For the past couple of years my family has enjoyed quite a nice situation, as my mother used to work for British Airways and we all gained access to her flight benefits when she reached 55. However, the rules of the program stipulate that once a child is 24, they can no longer receive benefits, and guess whose big 2-4 birthday is fast approaching in May? Lucky me!
I have been working on churning cards to begin accumulating miles for when I will no longer be able to travel for 10% of full ticket price, but until then, I am planning one last big she-bang of a trip to make the most of the benefits. The trip will be for my birthday at the end of May, and I figured I'd go as far away as I could, as it may be a while until I can do that again. I've already been to Japan, so I chose China as the destination. My two brothers will be joining me on the trip as well, and we'll be going from May 21 to May 27.
Now I am starting to plan the trip, and hoping that there are some Mustachians here who can provide some insight on the must see and dos of China. Obviously hoping to do this on a budget, but want to make sure that I don't miss anything amazing, as it's not likely I'll be back to China for a while, if ever.
My brothers and I have no problem staying in hostels, although I tend to lean towards an AirBNB when possible, as I like having a kitchen. Is there a certain area of the city that is most central to the sights? Any hostel or AirBNB recommendations?
As far as sights, we certainly plan to go see the Great Wall. We all love to hike, so may end up making a day out of that and spend it hiking the wall. I've heard all suggestions on this one, running the gamut from NEEDING to take a tour or you'll be hopelessly lost to just winging it on public transport to get there.
We will probably take a 1/2 day to tour the forbidden temple and wander the city, seeing the Lama Temple and the Temple of Heaven. Probably will stop at the Beijing Zoo too to see the pandas. Also would like to see the Terra Cotta warriors, and will probably try to fly out to Xi'an and back in the same day, because that seems like a trip worth taking. A Yangtze river cruise would be amazing, but they seem to be multiday affairs. Are there any one day cruises?
Other than that, are there other major things I am missing? I love seeing markets, so any recommendations for a great local food market is appreciated as well!