Splendid
(last modified 1/18/05)
The purpose of this document is to provide Splendid China tour participants with information on things to do before the Pre Departure Briefing, which is to be held about three weeks prior to departure, tentatively on Sat, 23 Apr, 2005 at Noon.
· Time line of things to do
· Payment schedule
· Cancellation policy
· Tour Application and Tour Agreement and Liability Release forms
· Travel insurance
· Travel Insured International
· International Student Identity Card for students
· Travel documents
·
·
· Medical preparation
· Pre Departure Briefing
· Flight schedule
· Responsibilities of participants
· Attachments
· Travel Insured International brochure
· Tour Application form
· Tour Agreement and Release form
·
·
Info on how to apply for a visa to
·
Chinese visa application form (for
.
This document, as well as all of the documents listed above under Attachments, are also to be made available on the China Study Tour Web site, which is located at: https://chinastudytour.tripod.com/. To obtain them, on the home page, click on the link for Tour Information Meeting. At the bottom of the next page to appear there are links to this document and the attachments. These documents are in either Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) or Portable Document Format (PDF). To open, read or print a PDF file, an Adobe Acrobat Reader is required. If needed, it may be obtained for free from adobe.com, a link to which is also available on the Tour Information Meeting page of the tour Web site.
· Apply for United Airlines frequent flyer number which is to be included on the Tour Application Form, which is to be returned on or before the date of the Information Meeting which is scheduled for 22 January 2005.
· Return completed Tour Application Form on or before 22 Jan 2005
·
Attend the Information Meeting, which is
scheduled for 22 Jan 2005 at 11:00 AM in PC 3208 on the Gannon campus. Attendance is mandatory for those living in
the
·
For those participants who do not possess a
valid
·
On or before 12 March 2005,
· Final payment is due on or before 12 March 2005.
· On or before 12 March 2005, the following documents are to be returned:
· signed Tour Agreement and Liability Release form,
· completed optional travel insurance application form and payment, if interested.
·
Attend the Pre Departure Briefing which is to be
held at a local Chinese restaurant tentatively on 23 April 2005 at Noon. Attendance is mandatory for those
participants who live within the local
·
For those who have not provided Dr. Mahan with
their
Each of these tasks is discussed in detail below.
The final payment is
due on or before 12 March 2005. For
those who are participating in the base tour and sharing a room, the amounts
due are as follows:
The second payment of $1,000 was used to purchase the seats
on the
For those who are participating in the extended tour, add $180 to the
final payment. This would be the case
for all of the participants from
If a single supplement, i.e., single room, is desired, to
the final payment add $380 if participating in the base tour plus an additional
$90 if participating in the extended tour.
Those participants who have not selected a single supplement nor have
indicated on the Tour Application Form that a roommate has been selected are to be matched with another of the same
sex in making room assignments. In the
event that there is an odd number of participants of the same sex who are
seeking roommates, the last one to deposit is to be accessed one half of the
single supplement if a Gannon student and the full amount for others.
After the number requesting a single supplement has been determined, those who have been assessed a single supplement are to be notified.
Checks or money orders for the final payment are to be made payable to Comfort Travel (USA) Inc. Credit cards are not accepted.
All payments and forms should be mailed to:
Gary P. Mahan, Ph.D.
Alternatively, they may be left off at his office (
Understand that the air ticket agent and Comfort Travel must receive
payments in order to make payments to the airline and to the tour company
located in
The tour operator reserves the right to cancel the tour
prior to its departure for any reason.
In the event of cancellation by the tour operator, the tour operator
will refund any deposits and/or payments made prior to such cancellation.
The deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable in the event of cancellation by participant or agent after 18 Jan.
The land portion of the tour has been purchased separately
from the
After the deposit has been made, in the event of cancellation by participant or agent for any reason, refunds for the land package are to be made as follows:
If cancellation is made: Refund on land package will be:
Before 18 Jan 2005 Deposit
18 Jan to 30 days before departure Land package plus
29 - 08 days before departure 50% of land package plus US departure tax
Less than 8 days before departure No refund
The US and
transpacific air tickets were actually been purchased on 18 Jan, not just
reserved to be paid for later. In the
event of cancellation at any time after 18 Jan 2005, the full amount of the air
fare minus $175 is to be returned.
Travel insurance, including trip cancellation and interruption, travel delay, missed connection, loss of baggage/personal effects, baggage delay, emergency medical/dental, medical evacuation/repatriation, and accidental death and dismemberment, is available from Travel Insured International There are two plans available: comprehensive plan, and post departure plan. The rates for both depend on age.
The attached, and/or available from the tour Web site, Travel Insured International brochure provides a complete description of the coverage. Rates are contained on p. 5. An application form is contained on p. 6. An even more detailed description of the benefits, conditions and exclusions is to be provided to those participants who elect to purchase. Direct specific questions regarding coverage to Travel Insured International toll free at: 1.800.243.3174.
Without trip cancellation insurance, in the event that a participant were to cancel the trip, regardless of the reason, the amount refunded would be as indicated in the above Cancellation Policy part of this document.
Travel Insured International trip cancellation insurance may not be applicable in the event that Gannon University were to cancel the tour or if a participant were to cancel due to the issuance of a warning regarding travel to China by the US State Department. It is understood that trip cancellation insurance is available to cover the issuance of a travel warning but it is very expensive.
On the Sp01 tour, 14 of the 21 participants chose to purchase the insurance. On the Sp02 tour, 13 of the 27 participants purchased the travel insurance. On the Sp03 tour, 11 of the 33 participants purchased the travel insurance. On the Sp04 tour, 3 of the16 participants purchased the travel insurance.
Since the cost of the post departure plan that is offered by Travel Insured International is reasonable it is suggested that this be considered.
If a participant would like to purchase the Travel Insured International travel insurance, they should complete the application, which is on p. 6 of the brochure, sign and return it with submission of final payment, which is due on or before 12 March 2005. Do not pay by credit card although it is on the applicaton. Checks are to be made payable to Comfort Travel (USA), Inc. A separate check is not necessary. It may be combined with the final payment in one check.
Students may obtain an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) that provides basic sickness, accident and other insurance (but not trip cancellation), for a cost of $22. Information and instructions for applying are available at http://www.statravel.com/Statravel/cards/cards_ISIC.aspx?menuid=6001.
The attached, and/or available from the tour Web site, Tour Application Form is also to be completed and returned by 22 Jan 05. Explanations for some of the information requested is as follows.
· Note that the name provided must be exactly the same as that contained on the passport application form or actual passport for those who already have one.
·
If a participant has chosen a roommate, indicate
the name on the form in the space provided.
If one has not been selected, one will be assigned to those who do not
wish a single supplement, which is available at a cost of $380 for the base
tour and an additional $90 for the extended tour. Those participants who have not selected a
single supplement nor have indicated on the Tour Application Form that a
roommate has been selected are to be
matched with another of the same sex in making room assignments. In the event of an odd number of
participants of the same sex requesting roommates, the last one to deposit is
to be accessed one half of the single supplement if a Gannon student and the
full amount for others.
·
Special dietary requirements indicated
on the form will be forwarded to the airline and to the local tour guide.
·
Information on aircraft seating
preference for the transpacific portion of the flight is to be provided to the
airline, but there is no guarantee. An
attempt will be made to provide input into the seating assignments for the
domestic portions of the flights. In
requesting seating assignments the first priority will be to keep traveling
companions together. Airlines now permit
seat assignments to be made prior to 90 days prior to departure, so there is
much less flexibility as in the past.
·
If it is possible to provide group
transportation from
·
Those participants outside the
The attached, and/or available from the tour Web site, Tour Agreement and Liability Release form is to be signed and returned on or before 12 March 2005.
Air tickets will not be provided to those participants who fail to return the Tour Agreement and Liability Release form.
Travel to the People’s Republic of
·
a valid passport with six months validity (from
date of entry into
·
Information on each of these documents is provided below.
Those participants who possess a passport should check the
expiration date on the first page to ensure that it does not expire within six
(6) months of the date of entry into
Those participants who are US citizens and who do not
possess a valid
Complete information on how, when and where to apply for US passports is available from the US State Dept’s Applying for Your U.S. Passport the Easy Way Web page at:
http://travel.state.gov/passport/fri_publications_easy.html
Participants who are not US citizens and who do not have a passport should check on the procedure for obtaining a passport in their home country.
Information on the more important aspects of the passport
application process specific to the
Passport application form
The first step in the passport process is to obtain Form DS-11, Application
for a US Passport, by one of the following methods:
US Postal Service Passport Acceptance (Downtown
Station –
14th and Peach Streets
Pages 1- 2 of Form DS -11 contain instructions for completing the application that should be read before beginning.
Among the things to be included with the application that
are listed on Form DS-11 are two passport photographs that are to be 2x2 inches
in size and are to be stapled to the application in the space provided. The
In
Van Tuil
453-6601
The cost in Dec 2004 was $10.55, including tax, for four.
Other locations at which passport photos may be obtained locally are listed in the Verizon telephone book yellow pages under Photo Finishing - Retail and Photographers - Portrait.
Passport photos are also available at the Erie Passport Acceptance Facility. The cost was $15 for two in Dec 2004.
Retain any extra passport photos as they may be used to apply for visas to other countries in future travel.
Although passport photos are recommended, digitized photos
are now acceptable. If you choose to
submit digitized photos, they must meet the same requirements of all passport
photographs. In addition, digitized
photographs are always produced on digital printers. Some printers will produce
a photograph in which the dots are seen. Visible dots distort the image by
making it look grainy. Acceptable photos
have a continuous tone image that looks very photo-like. Digitally printed photos are not accepted for
the
First time passport applicants must apply in person by taking the following items to a Passport Acceptance Facility:
· completed pages 3 and 4 of passport application Form DS-11,
· two passport photos, which are to be stapled to passport application Form DS-11 in the space provided
· proof of US citizenship, c.f., certified birth certificate
· proof of identity, c.f., valid, current driver’s license,
· fee
All of the above requirements are explained on pp. 1 -2 of Form DS-11, and at the following Web site: http://travel.state.gov/passport/get_first_apply.html
The Erie Passport Acceptance Facility is located at:
US Postal Service Passport Acceptance (Downtown
Station)
14th and Peach Streets
Passports are processed M-F, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM only.
US locations for other Passport Acceptance Facilities are
available at the US State Dept’s Where to Apply for a Passport Nationwide Web
site at: http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/
Form DS-11 must be presented and signed in person at the passport acceptance facility. Do not sign the application until instructed to do so by the authorized passport acceptance agent.
The total fee for applying for a new passport is $85, which
consists of a $55 passport processing fee and a $30 charge for the execution of
the application. When applying at one of
the thousands of designated application acceptance facilities in the
Expedited service for obtaining a passport is available. Expedited requests are to be processed in three workdays from receipt at a Passport Agency. The additional fee is $60, which does not include Express Mail fees. Two way overnight deliveries are strongly recommended. In Dec 2004 they totaled $27.30. Ordinarily, if one pays additionally for expedited service and two way overnight deliveries, a passport may be obtained within two weeks.
Additional information on expedited service is available at http://travel.state.gov/passport/get_first_quickly.html
After the return of the passport, it must be signed. It is also suggested that a photocopy of the first two pages be made before submitting the materials required for the Chinese visa application.
The second document that is required for travel to
The procedure depends on the location of the residence of
the tour participant. The visa
application and the place to which the application is to be submitted depend on
residence. The following explains the
procedure separately for those residents of
The following is the visa application procedure for tour
participants who are residents of
The Chinese government now requires that all applications
for a Chinese visa be submitted in person.
For residents of
· completed Chinese visa application with passport photo affixed in space provided,
·
signed
· money order,
· agent handling fee
For the students enrolled in the China Studies class this material is to be collected in class on 12 March 2005.
Those who fail to provide these materials by the date due must either submit it in person to the Chinese consulate in NYC or obtain an agent do so.
Attached to this document, and/or available from the tour Web site, are the following two documents:
· “How to Apply For Chinese Visas” and
·
“
The above documents are also available from the Web site for the Chinese consulate in NYC, the home page for which is located at: http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/eng/. The pages on which the above mentioned documents are located are as follows:
· “How to Apply for (Tourist) Visas” is available at: http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/eng/lsqz/VisasforChina/t42204.htm
· China Visa Application Form is available at:
http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/eng/lsqz/fhqz/qianzheng/P020031118766633122506.pdf
Note that it has not
been possible to access the above link to the
http://us.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/Q1.pdf
Do not use the information and visa application form that
are available at the Web site for the Chinese embassy in
The visa to be applied
for is a single entry, L visa - tourist visa.
[In completing the application for a Chinese visa it is
important to not give the idea that any business is to be conducted in
Instructions indicate that no item is to be left blank. Instead write none.
Affix (glue is recommended) a 2”X2” passport photo to the top right in the space indicated. Digitally printed photos are not accepted.]
#1 – none for most
#2 – insert former name if family name has been change; otherwise, none. Those women who are married are to insert their maiden name.
#3, 4 – complete. Those who are Jrs. or the III, note that the name should be exactly the same as on passport.
#5 – complete with year first then month and day
#6 - complete; city, state and country (
#7 - complete; nationality is
#8 – insert former nationality, if any; otherwise, none
#9 – for those employed full time, insert occupation, office phone number, and company name; for students, including those who may work part time, and those unemployed, insert none for all three
#10 - complete
#11 - Passport Type – circle regular; Passport Valid Until – insert expiration date as indicated on the first page of the passport; Issued by- refers to city where issued (such as Philadelphia) which is stated on first page of passport [if there is no city listed but states National Passport Center, enter that]; Passport no. - insert passport number, which is found on first page of passport,
#12 –insert touring to learn more about the history and culture
of
#13 – insert Hong
Kong,
#14 – circle single entry
#15 – for (1) insert:
Y-2005 M-05 D–14 (although we depart US on 13 May, after
crossing the international date line, arrival in
#16 - for (1) insert 10 days for those participating in base tour and 12 days for those participating in extended tour
#17 – circle regular (4 workdays for those who are providing visa application to Dr. Mahan for submission by agent)
#18 – insert none
#19 - for most will be no
#20 - for most will be no
insert date application completed and sign in spaces provided at bottom
The above responses have been used for the previous last five years with not one application being rejected. One participant did receive a call from the consulate, which was believed to be just a random check.
The single entry visa fee is $50. Neither checks nor credit cards are
accepted, only money orders. The
required money order can be purchased for less than $1 at a Country Fair or the
United States Postal Service (USPS). The
money order should be made payable to
the Chinese Consulate General in
For those who wish, Dr. Mahan will forward the application
materials to an “agent” in
Those who fail to provide these materials to Dr. Mahan by the date due must either submit it in person to the Chinese consulate in NYC or obtain an agent do so. There are travel agencies that provide this service.
Dr. Mahan will retain the returned passports and return them at the Pre Departure Briefing; earlier for those students who are enrolled in the China Studies course. If a non China Studies course student wishes the passport to be returned before then, provide a self addressed return envelope with sufficient postage.
For those who may be submitting a visa application on
their own, do not do so before mid March 2005 as there is a time limit on its
applicability.
Those participants who live in the
The page containing visa information is:
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/default.htm
Instructions on applying for the L visa may be obtained at the following page:
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/default.htm
The L visa application form may be obtained at:
http://us.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/Q1.pdf
The suggested responses for the visa application for
residents of
The completed application is to be submitted to the Chinese
embassy in
Participants who are neither residents of
That consulate should then be contacted to obtain the appropriate visa application and procedure.
Those participants who are living outside of the
Just so you know, as
of 14 Sept 2004,
After the return of the passport from the Chinese consulate,
make three copies of the first two pages and the
Currently no vaccinations are required for travel to
Fodor's Exploring China states that no vaccinations
are required but that tetanus and typhoid injections are essential for travel
anywhere, and that it is advisable to consider vaccinations against rabies and
hepatitis. There is a risk of malaria in south
Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the following
vaccines (as appropriate for age) for travel to
·
Hepatitis A or immune
globulin (IG), except travelers to
·
Hepatitis B, if you
might be exposed to blood (for example, health-care workers), have sexual
contact with the local population, stay longer than 6 months, or be exposed
through medical treatment.
·
Japanese encephalitis, only
if you plan to visit rural areas for 4 weeks or more, except under special
circumstances, such as a known outbreak of Japanese encephalitis.
·
Rabies, if you might
be exposed to wild or domestic animals through your work or recreation.
·
Typhoid,
particularly if you are visiting developing countries in this region.
·
As needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles. Hepatitis B vaccine is
now recommended for all infants and for children ages 11–12 years who did not
receive the series as infants.
See your doctor at least 4–6 weeks before your trip to allow time for shots to take effect.
For more CDC info on travel to
Approximately three weeks prior to departure, on Saturday, 23
April 2005, at Noon, there is to be a Pre Departure Briefing at a local Chinese
restaurant to be determined. Attendance at this meeting is mandatory for
those participants who live in the
Topics to be covered include the following: Travel information regarding departure and return flight procedures, phone calling, hotel, packing, currency exchange, touring procedures and considerations, description of tour highlights, suggested souvenirs, etc. Airline tickets and insurance certificates will also be distributed to those participants living in the local area. For those participants living outside the local area, tickets, insurance certificates, and information distributed at the briefing are to be provided via postal mail.
The flight schedule for the group departing from
For the group departing from Pittsburgh (PIT) the outbound
flight schedule on 13 May 2005 is as follows:
|
United Airlines 1281 |
May 13 |
10:15 am PIT |
10:53 am ORD (Chicago) |
Non-stop |
|
United Airlines 895 |
May 13 |
12:35 pm ORD |
5:10 pm (Next day) HKG ( |
Non-stop |
For the group departing from
|
United Airlines 850 |
May 23 |
4:35 pm PEK ( |
4:25 pm ORD |
Non-stop |
|
United Airlines 1204 |
May 23 |
5:50 pm ORD |
8:23 pm PIT |
Non-stop |
For the group that is departing from
|
United Airlines 851 |
9:40 am |
10:49 am |
|
|
|
|
|
|
United Airlines 895 |
May 13 |
12:35 pm ORD |
5:10 pm (Next day) HKG ( |
Non-stop |
|||
For the group that is departing from
|
4:35 pm |
8:40 pm |
After as many changes as possible to seat assignments are made working with the agent and UA, seating assignments are to be provided with instructions on how to change.
Since some have asked, the following are suggestions for learning more about the country.
In preparation for travel to China it is suggested that the participant obtain a tour guide book, such as one or more of the following, and read those sections pertaining to the cities and sites to be visited plus general information regarding the culture, history and other aspects of the country:
· Fodor's Exploring China, 4E (available new from amazon.com for $14.96)
· Fodor's China, 3E (available new from amazon.com for $14.96 )
· Fodor’s Pocket Beijing, 3E (available new from amazon.com for $8.96)
·
Fodor's Hong Kong 2003 (available new from amazon.com for $17.00)
·
·
by Cao Lei (available new from amazon.com for
$21.21)
Fodor’s and other tour guides, such as Frommer’s, are also available at local bookstores, such as Barnes & Nobles and Borders.
·
Ambler,
Tim and Morgen Witzel. Doing Business in
·
Seligman, Scott D., and Edward J. Trenn. Chinese Business Etiquette : A Guide to
Protocol, Manners, and Culture in the People's Republic of
Historical background
· Schirokauer, Conrad. A Brief History of Chinese Civilization. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1991. ISBN: 0155055682
·
Moise, Edwin E.
Modern
·
Spence, Jonathan. The Search for Modern
·
Hsu, Immanuel.
The Rise of Modern
·
Roberts, J.A.G.
A Concise History of
·
Shaughnessy, Edward L.
· Encountering the Chinese: A Guide for Americans. 2E. Intercultural Press, 1999. ISBN: 1-877864-58-7
As can be seen from this document there are many procedures
involved in traveling to
Those who may be traveling with relatives or others outside the local area who may be unable to attend meetings must accept the responsibility for providing them with information and ensuring their submission of materials by the due dates.
Important information is to be provided via Email. Thus, it is important to check the Email address that has been provided on a regular basis. If there is a change in Email address, or another that is preferred, please inform.