We recently sat down with Charles, one of our travelers who went on a China tour to learn about his experiences on his expedition, what he loved about his trip to China, and his future travel plans with Acanela. Listen to hear his Acanela Expeditions review!

In this episode, we discuss:

• How many countries Charles has been to (1:01)

• Where Charles has skied outside the country (2:08)

• Charles’ most memorable travel experience (2:39)

• How the food was in China for Charles (7:01)

• Charles’ favorite part of the trip (9:15)

• Plans to go back to China (10:25)

• Charles’ advice on going outside the country (11:21)

• Charles’ impression of Acanela (14:20)

• Charles’ bucket list of places (15:09)

• Aspects of the tours that interest Charles (16:24)

About Charles

Charles: I am a dentist, but I have traveled even since I was a child. I love to travel. I'm a culture vaulter who likes different cultures, likes adventure, like seeing the world. I've been fortunate enough to see a lot of it, but there are still some adventures I'd like to take, places I'd like to go to. That was one of my reasons for going to China. It was a lifelong dream that I had and I got to do it last fall through Acanela. I really enjoyed it. That's about it really, as far as travel. I love traveling.

I've been to six continents. So I've been to every country in Europe except Poland, for no reason. I just never got a chance to go there. I've been to North Africa. I've been to the Middle East. I have been to every United State at least four times, including Hawaii and Alaska, Mexico, Central America, South America. So I have a few bucket list things I still have to do. So I've been very fortunate. I've been traveling for most of my life. When I was younger, obviously through bed and breakfasts and pensions and that kind of thing. And now I don't do that kind of thing. I'm more an Acanela guy, with really nice accommodations and guides and things like that.

Do you have a most memorable travel experience?

Charles: Most of them are memorable. But the last one I took to China really stands out in my mind because of the huge difference in culture, language, everything that I've ever seen before was much different in China. The word I have for that is amazing. Everyone keeps asking me, "How was your trip?" And I say, "Amazing." And they say, "In what way?" And I say, "In almost every way it was amazing." So it was quite memorable because it was a lifelong dream to go to China. You think about it as a little kid and you always hear about it, but actually going there and being there and seeing it gave me a much better understanding of their culture, their life. And so when I hear things now, contemporary things, on the television or radio, I have a much better understanding of what they're talking about. So it was amazing in almost every way.

I started off going to Beijing, which is the government capital of China, a city of 22 million people, which I was very surprised about because every street was tree-lined, had lanterns. I didn't see anybody out on the street. I didn't see any garbage. Just an amazing city because it's growing. It's huge and I really enjoyed that. We got to go see the Great Wall. We got to see a lot of the government buildings. We saw Tiananmen Square, which I've always heard about and then the Forbidden City, which that in itself is more amazing than I thought it would be because it wasn't what I thought it would be. Saw the Olympic village. The guides were terrific. They took us a lot of places. We got to see a lot of places, but still had time for ourselves too. That's another thing I liked about the trip.

Then from there, we went to Shiyan, which is the cultural capital of China, 12 million people. And had a lot more... a little different culture in that. China, the government is everywhere. Where here, it's not as noticeable. But they really have a juxtaposition of cultures, the Chinese culture, and the Buddhist culture and the Muslim culture. And from there we got to see the warriors, the Terracotta Warriors, which you always read about and hear about, to actually be there is even more spectacular than words can describe. So it was really good and we took some side trips from there. It was a great trip.

And then from there, our Acanela trip was over. I ended up going to Hong Kong, which is another fabulous place and Acanela may want to think about using that as an extended tour because Hong Kong is a whole different area. It's the business capital of China, that and Shanghai, but Hong Kong is on its Southernmost tip. And that's an area where they're a little different culture because they speak more English and they're more used to a democratic background and type of life.

But the country is so big and so diverse and I learned so much, is what made it so amazing. Standing in front of Mao's tomb and watching the tens of thousands of people waiting eight hours to go and take a look at that, at his tomb. And the Forbidden City, much larger than I ever could have imagined. And even being there and thinking about movies that were filmed there, like the last emperor and stuff like that, it's an amazing place. And whatever you think it is, it's different when you actually go and see it, in a good way. It's a nice contrast. You get to see life in China and compare that to life in the United States. And that's a very different lifestyle, but I think China is a must to go see, for anyone who likes culture and likes history because the history goes back thousands of years BC and it's very evident everywhere you go and in your tours.

What are the hotels and food like on the China tour?

Charles: The food is fantastic. I went to undergrad college in the New York Metro area, so was very familiar with Chinatown in New York. And then I went to dental school in Boston, Tufts, which is right across the street from Chinatown. So I'm very familiar with good Chinese food and the food in China that we were given access to through Acanela tours, exceeded my expectations in every way. The guides brought us to places where only the people go, no tourists. And the food was spectacular. The preparation of the food, the freshness of the food, the taste, everything was far greater than I thought it would be. And better than actually the great Chinese food. I've had Chinese food in San Francisco too, another mecca of Chinese food. It was just terrific and it's varied.

Another impressive thing was the hotels that we stayed in through Acanela were again, exceeded my expectations in how nice they were. I was expecting more three star, four star. These were concierge hotels and the food there was spectacular. The breakfasts just had food everywhere, cooked to order and varied from bacon and eggs to sushi to traditional Chinese food. So the food was plentiful. It was very, very good. And it's one of the other things I really was happy with the tour guides that we had. They took us to fabulous places that only the locals would go.

 Any advice for someone going to China or maybe traveling out of the country for the first time?

Charles: Yeah, I think you have to prepare. If you're going to a place like China, make sure you have the proper medications. Bring medication with you, because they're going to be hard to get. Have the right immunizations. Insist on drinking bottled water everywhere. And then choose a trip that's going to allow you to satisfy your curiosity about where you want to go and what you want to see, but also give you free time to yourself and not overdo it. We never felt overwhelmed. We felt there was plenty of time to see what we did. The guides were very patient and then they gave us some time to relax. But China is a special place. It's very unique. It's about as far away as I can go from where I live and about us far away culturally as I can imagine with the language and the customs. But I think that's what makes it so spectacular and so amazing. And it was a once of a lifetime trip and I will never forget it.

But I would, I would say choose a company that's going to allow you to do that and enjoy it. What I liked about it, it wasn't so many people that we couldn't keep track of everybody because those groups are like herding cats all the time. Go with something like what I did where it's a lot more personal and smaller. Get a good group that stays in really nice places, too. That's the other thing. And that's another thing that exceeded my expectations, the type of accommodations we stayed in. That would be the kind of advice.

My impression in every sense was that Acanela exceeded my expectations, in every sense. Nothing is a panacea, but some companies or trips over promise and under deliver. I think that Acanela delivered what it promised and more, which is why I'm doing this podcast and why it was such a memorable and unique experience.

What places are on your bucket list?

Charles: My next bucket list is South Africa and to see the people of South Africa, the Safari and Cape Town. Once I got home from China, I almost immediately put a deposit down with Acanela to go to South Africa. I've been to six of the seven continents in the world, because I've already been to Africa, but not South Africa. And then an opportunity became available throughout Acanela to go to Antarctica. And one of my goals is to go to all seven continents and all parts of the world because I do like traveling. And so I have also put a deposit down on the inaugural expedition to Antarctica in 2021.

Charles:

I like exotic places. So those are the last two. And maybe French Polynesia and I'll probably do something like that. But other than that, I will have been to all the places I want to go to. And maybe it will be time to repeat a few places. But those are the two that are on my list and I've already made deposits and looking forward to those tours, especially if they're the kind of quality that I received in China.

What do you like about travel tours with Acanela?

Charles: I think I found the really right mix of what I like. I like the tours and that they're not overwhelming, they're not too long, they're not too short. I like the fact that they're more personalized. And I think Acanela checked all the boxes. We saw nice places, we stayed in very nice places, had terrific guides. The food was great and I think the return on investment was excellent because these are investments we make. And for me, travel is an investment in my life, my life story, and life that I want to do. And for me, it's money well spent. But I like getting a return on my investment. All of us work hard. And we want to enjoy the fruits of our labor and I think Acanela really is one of the great returns on investment that I've made in the last years. And so I'm looking forward to that type of travel that meets my requirements, and Acanela checked all the boxes.

This post was written and condensed from an interview with Charles and is NOT sponsored. All opinions are his own and his review has not been modified in any way.

Podcast made in partnership with Acanela Expeditions

Theme Song - I’ll Just Be Me by Gravity Castle