My first trip to China occurred nearly ten months earlier. It was the furthest I had ever traveled outside the U.S. This time I was more at ease in preparing for my recent departure. No longer did I need to be reminded of the long flight time, language barriers, or potential visa issues that are well documented in the records of many a foreign student visiting the U.S. I was already an experienced traveler to the Far East having logged some 18,000 miles and nearly a week’s worth of tourism. However, in spite of repeated warnings about the unbearably warm climate during the summer months, I was still unfazed. After all, summer in New York City isn’t without its own degree of stifling humidity. What I soon found was it was no match for walking through the city streets of China in August.

Traveling to China is a wonderful experience in any time of the year. My first journey came in October of 2003, a trip built on both business and pleasure. On both occasions, I had the good fortune to make many new friends, which if you’re a foreign traveler whose only real experience with Chinese culture and tradition comes from a $25.00 dinner tab at the fancy Jade-lined restaurant down the corner of your apartment, they’re an invaluable asset to possess. In considering future travel plans, however, I would first suggest, if you’re on a budget, choose an off-peak time of year, such as October. The summer months in China are not only hot, but they’re the most expensive period, maybe outside of the major holidays, to fly. As I learned quickly, anytime from May through September, round trip flight prices from New York begin at $1,000 and go up about another 30,000 feet from there… you get the idea.

I did plenty of due diligence in seeking out How to construct great arguments reasonably priced flights during this period, spending nearly as much time on the phone or online as I did vacationing there in the first place. What I found was even though many of these online travel companies do produce fares that are hands-down better than going through traditional travel agents, they all draw from the same well. When you find a reasonable fare, you must know rather quickly what your exact travel dates are otherwise risk losing it. It happened to me, and in a matter of seconds.