No wonder some people do not mind paying significantly higher costs at travel agencies to handle the travel arrangements. It is quite a lot of hard work. The most important factors I looked for was affordable group travel packages, individual flight costs, individual hotel room costs, & visa to China. So I started my search with the tour packages I found firstly on the internet & on the newspapers & then used both sources to verify the legitimacy of the travel agencies.
Arranging travel plan by oneself is actually a lot of hard work but worth it especially for bargain hunters like me. D.I.Y (do it yourself) travel arrangement is an option for me. I would prefer to go on cheap group tours offered by travel agencies.
However, it is not always the case because one may want to meet another person from another country in the travel destination for business, pleasure or both. I am going to meet my girl in Beijing in September 2007. She is from Tatarstan thus a D.I.Y travel arrangement is the most appropriate & cost effective travel solution for me.
Good cheap food & expensive items were other main highlights of my girl’s holiday to Istanbul, Turkey story. My girl told me that even imitation of designer items were sold at the cost of original designer products in Istanbul which is preposterous. Things were unnecessary pricey in Istanbul, even going to the beach (entering the beach) cost money.
So much for IDD cards in Istanbul. She stayed at the hotel hospital & phones which could use IDD were 3km away from her place of stay. Visitors at the hotel had to pay standard (expensive) operator charges to make international calls.