Extension Adventures
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Time To Get Excited … Trekking The Great wall of China is incredible, the rest of China is awesome too! Having trekked over the Great Wall and discovered the rugged beauty of the Beijing mountains you’ve just about had the perfect adventure. However you’ve got 5 days after your trek to explore Beijing and Shanghai and have some incredible experiences that will turn a memorable adventure into an unforgettable one!
Our extension trips have been developed with you, a student, in mind, to ensure you maximise your free time doing the things you’d really want to do and see within a budget and without the hassle and worry of having to organise everything yourself. The extension trip also brings you and your team together after sharing the experience of the Great Wall to round off the adventure. So what do you have to look forward to? How about:
• Beijing city tour - Dive into the culture of one the world’s oldest cities
• Visit Shanghai - Experience the contrast of this growing metropolis Take a look through, everything you need to know is here and if you have any questions about anything get in touch on info@studentadventures.co.uk or call us on 0845 643 9801 and we will be happy to help.
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Extension Adventures … Why are they a good idea? Extension Adventures are an awesome way to round off your adventure and we know from experience that students that do take up the opportunity to do extension adventures love every second of their time! A few obvious reasons why you should get involved in an extension adventure:
1. Having made close bonds with your team whilst on your adventure it’s a great way to round off your trip together. (70 – 80% participants undertake an extension adventure)
2. Maximise the time you have in-country, extensions are organised to drain out every drop of time doing something cool.
3. Great value for money; your student budget has been thought about and the extensions are well priced.
4. Hassle free; we’ve done all the hard work so you don’t have to worry about travel plans or bookings, it’s all done for you, kick back and enjoy the ‘holiday’ part of your adventure.
5. Tried and tested; we have ‘tested’ your extension trips and we know they’re awesome – so you’re in no doubts that you’re going to love ‘em!
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Adventures Itinerary … Let’s take a look at your itinerary and give you an idea of how the adventure works and where your extension trips fit in!
DAY 1 Depart from the UK
DAY 2 Arrive in Beijing,
DAY 3 Great Wall Trek - day 1
DAY 4 Great Wall Trek - day 2
DAY 5 Great Wall Trek - day 3
DAY 6 Great Wall Trek - day 4
DAY 7 Great Wall Trek - day 5
DAY 8 Great Wall Trek - day 6
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DAY 9
Great Wall Trek - day 7
DAY 10
Beijing Duck House 6
But why let your adventure end there ...
Extensions Start ‌ DAY 11
Beijing extension day 1
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DAY 12
Beijing extension day 2 / Shanghai evening flight.
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DAY 13
Shanghai Extension day 2
DAY 14
Shanghai Extension day 3
DAY 15
Shanghai Extension day 4
DAY 16
Depart from Beijing / Arriving in UK After Day 10 you can choose to do extension trips on offer or if you prefer you can put on the rucksack, get out the lonely planet and begin exploring China and undertake independent travel – see details about this option later on.
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Beijing Extension Trip You will explore the absolute best Beijing has to offer, the tour will take you through the incredible city from its ancient history through to its modern architecture. You will be amazed by the colossal setting of the Forbidden City the official residence of the Emperor of China for over 400 years, it is the largest example of classical Chinese architecture anywhere in the world.
Take the chance immerse yourself in Temple of Heaven, a park and temple ground where the Emperor performed his sacred rites and prayers. This includes the world famous Hall of Prayers for a Good Harvest, as well as the Navel of the Earth. Here you will have time to walk around and soak in the local culture. You tour guide will take you to the famous ‘Hutongs’ - the oldest part of Beijing. With streets too narrow to drive down, Rickshaws will become your favoured mode of transport as you explore the winding streets and discover the ancient traditions and myths that were born here. With all this exploring you will work up quite a thirst - which gives you the perfect chance to check out some of Beijing’s most famous tea houses. You will be guided all the way from your Chai tea through to your green tea and beyond all the while learning what health benefits and flavours are present in each. This is a fantastic chance to get under the skin of one of the worlds most fascinating and oldest cities and is truly not to be missed!
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What’s Included: When you sign up to this extension the following is included:
• Accommodation in Beijing • Your expert City guide & transport
• Breakfast and Lunch • Entry to the Tea house and forbidden city
• Rickshaw tour of the Hutongs What’s Not Included:
• Dinner • Snacks and water during the day. • Tips and Gratuities
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Shanghai Tour Shanghai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, its pulse is electric and exploring the streets and high rise buildings will leave you with memories like nothing else! You will start your day in central Shanghai down on the water front of the river that dissects the city - From here you can see the contrast between the older parts of Shanghai and the fast growing super highrise buildings that are springing up all over the skyline. From here you will visit a Buddhist temple which is hidden amongst the modern buildings - you can wander round the ceremonial halls and check out the impressive Buddha statue which adorns the main building.
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The next day you will drive 2 hours to the outskirts of Shanghai to the canals and water gardens of Zhouzhuang - Often described as the Chinese Venice this little town is full of tiny streets, market stalls and canals criss-crossing throughout. You will have the day to wander and really explore the town - you may even want to take a gondola ride to get the full experience. This evening you will have a chance to take an evening tour of the city - head up the 88 floors of the famous Hyatt building for panoramic views of the skyline, head down to the waterfront to see the locals strolling on the promenade and the boats sailing by. Full of Vibrant colours and incredible views the evening tour gives you access to parts of Shanghai you would never find on your own - this is not to be missed! The next morning you will board the world famous bullet train and speed back towards Beijing to catch your international flight home - This in itself is experience! Highlights to see: Yu Garden, The Bund, Jade Buddha Temple, People’s Square, ‘New World’ Quarters Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre (Day 12) Suzhou and Zhouzhuang Watertown (Day 13)
Included: Flight to Shanghai, Bullet train return, Accommodation for Day 11 through 14 inclusive, Breakfasts included Not Included: Lunch and evening meals, snacks and drinks What’s Included:
• Flight to Shanghai • Expert tour guide for the duration of the extension
• Entrance to all of the attractions on the tour;
• Yu Garden, The Bund, Jade Buddha Temple, People’s Square, ‘New World’ Quarters, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre
• Suzhou and Zhouzhuang Watertown • Hotel accommodation for four nights on B&B
• Bullet Train back to Beijing What’s Not Included:
• Meals and snacks not listed as included • Soft drinks and alcohol • Tips and gratuities
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Paying for your Extensions … The extension trips have been created with a keen eye on budget to ensure not just an awesome time, but to provide you hassle free and value for money experiences that you’ll be able to take on with your new found trekking friends!
Deadline for signing up to extension trips is:
If you book on multiple extension trips then you’ll save money on them to ensure your free time is awesome – see the savings you can make below.
To book your extension trips you have two ways of doing it:
We also know you need the ability to pay in instalments and save up for your extensions, or give you enough time to convince family that this is what you want for your birthday! So there is a schedule of payments that you can follow or if you want you can pay for your extensions in one payment. See the information below for details. 14
Wednesday 18th June DON’T MISS OUT!!! How to Book
1. Log-on to My Adventures and book online
2. Give us a call on 0845 643 9801 and we can book you in a few minutes on the phone
Extension Options
Price
By 18th June Deposit
On 9th July
On 30th July
Beijing
£175
£55
£60
£60
Shanghai
£545
£145
£250
£250
Combined Extensions
Save
Price
By 18th June Deposit
On 28th April
On 23rd June
Combined
£80
£640
£190
£225
£225
Save up to
£80 by combining extension trips!
Easy ways to pay
Key Dates:
You can choose to pay for your extension trips in ONE PAYMENT or alternatively in THREE SEPARATE INSTALMENTS.
• By 18th June – Pay your deposits for your extension trips
• On 9th July – Pay your second instalment
• On 30th July – Pay your final instalment
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Questions You Might Have …
Q. How many people do extension trips, am I going to be on my own? A. No, you won’t be on your own, between 70% - 80% of participants undertake an extension trip because they are a great way to travel together on a budget seeing awesome things, without the hassle and worry of doing it yourself.
There are some key questions that you will undoubtedly have – we’ve tried to answer them here. Anything that isn’t please just get in, drop us a line at info@studentadventures. co.uk or call us on 0845 643 9801 and we’ll be happy to help.
Q. Having booked my extensions, how much spending money will I need? A. Depends! Are you a massive souvenir shopper, do you have expensive tastes? It depends, but for your 6 days on our extension trips we would estimate £100 £150 will be more than enough to have an awesome time, including good food and more than a few beers!
Q. If I book extension trips do I have to sort out my own accommodation? A. No, all extension trips have accommodation included in them, so you don’t have to worry about organising a place to sleep.
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Q. If I book all the extension trips will there be any gaps in the itinerary and will I have to arrange something myself? A. No, if you book all the extension trips then every day will have some awesome planned for you to do.
Q. Are the extension trips really value for money? A. Yes, absolutely, if you look at a true likefor-like comparison for what is provided, such as transfers to and from the airport and the tiny things in the detail, you’ll be hard pressed to match us when you add up all your spending – plus you save on the hassle of figuring out travelling and you’ll be with the rest of your team too!
Q. What if I don’t want to do all the extension trips you offer? A. No worries, pick and choose from the extension trips and combine it with some independent travel. The extensions have been planned for this flexibility of choice. Q. What if I buy an extension trip and I end up cancelling or rolling my place over to next year? A. If you cancel your place on your adventure then the money for your extension trips are non-refundable as we have to make advance bookings. If however, you, roll your place over then we are able to roll your bookings over to next year and you wouldn’t lose anything. Q. I am not sure about staying out in-country after the adventure, can I come home early? A. We highly recommend you take advantage of having this time to explore; this is a rare opportunity that you have worked hard for in your fundraising, you should enjoy and experience as much of the country you are in as possible. That said – yes you can arrange to come home early you will need to look at changing your flights. To do this you will need to get in touch with us.
Q. I am interested in staying out in the country longer, either by going out early or staying on after, can I do this? A. Absolutely, you sound like you’re up for an adventure! Again this just requires a flight change request, which we can arrange for you. Do note that you can only change either your outbound or inbound date, not both. Q. So how do I change my flight dates and are there any costs involved? A. Email us info@studentadventures.co.uk or give us a call on 0845 6439801 to talk about changing your flights. There will be a cost to do this, because we have group flights booked for you. The cost of this will vary depending on dates, availability and when you ask to change. Often the cost of changing your flights coupled with meeting the cost of getting to the airport on your changed itinerary is similar in the cost you would spend in-country after your adventure.
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Gallery
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Independent Travel … So you’re a free spirit and you want to do a bit of nomadic travelling with your LP tucked in your back pocket? No worries, you have from Day 10 to Day 16 to discover. A few thoughts from us if you are going to do independent travel:
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Independent Travel is just that, independent. So it means if you are going to undertake this option you should be confident in travelling on your own.
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You will be responsible for getting yourself back to the airport to catch your flight back home to the UK.
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We highly recommend that you develop a travel plan before you leave and submit this plan to a loved one and Student Adventures, just in case.
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All the costs of independent travel are yours to be met.
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We strongly recommend that you travel with access to emergency funds for unknown events and costs.
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You Adventure is going to be great, make it unforgettable with incredible extension trips! Book today online at:
www.studentadventures.co.uk/login or call to book on 0845 643 9801