PSA: Never Travel With Family!
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Alright, speaking of dragging my mother out on vacation, it's truly beyond words. I'd like to share this experience with those who might be taking their elders to China for a trip. Wherever possible, try to avoid these traps!
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Money matters — a real enigma!
- My mom always says, "When you come to play, being happy is the most important thing, don't worry about money!"
- But in reality, I've had to cover the bills throughout the trip! She is really not concerned about money at all.
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Taxis can break your heart!
- Mom refuses to use any taxi apps like "Didi" (similar to Uber or Grab here). She believes that waiting and finding rides takes too much time.
- Therefore, we've been hailing taxis from the side of the road.
- The outcome: 8 out of 10 times, the driver takes advantage of us! They see us as tourists and sometimes won’t use the meter or take longer routes. Mom doesn’t say anything; she just urges me, "Quickly, let's pay and leave!"
- Caution friends! When riding in taxis in Beijing or other tourist cities:
- Common problems encountered: Drivers tend to charge higher prices or go around the long way when they notice you’re foreigners or strangers with the path.
Preventive suggestions:
- Before getting in, confirm if they will “use the meter.”
- Prefer using taxi-hailing apps whenever possible. Prices are more transparent and there are records of your ride.
- Always keep a map app open on your phone. You should have a rough idea of the path and distance you want to travel.
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No itinerary? That’s exactly what happened!
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For example, we planned a good trip earlier today to visit the world-renowned Temple of Heaven Park (a large royal sacrificial building group in ancient China).
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After some research, I decided to enter from the east gate and exit from the west gate after witnessing all the highlights. This is the easiest route.
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Yet, mom went wandering on her own due to her poor sense of direction. After encountering an exit (the south gate), she immediately wanted to leave! The ticket I bought was a combined entry pass (which allowed access to multiple sections of the park), but we could no longer visit many interesting spots due to her early departure.
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At the exit of the park, she insisted on taking another taxi to Tiananmen Square.
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The result? We were deceived by the taxi driver once again! He deliberately misled us, driving us near the Summer Palace (another vast imperial garden far from Tiananmen Square). As a result, I had to book tickets on my phone and buy boat tickets to reach the desired location.
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By the time we got to Summer Palace, it was almost dark and we took another taxi. The driver claimed it was rush hour and charged more due to heavy traffic. Shockingly, we paid a total of 240 CNY just to get to our hotel station area from Summer Palace!
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Some taxi drivers in Beijing can be quite tricky (as they are unwilling to be honest with their customers, often deceiving them). It truly infuriated me; yet Mom comforted me saying, "Hey, we've made it back safely!" I was genuinely vexed!
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Dealing with food preferences is really challenging!
- One dish is not desired, and she loves another one. Food delivery? Absolutely not – she says that it’s unhealthy.
- Instead, we must dine at proper restaurants, but she prefers to order takeaway instead of enjoying it in a restaurant. Furthermore, when ordering food, we have to cater to her taste preferences.
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Accommodation comes with some extra demands!
- The room must have windows – that’s understandable. But even if I find a great hotel for us, she still complains about the environment.
Overall, throughout this trip, my mom never paid for anything nor much effort was put into her planning. I feel like I’m about to go crazy struggling with this ‘taking elders on trips’ situation! Sigh…
I wonder if others have similar experiences when bringing their relatives for a trip? -
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I took my parents to Hangzhou and Shanghai, and I planned everything – food, accommodation, and activities. For the three of us, the 6-day trip cost less than 7,000 RMB. Taxi fares in Hangzhou were incredibly cheap – I recall paying something like 0.17 yuan for a 2km ride and only 5 yuan for a 15km one. That's way more affordable than Beijing!
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Wow, you must have done a ton of research and planned everything meticulously!
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Sounds like you ran into an unlicensed taxi. I've never heard of them adding surcharges during peak hours.
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Wait, so no surge pricing during peak hours?
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Every year, I'm the one who has to organize these trips. They're usually short, just 2-3 days, but even so, the whole process is an absolute ordeal. It starts with trying to pick a destination – everyone has a different opinion. Once we finally agree on a place, the nightmare unfolds with, but isn't limited to: departure times, pick-up orders, driving routes, meeting points, accommodation, the itinerary, where to eat locally, how to split expenses, and important reminders. All this is planned out beforehand and pinned in our group chat. But guess what? Everything changes! All the time! Someone's running late, we hit traffic and have to change routes (even if it only adds 10 minutes to the journey), someone uses a different navigation app and misses the meeting point, or there's a last-minute decision to change plans, requiring us to rebook hotels – often ending up with pricier and worse options. We'll try a local specialty, and afterwards, all you hear are complaints that it's not as good as what they can get back home! And even though we agree to split costs, someone will inevitably complain that one car used more gas, or the person with an electric vehicle feels they're overpaying for fuel! Don't even get me started on the long queues at tourist spots, or how every single relative asks the exact same questions repeatedly.
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Yikes, hearing all that makes it sound even more stressful!
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Let me say it again, those fares were for a ride-hailing service, not a regular taxi!
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You're an angel! I'll definitely take your advice.
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When I travel with my parents, the accommodation absolutely must have a window. Just finding that can be really tough, and it's usually not cheap. Food is generally less of a problem; you can often find group deals in most cities. For getting around, Didi (ride-hailing) is definitely my preferred choice. Speaking of taxis, the requirements for drivers have actually been lowered. Now, you just need a Beijing residence permit or ID to be a driver, unlike the old days when you had to have a Beijing hukou (household registration).