met my brother, who is currently living in Asia, in Beijing. Affordable World was able to assist in the arrangements, even though we were coming from different places. All of the hotels were of superior quality. The breakfasts were varied and fulfilling. My guides were Gary in Beijing, Lee in Xi'an, and Jevons in Shanghai. They were all wonderful, but Jevons definitely stood out. He is very cultured, speaks very good English, and offered the best explanations as to the history and culture of his country. As far as optional tours, definitely go see the Forbidden City and the Great Wall while in Beijing and the terracotta warriors while in Xi'an. We took advantage of all the included tours, but everything else we did on our own. It was much easier to get around in China than we thought. While in Shanghai, instead of going to Suzhou, we took a public bus to go to the similar style town of Zhujiajiao. I really enjoyed traveling with the locals and finding our way back. I recommend Affordable World and will be using them again in the future!

What a wonderful trip for a great price! The hotels were 4 and 5 star, the guides really care about your experience, the itinerary carefully planned and the included buffet breakfasts were over the top! I was a little nervous when I read about flying Air China, but the airline offers in seat movies with a nice selection, music, games, 2 meals with wine, a pillow and a blanket. The stewardesses were friendly and I had no problems what so ever. Kudos go to our tour guides, Jeffrey and Nina. They are extremely knowledgeable, care about your comfort and have contacts around the city so they can call ahead and find out about the traffic or long lines to avoid by switching the days itinerary around. The lunches included in the tours were served lazy Susan style and were just ok, but don't forget its AFFordable Asia. Yes we got our money's worth and would travel with them again. Thank you Affordable World for a wonderful experience!

This was our first trip to China. Every aspect of the trip was fantastic. Affordable World and our tour guides - Tony, JC, and Ocean - were super. We saw all the most important sites, ate well, saw great entertainment, stayed in wonderful hotels, travelled throughout our trip effortlessly, and learned a great deal about China's history and culture. I would recommend this tour to everyone and we'll use Affordable World again.

My wife and I went on this tour 2/15/14-2/17/14. Overall it was an excellent experience, very nice hotels and tour guides, specially Argen (in Shanghai). The tours and optional tours were ok and still we had time to explore on our own, great mix of people in our group. The only downside was the poor customer service of Air China (no fault of Affordableasia), that put us in a creapy hotel after missing our connection flight from Beijing to JFK due to a mechanical problem that deleyed our flight from Shanghai to Beijing for 3 ours. Althought Air China was responsible for us missing our flight and having to spend an extra night in Beijing they don't compensate us in any way (no upgrade flight or ticket, nor even reimbursement for the train ticket we miss for NY to DC), and their Manager at Beijing Airport was very rude. After spending 9 nights or so in the nice hotels (all 4 stars at the least)provided by Affordable World, we spend the last night in the most horrible place I have ever been (I can's remember the name of the hotel) even when there was a Hilton near the airport, where Air China should put us. So we just spend an extra night, but did not have chance to explore or even have a decent dinner becouse the hotel provided by the airline was in the middle of nowhere and the surroundings looked almost unsafety.

My friend and I went with this particular tour package in early January 2014, and we had a great time. It was our first trip to China, and I think this tour is especially valuable to anyone inexperienced like us. We would've been overwhelmed without having a guide at least the first time around. Our Air China flights were easy, and for Economy they were quite comfortable too, even the in-China flights between cities--in fact I'm often reminded how poor domestic American airlines are whenever I fly a non-domestic airline. Arrival in each city, including the initial arrival in Beijing through Customs, were all easy and we didn't have any trouble finding our guides. The hotels we stayed at in every city were very good, and in fact we were somewhat surprised at the quality and service level, considering how low our room rates were. We were expecting nice but average, and instead got swanky! Breakfasts were very good with plenty of selection and time to eat each morning. Our guides (in our case Gary, J.C., and Jevins in Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai respectively) were all excellent. Well spoken and easily understood, very friendly. They were all happy to answer questions and offer advice, including things to do on our own as well. They had great stories and anecdotes to tell us during our bus travels and as they were guiding us through tour locations, and had lots of interesting information on each tour. We added the optionals for the Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing, the Terracotta Warriors and Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, and the Acrobatics Show and HangPu River Cruise in Shanghai. We felt all of them were worthwhile. While we were on the tour a few other extras came up that were not originally offered during booking for the tour, such as the Temple of Heaven, which were worthwhile as well and very interesting. One thing I would note about this entire tour package is just how well-priced it is. Sure, you might see some other reviews saying you could do this item or that add-on by yourself for cheaper, and many times it's true. However, some of AA's price includes your guide, with all their information and anecdotes, and also coordinated transportation too, rather than having to find your own ride (not that taxis are difficult, of course). Also, the tour package as a whole is so incredibly priced compared to doing the entire thing on your own (the flights by themselves, if we bought on our own, would've cost almost as much as this whole tour package cost us!) that the occasional add-on that costs more than doing it by yourself is hardly worth even pointing out, because overall you're still paying WAY less. Even with all the add-ons the whole trip cost us literally HALF of what it'd cost doing it all on our own. This package has incredible value. All in all, this was a fantastic adventure, and my friend and I had a great time. We would absolutely recommend this tour package to anyone, and would highly recommend Affordable World in general.

Did this tour through a Groupon - AMAZING! So much more than I was expecting and absolutely spectacular accommodations, tour guides and value throughout this entire trip. I was extremely impressed with the optional excursions and everything that was included. Felt totally safe throughout the tour and loved the fact that it was less busy since it was the off season. I would definitely recommend Affordable World and especially this tour.

Let me just start by saying I rarely leave reviews, but I had to leave a review for those who are skeptical like I was. It was a GREAT trip. Now Kathy our tour guide in Beijing was awesome. She was not only knowledgable about China, but she was personable. The other tour guides in Xian and Shanghai Jc and James were knowledgeable about their cities, but definitely not personable. So the ladies and I opted out of the tours there. JC made sure he asked for a tip even though he never spoke or approached us once during our time there. Being that this was my 40th birthday trip I have no regrets at all. The great wall is a must. I was scared to go as far as I did, but with the encouragement of Kathy and others on our tour it was the most liberating part of the trip for me. The forbidden City was more than I expected and more. So if your touring Beijing please don't skip those tours. I also have to say that I had taken ill with a sore throat and Kathy escorted me to the hospital. Thank goodness because of the language barrier. We told her she didn't have to come nor stay, but she insisted and made sure before leaving that we had no problems getting back to the hotel. She was truly concerned and genuine that is priceless. She wouldn't even take cab $ or any tip for it. I have to applaud affordable world for hiring someone like Kathy. I met some great people on this trip and memories for life. The hotel in Beijing and Shanghai are truly 4 star hotels. Now the hotel in Xian is a 3star. I am definitely a hotel chic so trust and believe I know my stars. I will definitely book with Affordable World again.

My business partner and I took the 10 day Beijing-Xian-Shanghai China Discovery trip December 4-Dec 15, 2013. We have many clients in China, so our main purpose of the trip was to meet with them and then do some sightseeing as well. Affordable World was truly great about our mixed purpose trip and rolled with our requests more than graciously! First Luann helped us immensely in booking the trip earlier and then adding 2 more days in the front end to our stay in Beijing so we could see everyone we needed to while we were there. Our tour guide, Cathy, in Beijing was completely understanding that we would not be with the group during the tours there and was easy to get in touch with to let her know we had arrived and make sure we were in the right place to join the group going to Xian. I also have to commend Affordable World on selecting great, quality hotels at very good rates, where it was comfortable for the American traveler. I could easily pay an additional fee to hook up my laptop or had Wi-Fi in the room so I was connected as needed. Locations were good and though the hotel in Shanghai was not in the closest location, the breakfast buffet that was included was out of this world good and the subway was easy to walk to and take downtown. I have to highly recommend the optional tours to the Terra Cotta Warriors and Suzhou. They were both great and in fact I wished the Suzhou one was 2 days as it had a completely different flavor there than other cities. I was surprised how many people did not take the tour to the Terra Cotta Warriors in our group. Affordable World makes these so easy and I thought the cost was fantastic considering lunch is included and you are on a comfortable bus ride instead of trying to navigate yourself through unfamiliar territory to make an 1.5-2 hour trip each way. Our guides, JC in Xian and James in Shanghai, were both wonderful and knowledgeable and we practically had private tours as so few people took the optional tours. They were both very informative and very willing to share information about their cities and country. We were very interested to learn that to be a tour guide they are required to study for 6 months and pass a stringent licensing test to qualify. Would I book through Affordable World again? Yes I would and know I would have a great trip!

I went on this tour 8/29/13-9/13/13 (we added on the optional Hong Kong extension and then stayed there for a few extra days). Overall, I thought it was really great! This was our third time doing a group tour like this (all with different companies). The hotels were very nice, the tour guides were good, and all the transportation is taken care of for you. We chose to take the early flight to Beijing, getting us there very early in the morning, so we had the whole first day to tour on our own. Since we did this, we were able to see a lot more than the rest of the group in Beijing (Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, etc). We took the subway a lot and it is VERY clean and safe. We also took a lot of cabs, which are REALLY cheap everywhere in China. We're two young women and we did a lot on our own (including going out every night on our own) and we always felt safe. We didn't do many of the group tours as we did a lot of it on our own (or for the Great Wall with another tour company that took us to the Mutianyu section). We did do the Terra Cotta Warriors tour, which I would definitely recommend, and the tour to Suzhou, which was not worth it. I would highly recommend adding the optional extension to Hong Kong. It was by far our favorite city! And we added extra nights in Hong Kong too, which I would also highly recommend as there is so much to see and do there. And it was really nice to have some time to just relax (we spent one of our days at the beach) after a very busy trip full of tours. Overall, I would definitely recommend this tour. We loved China, and all the cities we visited. And the value that Affordable World offers with this package was great!

We just got back December 2nd from this tour. We were amazed with the quality of the hotels. We did not expect they would be so high end. In Shanghai we thought we were staying at the Mandarin Oriental, jejeje our mistake. We stayed at JC Mandarin which is a different chain but nonetheless it was a good hotel. All of them had a good breakfast with fruits, juices, cereals, omelet station and Chinese food. About the tours: Beijing- We arrived at 5:30 am and got to the hotel and after doing the check in we explored the city on our own. There are a lot of nice sights that the tour don't make Heaven Temple, and Lama temple. The hotel is not close to a subway station but taxi is really cheap. They tried to sell to us the summer palace after doing the forbidden City for an extra 200 yen. It was much cheaper doing on our own. The guides were good and not pushy about tips. The day before they remind you to the suggested amount and you give what you think is appropriate. We felt there wasn't a lot to do in Shanghai and the tour to Suzhou wasn't worth. The river tour was nice but you can do on your own for half of the tour cost. The tour to the great Wall was to the balading section of the wall it was okay. The Ming thing before the tour wasn't worth. We know a couple that did another section Mutianyu and it sounded more fun. The LUNCH on the tours weren't that good. They took us to 3 factories (Silk, Vase, Terra Cotta Warriors) BUT even thought we did not buy anything we though they were well worth and the time the group was giving to shop and we had to wait for them weren't that long. The group we traveled with it had singles, couples young and old, and Families with kids. We sat together on all flights EXCEPT on one from Xi'an to Shanghai. We HIGHLY recommend this tour for a first trip to Asia

I am a very picky traveler and have traveled all over the world, so taking a "tour" to China was something I was skeptical about, but I just could not pass up the price - I went in with low expectations and was so happy about what I found. First the hotel rooms and hotels in general were exceptional. Clean, big, comfortable and all had terrific breakfasts. The tour was equally terrific. The tour group we were with (our bus) of about 25 people was terrific - I am still keeping in touch with many of them. They were very fun to travel with. The tour guides (especially in Beijing) did a great job. They were very informative, and did not have any issues discussing any topics. I learned more than I ever expected. The tours (especially the Great Wall and Terracotta Soldiers) were more than I could have expected - simply amazing. The tour guides did try to "sell" other tours while there (which we did not do but most people did and enjoyed) but they were very good about making sure you could also do things you wanted to do. I am not a fan of Chinese food but with breakfast (and stashing food from breakfast for lunch) I was fine - we all agreed though that you need to stay away from the "stinky tofu" - and I means miles away - very smelly. The people in our group who liked Chinese food were very happy with the meals. We had great weather and truly had a great time. I would recommend this to anyone.

Similar story to what i've read previously. My friend and I travel extensively, so we were'nt sure we'd enjoy a tour group; however, the price for airfare, hotels, breakfasts and tranportation was too good to pass up. Now, looking back, we are SO glad we went! As expected, there were things we didn't love (having to do everything en masse, waiting on 25 people for everything you do, getting shuffled through things quickly sometimes and too slowly others...), and we did like the things we thought we would (not having to worry about how to get places, find directions, but tickets...basically not having to think at all...and having someone tell us about what we're seeing). What we didn't expect was (a) really, really nice hotels (and we're travel snobs), (b) we loved our tour group! We made some great friends that I think we'll travel with again. Totally unexpected. These folks had generally traveled as much as we have, and also couldn't pass up the great price. It does get a little old having the guides constantly pushing the outings, and you feel a LITTLE bit nickle and dimed, but we recognize this is how Affordable keeps it affordable and still makes their revenue. We enjoyed the outings we did take and don't regret the ones we passed on...it all depends on how busy you want to be and how much you want to pack into a day (as well as what you want to spend). I also need to note that the buses were so much nicer than anticipated! They were comfortable and not overcrowded...we had plenty of room to allow good views as we drove. I hope they don't start to add more than ~25 people to a group...it would definitely tarnish the experience. Finally, the guides were friendly...though the only one we felt like we really learned something from was Tony in Beijing. All-in-all, we I would not hesitate to take another trip with Affordable.

My wife and I recently returned from the China Discovery Tour, with a five day extension in Hong Kong. This Affordable World (AA) tour was a fantastic deal as the tour (minus the Hong Kong extension) which included all flights, transfers and excellent hotels was less than we would have paid in just roundtrip airfare to China! We had a group of 25 on our tour, so plenty of room to spread out on the comfortable coaches. All 3 of the hotels were excellent with delicious breakfasts each morning! The Doubletree in Beijing and Renaissance in Shanghai were not very close to public transportation, but taxis were extremely cheap and readily available. The Grand Noble in Xian was very well located, within easy walking distance of the Bell and Drum Towers and a large pedestrian shopping street (and there is even a Walmart nearby!). We did not take any of the optional tours offered by AA as we opted for a couple private tours (in Beijing and Xian) and otherwise spent time on our own. We also did not do any of the dinner shows, so cannot comment on them. Personally, I think the free time would be better spent exploring the city rather than attending a show, but everyone likes something different. Each of the tour reps (Tony in Beijing, Lee in Xian and Ocean in Shanghai) were prompt and professional. We especially liked Lee in Xian - he had a delightful sense of humor! The one thing that we disliked were the 'wake up' calls that were put in each night by the guide for the entire group. We were surprised to receive one of these calls the first morning around 6:30 AM. We went to the front desk each night to make sure we were removed from the list for these calls. This is really the first "big bus" type tour we have taken so maybe this is common practice among tour companies, but we felt responsible enough to get up and make the meeting times on our own. I agree with another reviewer that "affordable" is the part which really sells Affordable World. This is the perfect trip for someone who wants to see China and have the comforts/security of traveling to each city as a group, but being able to add any optional tours.

I've never been part of a tour group so I had some preconceived ideas of what it might be like, turns out it pretty much was. I was worried about spending too much time being stuck in shopping traps and for me personally we were left to shop too much but I did over hear 3 or 4 ladies comment they wanted more time to shop at these shops (cloisonne, jade) so I accepted the fact I'm in a tour group and others wants needed to be met as well. Be prepared to have every flight delayed in China. Just how it is. One thing that didn't impress me was the included lunches. I suppose part of it is trying to please as many people as possible but it was substandard of what I was hoping for. Every meal I had away from the tour group was better. The forbidden palace, great wall, Terra-cotta warriors were all great to see. The summer palace was OK but not worth $30, more like $15. The jade 'factory' I knew was a shopping trap as everything had a 'ON SALE' stamp on the price tag. 5min's spent explaining jade to us, 60min to shop /yawn. As others have mentioned the dumpling banquet isn't worth it (for food or the price) and the Tang Dynasty show didn't impress or entertain me at all (though everyone else in the group seemed to enjoy it, if they didn't fall asleep). I haven't looked into Suzhou as far as going there by yourself but the tour was pretty unimpressive. The garden villa for The Master of Nets wasn't too great for me as I'd gone to Yu Yuan the previous day. Going up a canal then turning around wasn't that great either. The acrobatics show was entertaining. I didn't get peking duck but no one seemed impressed by it (either with the tour group or out on their own). A bit more about the Terra-cotta warriors excursion. Xi'an isn't handled by Ritz tours, it's subcontracted out to a chinese government owned tour company so I don't know if this can be solved. Anywho, our tour group seemed pretty good. We were ready to leave the hotel lobby on time every morning, people listened to instruction and met up at designated places on time, so basically we were all responsible adults. I feel more people would be happier w/ the terra cotta tour if they were told when and where to be for the lunch provided, and when and where to meet for departure. Point us to the pits, museum & cinema and let us go. For those that don't want that freedom, or "want to get their monies worth and have a tour guide guide them around" then they can choose to do so. The hotels were nice (nicer than I would have booked for myself) and the breakfast buffets were top notch indeed. As has been mentioned in previous reviews, some tour guides have no tact when it comes to tips. Maybe they're told they are guaranteed $10pp/day or maybe they have just come to expect it. That statement might be too broad though as it seems to be exclusively Lucy in Xi'an. Ritz tours or someone should advise her to ask why she is getting low tips so that she might improve herself to be more deserving of tips. Now that I've been with a tour group I can see it's definitely not my cup of tea but you can't 'get by' with english in china. You either need a tour group, a personal tour guide, or know a local. In ShangHai I had made friends online so other than the Suzhou tour I wasn't with the tour group, so I can't say if it is worth it to be with the tour group or not. I can say this though, Nanjing road was boring to me. The bund is best seen at night. tl;dr +++ Great Wall, Forbidden Palace, Terra-cotta --- Suzhou, Tang Dynasty Show, Peking Duck, Dumpling Banquet Acrobatics show is just entertainment. Has nothing to do with chinese culture or history (which is maybe why I enjoyed it, it wasnt trying to be something it wasn't like the Dynasty show). An OK option if you don't care to go out and explore on your own (but now I wish I hadn't gone).

When I saw the price for a 10 day/8 night trip to China, including Beijing, X'ian and Shanghai I thought it was a misprint because the tour included airfare, very nice hotels (with breakfast every day), and guides to escourt you around. Looking at airfare alone was just about our initial tour cost. So, we checked around with other tour companies, and they couldnt come close, so we held our breaths and booked with Affordable World. We sent off our money, and our passports, and hoped this wasnt a scam. Everything came back like clockwork, and they kept us posted as to the flight and the itinerary. After a long flight we arrived in Beijing and were met by our tour guide. Very informative, as were the other 2 guides in Xian and Shanghai. There were 21 in our group, and we had a new 50 passanger tour bus to ourselves in each city. Every hotel was a 4 star. We're talking a bathrobe and slippers in each room along with some fruit. I dont get that when I stay at the Hilton here in the states. The only problem was after Beijing they put my wife and I in a room with 2 full beds instead of a king bed, because they ran out of king beds? Not a show stopper because the hotels were all very nice and we fit OK together on a double bed. Some bigger couples had more problems with that. The initial package price is inexpensive, and there are some add ons you must consider for a total cost. You will need a Visa for China. You will need to tip the tour guides $10 per person per day. You will need to pay for the optional trips, (but they are pretty inexpensive so dont miss the Great Wall and the Warriors. The Chineese Acrobats was fun also. Dont do the dumpling dinner.) The tours are quick and do include the stop for us tourists to see the Jade Factory, or the Silk Factory, or the Pearl Factory, or the ......... whatever. But that's how it works, hoping you'll buy something overpriced at one of these "factories", but honestly, they were very intriging and informative with little lectures and demonstrations how each craft is made. A highlight was checking out the "Muslum Market" in Xian in the evening and the "bazar" market in Shanghai. Little clay statues that were $25 in Beijing dropped down to $4 in Shanghai... if you like to dicker with the merchants. I gave the tour package 4 stars because of the glitch in the hotels, and on our flights my wife and I sat in different parts of the plane because the tour company books the cheapest seats, and they are not always together. Would I have paid an extra $500 to sit by my wife for a 11 hour flight? No, I slept most of the way anyways, so again, no big deal. I would recommend this tour to anyone, knowing that there will be some additional costs to the base tour package. thanks Affordable World for the fun time.

We went to China Discovery 10 days tour and came back last Saturday. The trip was awesome and arrangements were made in a wonderful way. The guides are knowledgeable about the locations and maintained the timing very well. The best part is that the guide comes to inside airport counter and help you to get the boarding pass and make a smooth check in process. The hotels are great and stay was very comfortable. For the optional tours, If you are vegetarian then food is not great and need improvement on the menu. We were able to manage with fruits, boiled vegetables and steamed rice. Over all, the trip was great and I will definitely consider this company for any East Asia trip and refer to my friends. Srinivas.

My husband and I went on the 10 days tour to China in early November 2012 and found that the accommodations were well worth the money. We stayed at 5 star hotels with a very good breakfast accommodations. I especially wanted to thank SCOTT SHI, our tour guide in Beijing as he was extremely professional, knowledgeable as well as personable. Not sure I can say the same for the other tour guides we met in Xian and Shanghai; they were a bit too pushy with tipping practices. Affordable World is a good concept as it allows us to pick and choose our preferred tours while allotting free time to explore on our own with out the hustle and bustle. Although we enjoyed our trip quite a bit, I have a few suggestions for Affordable World. Suggestions on Changes Tipping – Though I understand that tipping is a big part of the tourism industry, it should be done in a more discreet manner and not so blatantly out in the open (i.e. tour guide physically opened the tip envelope in front of the customer). This action caused some discomfort and embarrassment for the customer whom may or may not tip according to recommendations due to less than stellar service. Additionally, tips should not be asked to be given prior to performing the services (i.e. collecting tipping envelops on the day of airport pick up instead of waiting until the end of the tour was APPAULING). I thought tipping was for good service, how can someone make that judgment when the service has not been rendered yet??? Too Many Shopping Destinations – The customer should have the option to opt out of suggested shopping destinations and not be forced, especially when the majority of the group has voiced their opinion to go back to the hotel after a very long and tiring tour day. We were told by our tour guide, Lucy, in Xian that the head office required that she take us to another Jade factory even though most of us wanted to head back to our hotel to rest. That is uncalled for, the customer should have the choice to say no and not forced to go to these endless shopping destinations, especially when the products are OVER PRICED. If Affordable World wants to differentiate itself from other tour companies, changing this policy on shopping destinations would elevate it to the top of the chain. Suggested Restaurants – The restaurants that were part of the tours may be reputable and clean but the food was HORRIBLE and EXPENSIVE! I wished Affordable World could have taken us to less well known establishments with good food at reasonable prices. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEXT TRAVELER Tours you could do without (1) Skip out on the Peking Duck Dinner as you will be severely DISAPPOINTED! Peking duck at Sam Woo tastes a whole lot better for a fraction of the price. (2) Skip out on the Dumpling Banquet and Dinner Show in Xian, as you will go back to you hotel HUNGRY or DISSAPPOINTED! (3) Skip out on the Suzhou One Day Tour, as you will spend the duration of the time on a bus just to get there and spend not even an hour on the river. Take the bullet train there instead on your own for the experience. Wished I had done that, others have done it and said it was well worth the money. (3) Book your own Acrobatic show in Shanghai as it will be a lot cheaper for you to take the taxi there and buy the tickets on site. Daily showings are half full and any seat in the house will give you a good view so no need for you to buy the expensive seats. (4) As for shopping, WAIT until you reach Shanghai, you can buy things there much cheaper. You have to start your bargaining at less than 50% asking price and go off the beaten trail to less upscale shops for better deals. Shops that located in the center and are nice looking will rip you off. Same products sell for way less towards the outskirts. Bon Voyage!!!!!

There are plenty of positives on this tour: -- You cannot book these flights and hotels yourself for this price -- You have transfers and a tour guide in each city (reduces anxiety for novice travelers) -- Guides are happy to help you with pretty much anything, including doing stuff separate from the itinerary. Great, expert guides! Ask them anything. -- Hotels are very good -- clean, well-staffed, comfortable. -- The tour is definitely set up for those adventurous enough to visit Asia, but those novice enough to not want to do it on their own. Luckily, the sites they show you are almost all a MUST and they provide plenty of free time to explore on your own. -- All cities and areas that you visit are very safe and clean. You shouldn't have any worries about exploring with or without the group. -- It's not obvious with their booking system, but you can call and inquire about different flight arrival times. I enjoyed arriving in the early morning and exploring on my own; others wanted to arrive and be able to immediately check into their hotel. It would be silly not to choose the one that suits you best! However, there's a few negatives that weren't expected: -- The old Asian kick-back scheme. The tour operator gets kick-backs from store owners for taking unsuspecting tourists to shop with them. Numerous times you are taken to out-of-the-way "factories" or "museums" for tours (two jade factories, silk factory, cloisonné factory, plus store meeting points). These are SHOPPING trips where the sales people try to sell you over-priced items with little or no haggle room. To be fair, you don't have to buy anything, they provide a 10 minute history/explanation of the manufacturing process, and you get an explanation of how to buy quality items when you go somewhere cheaper. Unfortunately, these stores are usually out-of-the-way and the time could be better spent exploring. At least this does help to offset the price of your trip somewhat! -- The tour guides (some more than others) will remind you over and over again about what the proper amount is to tip them. Use some tipping karma and tip those the best that actually are the best and don't annoy you repeatedly about their gratuity. -- The air quality is terrible in Beijing. Most Westerners will have some slight breathing problems. This is obviously not the fault of Affordable World, but bring Kleenex and be aware that heavy exertion can cause asthma-type effects. -- Not really a negative, but be aware that you are paying almost exclusively for the convenience when you book an excursion. The subway and buses are practically free and taxis are cheap. Entrance fees are low as well. When you book an excursion, you pay 300% or more of what you could do it for yourself, but you gain the peace of mind of having a tour bus and a guide. -- The hotels are great, but the locations of each are slightly out of the city centers. None are especially close to subways, although buses and taxis are easy. Or just expect some walking to the subways. -- A surprisingly small amount of the Chinese population speaks English well; this includes the Western-style hotel staff. No worries, just be prepared for it. Overall, this is a great country with amazing sites and a well-organized tour operator. The "Affordable" part is what really sells Affordable World. Book with peace of mind and enjoy!

I will definitely recommend this company to anyone. The customer service was great since the booking and on the trip, They have excellent guides and everything that was promises was given. If your package states that you will have a 4-5 start hotel, don’t be scare you will definitely stay at the hotels they advertise. EXCELENT TRIP!!!!

My daughter and I took the 10 day Discovery tour leaving 3/21. Overall I would rate the trip 4-5 stars just for the deal!!The hotels were all very above average. The Grand Noble in X"ian was especially awesome because it had a deep soaking tub. The breakfast buffets were out of this world. Can't say enough about the accomodations. Service throughout the trip was just great. Our tour guides were all very knowledgeable and helpful with all our requests. My biggest complaint was not having our rooms ready for us when we arrived in Beijing. After a very long day of traveling, the last thing I wanted to hear was our tour guide announce the rooms were unavailable. Instead, we were told we were going on a tour of a Buddist temple. AND WE HAD TO PAY FOR IT!!!! That problem needs to be resolved. Another 6 people came in later that evening and did not have the problem. I would rather have arrived later with a room waiting for me than become a captive until 3:30 in the afternoon and pay for it to boot!! A big disappointment was the Suzhou tour. It was the most expensive and really nothing to see. Would have liked the day free to go back into Shanghai. For first time visitors to China, all the other tours were very adequate. This really was a deal of a lifetime. It will be a long time before one like this comes along.

I took the tour Feb 9, 2012. We had the most wonderful tour guide,Gary, in Beijing. Overall, we enjoyed excellent hotels, good food, and amiable tour guides. We were a bit disappointed with our tour of Xian. We spent a lot of time in the Terra Cotta Warrior pits and then were given only 5 minutes to see the expansive museum. We were all upset about that as one pit of warriors would suffice and then we would have had time to spend in the museum. We were taken to one too many jade markets but still enjoyed what we did experience. When we got to Shanghai our guide abandoned us after our afternoon river cruise and told us we would be on our own to get back to the hotel. It was quite the adventure trying to find the subway and which stop to take. It took us several hours of walking after getting off the subway to find our hotel. Again, part of the adventure and I don't regret it; just found it an inconvenient surprise. We took the cruise to the Venice of the East canals which was mostly riding up and down a canal looking at people's laundry. After I got home I looked up the city and found there were many marvelous things we could have seen there but we were rushed up and down the canal and back to the hotel. Overall, I still think it was a good value and enjoyed the trip very much. I would take another but would want it to be more specific as to what we were or were not seeing.