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"Jia
personally arranged and guided our 15 day, 6 city, "off the beaten path" tour of China, which included a 3 day river cruise.
It was truly a trip of a lifetime, showing us a side of China not many westerners get to see. I would like to say that Jia's meticulous planning, with amazing local guides in each city, made the trip what it was, but this does not give her enough credit. The amazing part was how gracefully and efficiently she handled the unexpected, including a few potential vacation killers. From cancelled flights to an injured tour member who couldn't walk, Jia overcame these obstacles with aplomb, often before we even knew they even existed. Jia's skill as tour organizer was matched only by her demeanor as our guide. With 13 very independent minded tourist to ride herd on, I am sure there were times she wanted to throttle us :). But she was always upbeat, always friendly, and was somehow able to get us where we needed to be, without seeming pushy or bossy. I would definitely go on tour with her again, and can recommend Jia's Dream Tours without reservation." Tim Cuffel, (Oct 2007) |
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"Jia’s Dream Tours: Too Good To Be True? It’s True!! Believe It! When we first contacted Jia and received her proposal for Our Dream Tour, we couldn’t believe the price. A 25-day custom tour that took us exactly where we wanted to go for LESS than some of the 18-day package tours offered on the internet? Well, the price was correct and we got the trip of a lifetime. Since we were traveling as a party of two, we
didn’t have the pleasure of having Jia as our guide but she did
arrange for an English speaking guide in each city as well as a
private car and driver. The guides all spoke excellent English and
were very friendly and helpful (even retrieving a lost ATM card
in Beijing); the drivers were all excellent as well. Our guide met
us at the airport—right outside of baggage claim—in each city we
visited and our car magically appeared at the curb to collect us.
When we switched cities, our guide took us to the airport, got our
tickets, checked our luggage and made sure we knew which gate we
were going to before leaving us at security. We always felt safe,
secure and pampered. We had specified the
principal sights that we wanted to see, but after talking with us
Jia proposed additional ones we had not thought of; her choices were
all perfect. We were able to visit the selected sites at our own pace
and our guides would adjust the schedule to insure that we got to
see what we wanted. The guides even steered us to local restaurants
for our meals and helped us with order; we got excellent regional
Chinese food in local restaurants—sometimes we were the only westerners
in the restaurant—rather than the mediocre food one gets on package
tours.
Jia spent several hours on the phone with us
a few days before our trip, filling us in on what to expect in each
of the cities we visited. Our experiences were fantastic and we
have many wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. If you want
to go to China, have Jia arrange your trip. You won’t regret it.
The Chinese are warm and friendly, have a great sense of humor and
are wonderful hosts.
We haven’t met Jia yet, but we think of her as
a good friend and we are immensely grateful to her for arranging
“Sherman & Kristine’s Dream Tour”! Thanks, Jia!" Sherman Gavette & Kristine Denslow, Camas, Washington (Oct 2007) |
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"I
chose an ambitious trip for my first foray into taking groups of my
readers to interesting places: Hong Kong, Tibet, and mainland China.
Jia put together an incredible trip for us that not only impressed
me, but the entire group. They were unanimous that it was a trip of
a lifetime, and that Jia's expertise paved the way for it to be just
that for all of us. Anytime a problem cropped up, Jia was on top of
it -- often before we knew a problem existed. And indeed, most of
the time, my group didn't know that there ever was a problem because
Jia was able to take care of it before it impacted them in any way.
She went the extra mile to ensure our needs were taken care of, and
she was incredibly knowledgeable about where to go, what to see, what
to do, and what to eat. If any of my friends tell me they're planning
to go to China, I will tell them not to even think about it without
calling Jia's Dream Tours to set it up for them." Randy Cassingham, ThisIsTrue.com (Oct 2007) |
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"This
is my second trip with Jia. The first one (in 1996) was fantastic,
letting me visit the usual tourist places of China, and with superb
national and local guides. But this second one was even better!
Again we had the best of national and local guides, professionals who brought the countryside and people to life for us and gave us historic perspectives of the things we were seeing. But this trip was of lesser-visited tourist attractions, though there were plenty of tourists. Jia designed a trip that took us from the magic of Hong Kong, through Guangzhou and Chengdu to Lhasa, Tibet, and then back through Chengdu to Chongqing, down the Yangtze to Wuhan where we saw the Three Gorges Dam, and back to Hong Kong. Wow. We visited a panda breeding center, mountain villages, locks and dams, temples and palaces. We shopped in all kinds of markets, mingling with locals and tourists alike. Guides sang local folk songs to us and let us sample various folk dancing steps. And the intriguing light shows in various cities were entertaining too. Jia designed a fantastic tour for us and made sure all of the little details were attended to. It was a flawless trip." Kit Cassingham, The B&B Lady * Sage Blossom Consulting * Member ISHC (Oct 2007) |
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"I'd
have to say that this trip was well-planned, included so many little
extras that would be difficult to arrange on one's own (like the shows),
and was very well executed. I would certainly not hesitate to use
Jia's company again myself or recommend it to my friends. I've done
domestic package tours in Japan and so often it amounts to nothing
more than a person carrying a flag that everyone follows from place-to-place.
This was more of a hand-holding experience that made it very easy
to focus on the *places* we went rather than the logistics of how
to get there." Joseph L (Joe) Larabell http://larabell.org (Oct 2007) |
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"Jia,
your efficency made me a believer in using a tour company/guides for
trips. You made it all go so smoothly and were a good source for information.
I really enjoyed the tour and your charming company. Am recommending
Jia's Dream Tours to all I know. Thank you for such a great experience!
Now I need to learn more about China and Buddism. =)"
Carol Huston (Oct 2007) |
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"Jia:
Thank you so much for the adventure-of-a-lifetime! We never traveled
with a tour before, so this being our first time experience, I must
say I’m completely amazed! The hundreds of details that you arranged,
the grace and professionalism with which you handled the inevitable
adjustments, the quality of accommodations and transportation, and
unique perspectives we experienced that we NEVER would have had if
we tried this trip on our own…. Absolutely wonderful! I could go on,
but I just want you to know how much I appreciate YOU; we look forward
to more Dream Tours!
If the devil is in the details, you are an angel, for certain! You had all of the little and not-so-little details worked out and maintained your cool and professionalism through it all! Thank you so much for Everything!" Jeff Loether Electro-Media Design, Ltd. (Oct 2007) |
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"Words
can’t describe the immense gratitude that Jeff and I have for both
of you and your professional company! The trip that we took with you
to China and Tibet was only possible because you make arrangements
for me to have a wheel chair in every place where we went. You were
so kind to offer all this work after the accident that I had when
travelling in Hong Kong in our own before we joined your group of
thirteen travelers that took us as a family and acted as angels carrying
me along with my adorable husband all over the place, allowing me
to enjoy all the wonders of those amazing lands! You guys share with
us your love and compassion and we will never forget this romantic
and incredible adventure!
We are already waiting for the next opportunity to experience another face of life with you!" Lilly Loether (Oct 2007) |
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"In
May 2007, we (a party of 7 people from UK) undertook our incredible
dream tour of China with Jia's Dream Tour, and - boy, it was truly
unforgettable, amazing and dream tour for all of us! We visited the
places in China: Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guilin/Yangshuo and finally
Hong Kong!
We firstly heard of this Jia's Dream Tour through the Internet and then we had discussions with Jia several times about our plans in China. We were very impressed with her knowledge and her suggestions that would make our time in China a great memorable one for us, such as suggesting us that we would enjoy an evening show of "Legend of Kung Fu" in Beijing as part of our night entertainment. This was something that was not offered by all British tour operators. Plus it highlighted the deep knowledge of Jia about her home country and her birth city. Her deep knowledge, her great suggestions, her enthusiasm, and a pleasure to talk with her were convincing all of us. We decided to take a plunge with Jia's Dream Tour over many local British Tour Operators. From the moment we arrived in China to the moment we departed from Hong Kong/China, we experienced a really truly unforgettable dream tour in China! It was and still is the "Tour of Lifetime" for all of us. Her suggestions, her understandings, her suggested itinerary, her attention, her enthusiasm, her help and her knowledge were all top spot on/world class! We saw many amazing places, enjoyed many cultural-related activities and places (both day-time and night-time), and enjoyed local cuisines! I never thought that I have developed a fondness for squid-related Chinese meals! :D The tour guides throughout the tour were excellent, and very high quality - a big credit for Jia to ensure that we receive top/quality tour guides for our tour, to ensure we enjoy a truly dream tour in China! :D The tour guides were native Chineses but despite of that fact, they spoke excellent English, and their knowledge of places/tourist attractions are really impressive! I really enjoyed listening to their history lectures on many places! Jia was really impressive as well. She kept in touch with us a few times throughout the tour to ensure that we were happy and had a great time throughout the tour. It was really impressive to see that she go extra mile than other tour operators as she wanted to make our tour a dream one for us, just like her company's motto! :D When our tour in China was over, we were not looking forward to come back to UK as we enjoyed our time in China immensely. We already missed China very much! It was an amazing country to begin with, but with the tour from Jia's Dream Tour, the experience in China was even more amazing and a dream one for us! Incidentally, we bumped into several very good family friends all over places in China (small world indeed! :D). They went with a different (British) tour operators but they didn't do as many things as ours and they didn't even have good night entertainment as we did! I mean that they never even knew about those popular evening shows in Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin ( i.e. The Legend of Kung Fu, Shanghai Acrobatic Show and Impression of Sanjie Liu). They said that they woukd have booked with Jia's Dream Tours rather than their British tour operators if they knew how much fun and good time we were having in our dream tour in China. This may sound like we are biased but we do highly recommend Jia's Dream Tour to anyone who want to visit China ( whether they are first-time visitors or not). They will enjoy dream tours just like us! We will not hesitate to book another dream tour with Jia's Dream Tour when we are planning to visit China again in near future, as we are so impressed with Jia and all! :D A Very big credit due to Jia for making our time in China a truly amazing, dream, unforgettable and incredible one for all of us! Jia's company motto is indeed spot on! As our tour in China is indeed dream for all of us! " Karti Sunda and family/friends, London, UK (May 2007) |
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"Just
a quick note to thank-you for organizing our wonderful trip to China.
The experience far exceeded our expectations and ranks as the best
customized tour we've taken.
Traveling to China can be intimidating for some people, but from the beginning, Jia made the experience flow seemlessly and exactly to our wishes. She went further than just planning a trip, but took the time to get to know us and thus discover passions of ours that she was able to incorporate into the trip. Every restaurant, attraction and hotel accomidation was planned with detail. Jia was quick to adjust and modify our iternary when we discovered we didn't like certain foods or area attractions. Anything that needed modifying was done with perfection. Our guides were all very well briefed in the history and usual content of China, as would be expected. They also, however, adapted to every situation to make the experience even more vibrant and tailored then ever sharing a wealth of information and allowing us experiences that most tourists would not have the pleasure of experiencing. Being world-wide travelers and having been on many planned international vacations, we set the bar high. Jia's Dream Tour lived up to its name, far surpassing any bar of excellence we could have set. We look forward to enjoying another trip one day." The Bachner Family - Chicago, IL (March 2007) |
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"Our
incredible 1997 tour of China was unique and special because of our
extraordinary tour guide, Jia Thompson. She described the rich history
of China clearly and in charming detail. She was knowledgeable, caring,
and unflappable, able to solve the inevitable travel glitches with
calm and poise. We felt safe and secure. Her understanding of the
complexities of various transportation modes, hotels, and entertainment
venues, and her guidance navigating us through airports and other
destinations was comforting. We knew we could trust her. Jia is as
beautiful inside as out. Would that we only could tour China again
with her!" John and Janice Pechauer, National Advisory Council of the U.S. SBA, Honolulu, Hawaii |
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"A natural leader and business-savvy MBA. Warm, dynamic and enthusiastic; Jia is the perfect cultural bridge to experience China! Lee Jerrell, Ph D, Associate Dean College of Business, San Jose State University, CA
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"Her grasp of Chinese History was profound and thorough. She, as a native born Chinese, not only had an empathetic understanding of the culture of this great land but also the ability to communicate it to us through the medium of the English language which is not her mother tongue. Our appreciation of the past and present history and the culture of the people of China was made possible through her erudition. History and culture cannot be expressed uniquely in words. They must be felt and lived. Ms Liu Jia truly felt and lived the glorious history and culture of China. This enabled us to appreciate, respect and marvel at what we saw and experienced. Ms Liu Jia is a "naturelle" in public relations. Every member of our group felt included in her concern for us. She is gifted with a warm personality and good sense of humour. We respected her professionalism and devotion to her job…Ms Liu Jia is a composed person, capable of making decisions, full of initiative, gifted with commonsense and exuding with charm. This is an exceptional combination of talent in a young lady. As a person, Ms Liu Jia is elegant, kind, sensitive, caring and decorous. She moved among the members of our group with dignity, poise, confidence and exuded the virtue of the dictum, "to be gentle is to be strong". I do not wish to make this reference a panegyric but this is how my family, I and all the members of our group felt about her. She is no doubt a great asset to her Company and also a wonderful daughter and great ambassadress of China." Juanito Joseph Perera Ph.B., S.T.B (Rome), B.A. (London), M.A. (UNSW), (MCAE), Karing Cross, Australia |
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"An excellent tour guide can make travel
golden. After a lifetime of wanting to visit China, I finally arrived
in Beijing Airport late one May evening in 1997. And there was Jia,
waiting for me with other tour members who had arrived moments earlier.
We toured much of Eastern China and cruised up the Yangtze River from Wuhan to Chongqing through the three gorges. The ancient ways are still visible and the biggest and the most of everything seems to be in China. After two weeks of touring and seeing wonderful things, the day came, when Jia stepped down from the bus out of our lives. Tears came to my eyes thinking I would never see her lovely person again. But a couple of years ago, my phone rang, and unexpectedly I heard her voice. I smiled with happiness. And I'm hoping again, even at my age, to take a JIA’s Dream Tour to China." Sally MacLachlan, Delmar, NY |
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"During our tour in China, we encountered a major delay due to mechanical problems with our airplane… Her handling of the situation set the standard for the other tour guides in the same situation. The other guides were always seeking her advice and following her lead but none were able to provide the same level of service. Our group was the envy of the other groups. Her dedication to her job showed that she prided herself on providing outstanding service in an exceptional demanding and I am sure frequently thankless job. Her sincerity was shown in everything that she did. There was never a doubt that everything she did and every decision she made was in the best interest of the group regardless of the consequences to herself. Jia Liu showed extreme maturity, integrity and good judgment during our tour." Robert M Caine, Hoover, AL |
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"I write this letter on behalf of Jia Thompson of JIA’s Dream Tours, who my wife and I had the pleasure of having as a guide for nearly a week in and around Beijing, China. Upon our arrival in China Jia made us feel immediately at home. She had a perfect understanding of English and knew her Chinese history exceedingly well. She planned our itinerary very well. She was very attentive to our comfort and used great care in selecting restaurants and allowing for rest time. In short, she made our stay in China a memorable one. When we look at our photos and videos we realize that the trip was a success largely because of Jia. The trip to the Great Wall in particular was one of the most exhilarating experiences that we have ever had, in large part because of Jia’s knowledge and ability to fascinate. We would recommend her highly in planning a trip to China." Michael and Elaine Serling, West Bloomfield Michigan |
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"My two week tour of China in October 1996 was a dream come true. Though I signed up for a tour of all the regular tourist things, it wasn't a run-of-the-mill tour. Jia made a wonderful tour fantastic by the detailed information she offered regarding the history and culture and by taking us to sites not part of our planned schedule when we had time. Jia was brilliant at handling the big and little glitches that happened during our trip. We all felt well taken care of by this capable woman." Kit (Riley) Cassingham, The B&B Lady * Sage Blossom Consulting * Member ISHC |
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