I will be traveling to China by myself and interested in hiring a person to be a personal tour guide for multiple days ...possibly as long as a month. This will be my first trip to China and my grasp of the language is not so great. Are there companies in China that I can contact that offer multi-day tour guides? I will be arriving in Beijing and plan on traveling throughout China for at least 30 days. I'm not interested in pre-planned tours or anything like that. Just need someone who is trustworthy to show me around who can speak the language and keep us out of trouble.
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When you say 'throughout' China - whereabouts? I assume you aren't planning to cover the vast country in just 30 days? Could you perhaps list areas that you are interested in?– Mark MayoOct 31, 2012 at 5:31
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Still working on the 'throughout' part of the trip. Cities of interest which are on my short list are Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Xi'an to name a few. I am planning multiple trips.– MarkNov 1, 2012 at 9:09
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Jealous :) I've been to Shenzhen for the day (from Hong Kong) but not to the rest, and I've heard so many amazing things. I'm sure wherever you go you're going to find something to enjoy!– Mark MayoNov 1, 2012 at 9:32
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2 Answers
Short answer, yes, there seem to be. A quick google search for 'private tour guide china' or 'personal tour guide services china' will reveal several, look at the adverts on the right of your results page.
However, for specific examples of private tours, something like Grace China Tours might be what you're after - they have organised tours, but also state:
we'll be glad to Customize a private china tours for you according to your requirements and interests
(grammatical issues are theirs).
They have a live chat where you could quickly find out what they offer.
I'm not sure how much you've travelled, but I have several friends who have been to China, and only two used tours - the others self-explored, with no big problems. Sure there were language barriers, but that's often half the fun. Especially in the cities, you'll be surprised sometimes at how often someone speaks English. Or if you just learn some basic words before you go - bus station, please/thanks and the like, you find yourself with a lot more confidence. However, I can totally understand that that's not for everyone, I just wanted to let you know that it is possible.
Good luck, and enjoy!
answered Oct 31, 2012 at 5:39
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Thanks for the links and excellent answer. If anyone could chime in on their experience with either of the services listed above, that would be great.– MarkNov 1, 2012 at 9:12
To be honest, you could nab a university student and he would love to practice his/her English on you all day in whatever city you are in and take you around for free.
For example, you can find a victim on conversationexchange.com or something. Just try to coordinate the dates and the cities.
If you want something more pro, you can try seekpanda.com. But I believe this is more translation oriented, however, if you drop them a line they could probably give you a one-on-one excursion too.
