Upon arrival in China, please go through Customs and Immigration on your own. After exiting the Customs area, please look for a Wonderful Star Travel Inc. dba Star Holidays representative who will be holding a Star Holidays flag or a sign. Please make sure that you wear your Star Holidays badge for easy identification.

Quick links:
Visa Requirements | Travel Insurance | Travel Documents | Clothing | Things to Bring | Baggage
Money Matters | Telephone | Electrical Requirement | Weather | Gratuities | Shopping
Emergency Contact | Miscellaneous Reminders

Visa Requirements
Passport(s) must be valid for at least 6 months on the return date of your trip. A visa is needed for all tourists entering China. Visa must be obtained prior to arrival in China. In order to obtain a China Visa, you need a valid passport at least 6 months, 2 passport photos, and a visa application, available at the Chinese Consulate or click here to download the application. If you prefer to have Wonderful Star Travel Inc. obtaining your visa for you, please submit all the necessary information and documents 4 weeks prior to departure date. For further information regarding your passport and visa, please contact us.

Travel Insurance, Health & Medical Matters
1. Wonderful Star Travel provides Travel Protection Plan insurance only if final payment is made 60 days prior to departure date. You may consider getting more insurance coverage base on your personal situation.
2. Due to the length of the trip and local traveling conditions, it is advised that you consult your doctor for existing medical/ dental conditions before departure. If you are taking prescription medicine, please pack (in your hand luggage) sufficient quantity for the duration of the trip. It may also be useful to bring aspirin, over-the-counter medicine for flu, indigestion, motion sickness, etc. In case of illness during the trip, please immediately notify your tour conductor and local guide for assistance.

Travel Documents
Passport must be valid for at least six months on the return day of your trip. Resident Aliens need both a passport and an Alien Resident Card for re-entry into the States. Please bring the name, phone number and address of the person you wish to contact in case of emergency. We suggest you make photocopies of all your travel documents and keep them in a safe place. Also, we recommend that your passport, air tickets, cash and other travel documents not be kept together, so you would not lose everything in case something happens. Be sure you have everything before leaving for the airport.

Clothing
We suggest you bring comfortable, casual clothing and good walking shoes for the trip. Check newspaper for weather conditions before you go, and pack accordingly. It is not necessary to bring formal clothing. Do not over pack, you can buy everything you need cheaply in China.

Things to Bring
Contact lenses solution, sun glasses, hat, shavers, hair dryer, electrical converter and adapter. Books, magazines, snacks, music tapes & Walkman, CDs & CD player, notebooks, etc. Camera, video recorder, extra quantities of films, tapes, and battery.
Since you may not have time during the tour to replace something or finding the brands you like, it maybe worthwhile to bring extra quantities of certain items.

Baggage
1. For your convenience, we suggest you bring one large suitcase and one carry on bag. Please do not over pack, leave space in you suitcase for purchases in China. Since your suitcase will be transported frequently during trip, please be sure it is strong enough to withstand all the handling. Also be sure it has wheels and a lock.
2. For China domestic flights, each passenger is allowed one piece of check-in luggage per flight, up to 50 lbs., and one carry on bag with a combined total dimension not exceeding 45in. Checked luggage must have a lock (combination locks are recommended) and a luggage tag showing the name and contact information of the owner. (Please use Star Holidays tags for easy identification by our airport staff.) Baggage without a lock may be refused for transport. Consider packing one change of clothing, one set of underwear and toiletry in your carry on bag to avoid inconvenience caused by delayed or lost luggage.
DO NOT pack medicine, valuables and other personal necessities in checked luggage. Keep them in your carry on bag.
Important note: Wonderful Star Travel Inc. representatives cannot enter the luggage claim area. Luggage carts are available, free of charge, at all airports. Collect your luggage and exit, our local representatives will be waiting for you outside. The entire luggage from the group will be collected for transport to your hotel in a separate vehicle.

Money Matters
Chinese currency is called Rem Min BI(RMB) and is issued by the state bank, the People’s Bank of China. We suggest you bring a combination of cash (some $1’s, $5’s and $20’s) and travelers checks for your trip. It is not a good idea to bring only travelers checks, because only 50% of exchanged value can be converted back to U.S. dollars. US dollars in cash form are accepted at many places while travelers’ checks must be converted into RMB first. There is a limit on the amount of foreign currencies you may bring into China. Credit cards are not widely accepted in China but are becoming more popular in major cities. International hotels, department stores and shops frequented by foreign tourists generally accept them. Cash advance
by credit card is not common and is only possible at a few assigned banks.
As of March 2008, the following exchange rates apply:
US$1 = RMB 6.8
US$1 = HK$ 7.70
Subject to currency exchange rate fluctuations

Telephone
For direct dialing to China, the country code is 86. Major city codes: Beijing-10, Shanghai-21, Guangzhou-20. For other city codes, please contact telephone operator for assistance. Hotel telephone operators can dial US numbers for you, but the cost is high. You may want to bring a calling card (AT&T, MCI etc.). Prepaid local phone cards are available at hotel shops or reception. Your tour conductor or local guide will assist you in this matter.

Electrical Requirement
China's electrical system operates at 220 volts. The electrical outlets are either for fat round pins or for flat angled blades. Please bring your own voltage converter and adapter.

Gratuities
AN IMPORTANT NOTE ON TIPPING
Please note that gratuities are not included in your tour cost. They are customary, and their purpose is to encourage and reward quality service. Our tour conductors, local guides, drivers, hotel porters and other service personnel do their utmost to make your trip smooth and pleasant. Gratuities are a way of showing your appreciation and also constitute a large part of their monthly income. However, tips are NEVER mandatory.

Shopping
Although Wonderful Star Travel guides will be happy to assist you with any shopping requirements, Wonderful Star Travel does not assume responsibility for any items purchased at shops while on tour. You are never required to purchase any items while on tour and thus must be responsible for your own purchases. Any after sales correspondence must be between the passenger and the shop in question.

Costs Not Included 
Costs that are the responsibility of the traveler: anything of a personal nature, walking sticks and porter services (for touring the Yellow Mountain), cost of special exhibits and attractions inside a tourist site after paid entrance.
 Air fare from your hometown to the gateway city, air ticket tax, airport taxes or any other charges levied by local state, federal or national government agencies, meals not mentioned in the brochure, insurance premiums, charges arising from deviation, tips, any personal charges such as visa fee, excess baggage charges, phone bills, postage, laundry, drinks, etc.

Emergency Contact
If you are flying to China with the group, please arrive at the designated meeting point on time. If you are flying on your own, please look for Star Holidays representative at the arrival airport. You must wear the STAR HOLIDAYS NAME BADGE at departure and arrival airports for easy identification. For missed, delayed or canceled flights or other emergency, please contact one of our offices.

Click here for our contact information.

Miscellaneous Reminders
1. Please keep an eye on your valuables at all time. Watch out for pickpockets while sightseeing.
2. Bring name and phone number of an emergency contact.
3. Read your itinerary and hotel information before departure. Leave a copy of your itinerary and hotel list with your family.
4. For special requests (China domestic flight reservation, flight change & confirmation, Hong Kong & China hotel reservation etc.), please have all arrangements made with your travel agency before departure. Wonderful Star Travel Inc. does not take any responsibilities for itinerary deviations or bookings made by other travel agencies.
5. Individual domestic flights in China must be re-confirmed at the airlines office (of the departing city) 3 days prior to departure. Re-confirmation by phone is not accepted. Since you may not have sufficient time for re-confirmation after arrival in a city, Wonderful Star Travel Inc. can help by arranging to have the ticket issued locally and re-confirmed.
6. Three-person hotel occupancy means 2 adults sharing a regular double room with a child. No extra bed is added. Hotel rooms in China are generally smaller then those in North America. Hotel charges extra for adding a bed. Please take into consideration the comfort of your traveling party and the length of the trip when request a triple room hotel occupancy.

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