Local Dress
In Asia the dress standard is more conservative than it is back home. When packing try to pick loose, lightweight, long clothing that will keep you cool in the usually hot and humid climate of Asian summers. In predominately Buddhist countries we ask that you dress respectfully and avoid very short shorts/skirts and singlets/tanktops when visiting temples or mosques or other holy sites.

Meals
Eating is a big part of traveling. Travelling with G Adventures you experience the vast array of wonderful food that is available out in the world. Generally meals are not included in the trip price when there is a choice of eating options, to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat. It also gives you more budgeting flexibility, though generally food is cheap. Our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. There is no obligation to do this though. Your CEO will be able to suggest favourite restaurants during your trip. Included breakfasts will usually be asian style consisting of noodles or congee (rice porridge) or bread and eggs. Vegetarians will be able to find a range of different foods, although in some areas the choice maybe limited. While trekking in remote regions food is included, plentiful and made of fresh local ingredients. For all trips please refer to the meals included and budget information for included meals and meal budgets.

Optional Activities
Beijing- The Pearl Market (Free)- Drum and Bell Tower Visit (30CNY per person)Mutianyu- Cable Car at Great Wall (100-140CNY per person)- Toboggan at Great Wall (100-140CNY per person)Xi'an- Cycling Xi'an City Walls (100-150CNY per person)- Muslim Quarter Visit (25CNY per person)- The Great Mosque (25CNY per person)- Bell and Drum Towers - Xi'an (50CNY per person)- Big Goose Pagoda Visit (50CNY per person)Shanghai- Shanghai Museum (Free)- Yuyuan Garden (40CNY per person)Miyajima- Mt. Misen Visit (Free-1840JPY per person)Kyoto- Zen Gardens of Ryoan-ji (500JPY per person)Tokyo- Ginza Shopping (Free)- Imperial Palace East Gardens Walk (Free)- Ueno Park Visit (Free)- Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu) Visit (Free-1000JPY per person)Asakusa- Senso-ji Temple Visit (Free)

What to Take
It’s essential to pack as lightly as possible for rail travel in Japan. All G Adventures tours use the world-famous Shinkansen bullet trains, which have a restriction on maximum luggage size.Any luggage brought on board must be less than 160cm in total (calculated as the sum of the height + width + depth of your luggage). This is roughly the size that most airline companies consider as "carry-on baggage" and allow in overhead storage compartments. We strongly recommend bringing a day pack or backpack to use during the day (for daily essentials like water, cameras, passport, etc.).Please note that travellers who bring luggage that exceeds this restriction will be directly penalized by the Central Japan Railway Company. Any luggage between 160–250cm will require a fee of 1,000 JPY per luggage, for each leg of your train journey, and is strictly subject to availability. Any luggage over 251cm in total is prohibited on the Shinkansen trains.If you absolutely must bring more than what fits into a single carry-on bag plus day pack, you may bring a second carry-on bag which also must be less than 160cm in total. Please note, however, that as with all G Adventures tours, you must be able to carry your luggage unassisted.As a rule we try not to have to walk more than 15-20 mintues with your bags which is why we recommend keeping the weight of your bags between 10-15kg/22-30lb. Suitcases are not recommended for G Adventures trips! Most travellers carry a backpack or rolling bag of small to medium size (no XXL ones please!) as they need to fit under the beds when travelling on sleeper trains. You will also need a day pack/bag to carry water, cameras and other electronics like ipods and mobile phones.Do not bring any knives or swords into China (gifts or otherwise). If they do make it into the country, they will not be permitted on trains. If you purchase a knife or sword while travelling elsewhere before arriving in China your best option is to post/mail it home before entering the country as no post/mail companies in China will accept it as a parcel. Takuhaibin - Japan’s takuhaibin service is a convenient and reliable way to transfer luggage from one location to another throughout the country. Pick-up/drop-off/delivery dates and times can be easily scheduled (usually overnight) and costs are moderate. Service can be arranged at most hotels and airports. Using Takuhaibin to send your luggage between hotels, or from hotel to airport, is a great way to travel light and avoid hauling large bags on crowded trains or up and down stairs – just be sure to pack an overnight bag with everything you’ll need until you’re reunited with your luggage the following day.

Group Leader Description
All our G Adventures group trip is accompanied by a G Adventures Chief Experience Officer (CEO) in China. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. They will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects.

Change the world just by having the time of your life.

We have always believed in the life-changing power of travel, but for that power to exist we need to travel the right way. Since the very beginning, G Adventures’ vision for travelling responsibly has meant giving back as much — if not more — than what you take away. Yes, travel should be incredibly fun (have you been on one of our tours?), but we also believe travel needs to be a force for good. For you, for local communities around the world, and for the world itself — we call it “community tourism.” See how we do it below.

A lot of companies use “sustainability” or “sustainable travel” to talk about exploring the world in a better way, but we’ve never been ones to follow in others’ footsteps or borrow out-dated ideas. Our commitment to making travel a force for good is different — so we call it G for Good.

It stands for all of the social, environmental, and ethical good we create as a business which helps to fuel community tourism. Which is… you ask? It means our tours are built on meaningful relationships with local communities and directly benefit the people and places we visit. Today, our definition of community tourism means that the communities we positively impact ripples far beyond these destinations, to include our employees, supplier and agent partners, small business owners, customers, social followers, and travellers like you.

G for Good is what makes us, us. With your help, we can make travel the force for good we’ve known it can be since our company was established over three decades ago.

Animal Welfare

G Adventures recognizes the importance of animal welfare. That’s why we have worked with experts from World Animal Protection, The Jane Goodall Institute and The World Cetacean Alliance to draw up a robust policy, which builds on the ABTA Global Welfare Guidelines for Animals in Tourism and puts the needs of animals first. We want to ensure that all animals featured on our tours are treated humanely.

Child Welfare

It is critical that no child is ever harmed as a result of tourism. Travellers have the power and responsibility to make a true impact in the communities they visit, and that’s why we actively work to ensure child welfare is protected in the places we operate. We were also the first global travel company to achieve Friend’s International ChildSafe certification.

Climate Action

With all the good global travel does for local communities, it’s an unfortunate truth that the industry produces environmentally harmful carbon dioxide. That’s why we signed the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and got to work on halving our carbon footprint by 2030. Want to know exactly how we and our travellers are going about it? Read on to review our full Climate-Biodiversity Action Plan.

Respecting local cultures

Connecting curious travellers with Indigenous communities is an essential part of our identity at G Adventures. We are committed to respecting the rights, history, and culture of Indigenous people while ensuring that tourism supports their well-being.

Go. Grow. Love.

Trees for Days, our latest initiative in partnership with Planeterra and Reforest, aims to spread love around the world — with trees! For each and every day a traveller is on an adventure with us, we grow a tree in their name. Armed with trees and a shovel, our mission is simple: to help communities around the world adapt to the growing impacts of climate change. Want to help spread the love with your very own grove of trees? All you need to do is book a trip — we’ll take care of the rest.

How do we spread love with trees? It’s easy.

With help from our partners, we work with local communities to grow and maintain our trees. Here’s how the magic unfolds:

You go on an adventure

As soon as your trip is booked and paid for, we start sourcing your tree bundle — one tree is grown for every day of your travels.

We grow your trees

Our reforesting process gets underway! We grow, maintain, and make sure your trees have all the love they need to thrive in their new environment.

Watch your love unfold

Want to see the difference you’re making? Log in to your G Adventures account to track how many trees you have grown, where they live and, if you’re in the mood, add a few more to your grove!