Travel China and Beyond

Deals on travel within China

So you are thinking about traveling to and within China…Often you would plan your trip from lets say the States to a main city in China (e.g. Beijing) with continuation air tickets to other destinations you may plan to visit. That is one way to do it. Planning and booking ahead air tickets could save you hassle of planning the trip while in China. However, keep in mind also the option of purchasing a ticket for travel between cities in China locally — i.e. while you are actually in China.

If your schedule allows some flexibility you can certainly get relatively good deals on tickets purchased locally. For example you could travel between Beijing and Hong Kong for about RMB1800 (one way) and RMB2400 round trip. Think about it — this is about US$300 for the round trip with very little advanced notice. The same trip if booked as part of a larger itinerary in the US will probably run you US$400-US$500. Need I say more

While in Beijing you could go directly to the airport and purchase tickets directly at the counters of Air China, or China Southern Airlines or Eastern, or….one of the many local airlines based on your final destination.

Air China has probably the widest coverage — most routes around the country. But if you are traveling to Shanghai, China Eastern could offer a better deal. If traveling to Shenzhen - Shenzhen Airlines could be a better bet.

On your way to Sanya (one of the beautiful resort places on Hainan Island in Southern China — I will write about this place later) — then China Southern Airlines could be a very good bet with a direct flight from Beijing to Sanya on a MD-80 aircraft.

If you are traveling to a given destination, lets say Beijing to Xian, it may be cheaper to fly one way Beijing to Xian and buy your return ticket actually in Xian.

Yes, there are all sort of unexpected tricks about all this. But that is what makes for adventures and stories to tell when you are back and when you describe your trip. Happy Travels!

So plan ahead and think about it. What places I would like to visit and what time flexibility I have…Then if you have questions, please feel free to drop us a line / leave us a comment or a question. Will be glad to help.