The Trip Desk · planning fees in USD
A human desk for the parts a guide can’t answer.
Guides are good at rules. They are bad at your dates, your tolerance for early trains and the fact that your partner wants pandas and you want noodles. Build the brief below: the planning fee is known, and every supplier line that still needs checking is marked clearly.
Pay for the decision you need, not a package.
Planning fees are flat and published. Optional supplier services are quoted per city after availability is checked; the builder never guesses a supplier rate.
Route Check
You have a draft route. We find the days that do not work before you book anything.
- Written review of your dates, cities and transport
- Over-packed days, awkward transfers and booking traps flagged
- One revised route with realistic travel times
- One round of follow-up questions by email
Send your draft as a list, spreadsheet or screenshots.
Start with Route CheckCustom Itinerary
Most usefulA day-by-day China route built around your pace, interests and tolerance for early trains.
- 30-minute call or voice-note briefing
- Day-by-day route with realistic transit times
- Neighbourhood and hotel-area recommendations
- Booking links for trains, attractions and transfers
- Two revisions and a pre-departure checklist
Covers up to 14 days and four bases. Longer trips get a custom quote.
Start with Custom ItineraryFull Trip Desk
We plan the trip, coordinate selected third-party bookings, and stay reachable while you are in China.
- Everything in Custom Itinerary
- Coordination with third-party providers for selected trains, drivers and attractions
- Restaurant, app and payment setup walkthrough
- WhatsApp support during your trip (up to 14 days)
- One emergency re-plan if weather or trains disrupt you
Flights, hotels and tickets are billed at cost when we coordinate them, with no booking markup.
Start with Full Trip DeskFamily & Group Desk
A route that works for grandparents, children and the one person who refuses to wake up early.
- Pace and accessibility review
- Connecting rooms and transfer planning
- Food, allergy and picky-eater notes
- Group-friendly booking sequence
- WhatsApp support during the trip
Quoted after a short call. No payment until the scope is agreed.
Start with Family & Group DeskPlan it. Then add only the services you want.
We are useful when the route is almost right but one decision could ruin it: a train that leaves too early, a city that deserves three nights instead of one, a museum that needs a passport booking two weeks out.
You can travel independently, or ask us to include optional private transport, stays and local guides in the quote. We coordinate with third-party suppliers where available; we do not operate transport, employ guides or confirm a supplier price before checking availability.
We read your whole route
Dates, transfer times, hotel locations, booking windows and the order of cities — not just a list of highlights.
We say what to cut
A good plan removes things. If a day is impossible, we will tell you before you book a non-refundable train.
We stay reachable
Full Trip Desk includes WhatsApp support during the trip, because plans meet reality at the station.
We show our sources
Visa, payment and transport advice is checked against official pages, with the date we last looked.
A structured brief. No mystery.
The builder takes a few minutes. It turns your cities, nights and optional services into a clear brief and a known planning subtotal.
Choose the planning level
Route Check, Custom Itinerary, Full Trip Desk or Family & Group. Fixed fees respect the published day and base limits; longer routes become manual quotes.
Add cities and services
Set nights, vehicle days and guide days per city. Hotel lines use room/night, vehicle lines use vehicle/day and guide lines use service day. No universal rate is applied across cities.
Send the brief
We reply with what is known, what still needs a supplier quote and what we need from you. Nothing is paid or booked here.
Build the route. See what is known.
Choose a planning level, add city stops and optionally request transport, hotel and guide services. Planning fees are fixed. Supplier services stay marked pending until a real, city-specific rate is confirmed.
STEP 01 — Plan
How much planning do you need?
Custom Itinerary and Full Trip Desk fixed fees cover up to 14 days and four city bases. Longer routes switch to a manual planning quote rather than being silently repriced.
The honest questions.
If your question is not here, ask it in the brief.
Why do supplier prices say “pending quote”?
We do not publish a supplier rate until it is verified for that city, service and group. The builder prices the fixed planning fee and marks hotel, vehicle and guide lines as pending. We then check availability and send an itemized quote. Known amounts and pending items are kept separate.
Do I pay before you start?
No. Send the brief first. We reply with a scope and a payment link. Route Check is paid in full before delivery; Custom Itinerary and Full Trip Desk take a 50% deposit, with the balance before the final plan is handed over.
Are cars, hotels, guides and tickets included?
Planning is a separate fee. You can ask us to include optional private transport, hotel and guide levels in your quote. Supplier availability and rates are confirmed before any payment. Flights, intercity trains and attraction tickets are separate.
Can I request a private driver or local guide?
Yes. Select a tier and the vehicle and guide days per city in the builder. We check whether a suitable third-party supplier is available and include the confirmed option in your quote. Nothing is booked or charged on this page.
What if I need to cancel?
Before work starts, the deposit is refundable minus any payment processing fees. After work starts, the deposit covers the time already spent. Route Check is non-refundable once delivered, but we will fix factual errors for free.
Can you guarantee a visa or entry?
No. Entry decisions belong to Chinese immigration. We can check your route against the published rules and flag risks, but we are not a visa agency and cannot guarantee admission.
How fast can you turn a trip around?
Route Check takes three business days. Custom Itinerary takes five. Full Trip Desk takes seven, because supplier checks take longer. If you are traveling within a week, say so in the brief; we will tell you honestly whether we can help.