By James Shillinglaw After two days visiting some of the iconic sights of Beijing, including the Forbidden City and Great Wall, our Imperial Tours fam trip spent a final half day visiting the famous Summer Palace in the outskirts of the city. Beijing was still cold but the weather had turned clear as we left the Raffles Beijing by bus to drive through the wide boulevards of the city. We passed massive government buildings,  » Read more »

By James Shillinglaw Now I have to admit the title of this column may be a little misleading. No, I didn’t exactly go skiing on the Great Wall of China, but I did slip on the snow and ice a bit as I hiked the steep path along the top of the wall. And I did take a cable car up the mountain to a place where we could access the wall (minus my skis,  » Read more »

By James Shillinglaw It wasn’t quite the sight I would have expected. Heavy wet snow was falling on Beijing as we walked along Chang’An Avenue, the main boulevard that leads to the famed Tiananmen Square and the entrance gate to the Forbidden City. This ancient complex of palaces, courtyards, gates and gardens, perhaps Beijing’s greatest attraction, was turned into a winter wonderland that seemed to surprise even the city’s residents. After nearly 20 years in travel,  » Read more »

CONTACT: Hilari Graff at Strategic Vision Tel: 914-881-9056/9020 Imperial Tours Expands Product Offerings With New Experiences, Destinations In China SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 24, 2010) – Imperial Tours (www.imperialtours.net) is expanding its portfolio with the launch of ‘China Escapades,’ a new FIT product targeted to more independent and adventurous travelers seeking greater autonomy and a lower price to explore China’s intriguing sights, sounds and culture.  » Read more »

By Brook Wilkinson Scoring a cheap flight and a discounted hotel room is relatively easy these days. But a simple Web search isn't going to gain you entrée to a Masai village in Kenya, where you'll sleep in a traditional cowhide bed. Nor can it help you grab a spot atop one of the most popular floats during Brazil's Carnaval, so you can shake your booty in front of thousands. Or secure you a ticket to St.  » Read more »