ngoclinh24

Appreciate general suggestions on a preliminary itinerary.

Around 30 days in Asia from Western Canada starting second week of March 2019.

Will be 1 to 3 couples. Staying at nice hotels and flying business class (relevant to the frequency of stops as it is easier to travel more frequently with business class). Will hire a top rated (by Tripadvisor) guide or company at each spot. So for locations listed I don’t want to bore you with asking things to do.

I am am wondering if I am missing something to add on or substitute. All travellers are just under 60 but very active (such as 10 km runnners, a recent half-Ironman, etc).

Thinking of Hong Kong-Hanoi-Halong Bay-Siem Reap-Bangkok-Chengdu (Panda reserves)-Xi’an-Beijing-Kyoto-Tokyo. Usually fly in, stay 3 clear days and depart (one night at Halong Bay, maybe 2 at each of Angkor Wat and Xi’an).

Also so not sure if I should do more on the continent and make Japan a different trip.

Thanks for your suggestions.

kja

They would be way too rushed for me, but YMMV. I wanted a full week for Beijing, just for the highlights. Kyoto / Nara can also easily take 6 days or more just for a sampling of highlights. Etc.

Whether to hire a guide is, of course, your call, but in China, guides can be a very poor choice. Search this forum for more information.

Good luck!

CaliforniaLady

I agree with kja. That's way too much bouncing around for 30 days. I would suggest concentrating on one area: Perhaps Southeast Asia, or PRC and Hong Kong together, or Japan. If this is your first trip to Asia, then China would be the most important first destination, from a historical point of view.

Although these places all look close together on a map, it's not that easy logistically to jump all around Asia. There are flight delays, especially in Beijing, changes in currency, and the fact that you will not get to know a culture. There are many places in China off the beaten path that you could see while there.

I also agree that guides in China are ill-advised. It's not a bad idea to have a driver in certain areas, particularly if your group will be six people. The inertia goes down with a large group, so a driver keeps the momentum going.

Since you are a physically fit group, some hiking may be in order here. There are many places in China, Japan, and SEA where I have taken day hikes, sometimes to see the beauty, and sometimes to see unusual culture. Do some research about places off the beaten path, or ask some specific questions here.

CaliforniaLady

Also, beware of using guides recommended on TripAdvisor. Some may be great and wonderful, but some others are fake. Over the years, I have found the most reliable method of obtaining drivers, and sometimes guides, is via my hotels. Sometimes guides in Asia will double book and send their cousin, who barely speaks English. Those recommended by hotels are less likely to pull stunts, or cancel at the last minute.

thursdaysd

I agree with the others that this is far too much moving around. One month is a reasonable amount of time for just China, or just Japan, or just part of SEA. Trying to cover the whole of East Asia in a month is crazy - everything will be a blur. However, if you are just interested in crossing places off a list it will work fine, but you don't need our help for that. Otherwise, spend some time with the glossy guidebooks deciding on one area that you really want to visit, and then come back.

Kathie

Let me echo what others have said: you are trying to do way too much. Flying In Business class is nice and may not feel quite as fatigued upon arrival, but it really doesn't allow you to visit more places. You have listed 10 places for 30 days, and stay that you like to fly in, spend three days and depart. You don't have a long enough trip to spend three days at each of these places. If you want three days to sightsee for whatever, you need to spend 4 nights. And one night somewhere is 0 days, maybe a couple of hours on two different days, but it is not enough time for anyplace you actually want to see. For many of the places out list 3 days is not enough if you have an interest in these places.

I'd suggest that you do some more research on these places, decide which ones you most want to see, and divide this into 3 different trips: China, Japan, and SE Asia.

Guenmai

I would not cram in that itinerary in 30 days. Yikes! I do 6 weeks straight in Asia and wouldn't cram in all of those places. As for a 30-day itinerary, I would either focus on China, Japan, or S.E. Asia. I have been doing S.E. Asia, almost annually since the 90s, and just did Japan, for the first time, in summer 2017. I will be doing Japan, again this summer and have upped my stay from last summer's 2 weeks, to this upcoming trip of 3 weeks.

If you decide to do Japan, then I highly recommend the driver that I had in Kyoto. I was in Kyoto for 9 nights, but booked him for one day for 4 hours and got a lot done. I found him on TripAdvisor and all worked out great and I plan to book him for another 4 hours this summer. His English is fluent and he knows a lot of history. I have also booked another 9 nights in Kyoto, but have upped my previous 5 nights in Tokyo (last summer) to 9 nights in Tokyo this coming summer.

Private English Tour in KYOTO

One other idea would be that if you do S.E. Asia; destinations like Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, then Taiwan could be added in that time period, although it's not S.E. Asia, But, I just did that combination last month as I spend most of my time in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.

It was my first time in Taiwan and I REALLY look forward to going back. It was beautiful and with great, friendly people. It's a very over-looked destination. It was only a 4-hour flight from Singapore to Taipei and I did it fine in Economy Class although I usually fly Premium Economy Class. I didn't need a visa, as I would have needed to go to Mainland China. I stayed for 5 nights in Taipei. I had done 5 nights in Hong Kong on the 2016/2017 trip, but Hong Kong and I didn't jell. I personally liked Taiwan a lot more. So, those are just some ideas that I'm throwing out there. Have fun planning and remember that less can turn out to more.

Happy Travels!

Suetran

You should book guide at each country when you visit which will better than you book one tour for all. Further, you should spend at least 1 night in cruise tour in Halong and you should book cruise tour in Hanoi which will get more promotion than booking in Hanoi