Taste History and Culture, Enjoy Natural Scenery – Eight-Day Shaanxi Tour in July

Actually, it wasn't entirely a 'spur-of-the-moment trip,' because I had been planning for a long time. Originally, I was supposed to go to Shaanxi before the Spring Festival of 2020, but due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the flight even stopped over in Wuhan, I had to cancel it and refund the booked tickets and hotels. But the travel guide and itinerary for Shaanxi were basically ready then. After staying at home for two years without leaving the province, this summer, after the epidemic in Guangzhou subsided, I felt it was possible to travel again, and I could even use the pretext of my child's elementary school graduation trip. At the beginning of July, I had already started arranging a trip from July 10 to 17, but that also fell through for some reason.

But the reason I call it a 'spur-of-the-moment trip' is that all the operations—asking for leave, deciding the destination, booking flights, and signing up for a tour—were completed within less than five days before departure. For someone like me, who never fights an unprepared battle and is overly cautious, this was basically unimaginable. Fortunately, we left on a whim; after we returned, the epidemic broke out again, and we couldn't go anywhere.

【Monday, July 12】After work in the evening, I went to gather information and felt that the next week was a suitable time to take annual leave. I checked the weather forecast at night and saw that there was no typhoon coming to our area during the leave period, so I could put down work and travel with peace of mind. Then I started choosing a destination: Yunnan? That was my top choice—relaxing, with pleasant temperatures, and most importantly, I wanted to test if my son would have altitude sickness, to prepare for a future trip to Qinghai Lake. But Yunnan was off-limits due to the epidemic. Qinghai Lake? It's most beautiful in this season, but I wasn't sure if my son would have altitude sickness and dared not go rashly. Shanghai and Hangzhou? I almost settled on them, but when I checked the typhoon forecast, there was a big typhoon next week, so I had to give up. Guizhou? The weather was comfortable, but the attractions are too scattered, with long journeys through mountainous areas, which would be tiring, and my son is prone to car sickness, so I had to pass. Jiuzhaigou? Flying directly to Jiuzhaigou or going from Chengdu—neither offered a good plan, and a colleague said this season is prone to heavy rain and mudslides. After much deliberation, I pulled out the Shaanxi plan I had made last year. I checked the medium-term weather forecast, and the weather seemed acceptable: this week had highs of 37°C, but next week would be only 32-33°C. Finally, I observed the stars at night, counted on my fingers, and decided, 'Well, this is the only choice.' I checked airfare on Ctrip; the price was acceptable, and it was a direct flight. Since it was rare to have a direct flight without stopovers, if not now, when?

【Tuesday, July 13】Early in the morning at work, I immediately went to ask my boss for leave, and within less than ten minutes, it was successfully approved. Then I started the specific operations. According to my original plan, I was going to simulate a six-day self-driving route found online. But with a busy daily work schedule, self-driving would require a lot more preparation. Plus, I recalled the experience in Beijing: after a tiring day of sightseeing, I had to refine the route for the next day at night; while sightseeing, I had to find parking, rush to pick up tickets, and look at maps for entrances and exits—just thinking about it was a headache. Considering that Shaanxi is a place with such rich historical heritage, I felt it would be better to have a tour guide to explain things; otherwise, I would be in a fog about what I was seeing. Therefore, after much thought, I decided that joining a tour group would be more suitable. So I contacted tour groups while booking flights. By 1:30 a.m., I finally booked both round-trip tickets. On the other side, negotiations with a so-called 'guide' I found online broke down. For a three-person chartered car with a driver-guide, the price was 6,800. When confirming details, the guy had limited comprehension and even said he would rather not take the order. I thought, 'Fine, I'd rather spend a bit more money to have a good time.' The guy was tough that night, but later shamelessly contacted me every day, even though he said losing one order didn't matter?

【Wednesday, July 14】I found another more professional website, but they required four people to form a group. I suggested they let the guide also drive to save money and let our three-person family form a group. They insisted on their principle, emphasizing that each has a specialized role and one person cannot do both. Later I thought, having a driver-guide would not only be unprofessional but also waste a lot of time finding parking spots and driving; poor rest while driving could also be dangerous. Time was running out, and we couldn't find a fourth person. After repeated negotiations, we paid a child supplement and finally formed a group. I thought it was nice—just our family, convenient and flexible. They gave us a Buick business van, spacious and comfortable, where we could lie down and rest on the road. After signing up, I felt completely relaxed, with less to prepare. I would arrange the last free day depending on the situation. That evening, I went out and bought a Huawei Watch 3 and activated the eSIM function.

【Thursday, July 15】In the evening, I went out again and bought a Huawei Mate 40, as my old phone's storage was insufficient. For the sake of travel, I spent a lot.

【Friday, July 16】In the evening, I went out again... I upgraded to a 5G plan and also bought a new phone for my mom.

Everything was ready, just waiting for departure: July 17-22, a six-day tour; July 23, free day; and the morning of July 24, return flight.

Travel Journal Directory: 1. [Spur-of-the-Moment Trip] 2. [Saturday, July 17] Day 1: Arrival in Xi'an 3. [Sunday, July 18] Day 2: Big and Small Wild Goose Pagodas, Night Market 4. [Monday, July 19] Day 3: Ancient City Wall, Terracotta Warriors 5. [Tuesday, July 20] Day 4: Climbing Mount Hua, Staying in Hancheng 6. [Wednesday, July 21] Day 5: Hukou Waterfall, Cave Dwellings, Bell and Drum Tower 7. [Thursday, July 22] Day 6: Shaanxi History Museum, Yongxingfang 8. [Friday, July 23] Day 7: Free Day, Xi'an Jiaotong University 9. [Saturday, July 24] Day 8: Return Trip

Travel Information: Hotel Index, Guide Index, Ticket Index, Website Navigation, Travel Index, Cruise Index, Corporate Travel Index, Franchise Cooperation, Distribution Alliance, Friendly Links, Corporate Gift Card Purchase, Insurance Agency, Agency Cooperation, Hotel Franchise, Destination and Scenic Spot Cooperation, More Cooperation, About Ctrip, About Ctrip, Ctrip Hot Topics, Contact Us, Career Opportunities, User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Business License, Security Center, Ctrip Content Center, Intellectual Property, Trip.com Group Algorithm Disclosure