Last Word: China by Private Jet

I greatly enjoy helping to plan our Signature Tours, and the itineraries that invariably give me the most satisfaction are those to far-flung places, where it is difficult for individual travelers to make their own arrangements. China has been transformed in recent years, but a solo journey in this vast land of 1.4 billion people, few of whom speak any English, can still be a daunting prospect. Since I returned from my last Asia trip, I have been working with my Travel Office to construct an introductory tour that includes all of the obvious highlights such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army, as well as one or two more unusual destinations like the unspoiled mountainous province of Yunnan. To make the journey as effortless as possible, domestic flights will be aboard a private Boeing Business Jet (a modified 737), configured for a maximum of 31 people. All of the chosen hotels are exceptionally comfortable, and one or two will be revelations to those who have not experienced China’s metamorphosis firsthand. The tour is hosted by China experts, limited to 16 participants and is scheduled for May 9-25, 2014.