24 Attractions Crammed into 9 Days, Flexible Travel for Hungarian Seniors

In Lijiang Airport, August 2024, despite the scorching sun, the air felt pleasantly comfortable. A stream of tourists flowed out, and we, Asia Odyssey Travel, were scanning the crowd for our guests. There they were! A group of Hungarian tourists, all over 60, wheeled their luggage towards us.

Leading the pack was Joseph, 68, dragging a silver suitcase, his graying beard showing signs of a long flight. Yet, his eyes sparkled like the lakes beneath the snow-capped mountains. His first words, as determined as when we planned the itinerary, were: "I have a list of 24 must-see attractions. Don't disappoint me in these 8 days."

9 Days, 24 Attractions: The Challenge of the Ultimate Itinerary

Let's rewind to before their trip began, when we were discussing their Yunnan and Guilin itinerary. My WhatsApp pinged once, but that single message kept me occupied for a long time. It was an extensive travel wish list, densely packed with English notes listing Zhiyun Monastery, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Baisha Ancient Town, Lijiang Old Town...... a total of 24 places they wanted to visit! To ensure our guests enjoy the sights comfortably, I usually limit the itinerary to a maximum of four attractions per day. But this request demanded five or more, a true test of their legs and knees.

Their travel enthusiasm was undeniable. No matter how much I discussed it with this determined group, their answer remained the same: every attraction had to be included, no compromises! I quickly mapped out each location and, like a chess player, pieced together an itinerary that covered 24 attractions in 8 days, doing my best to make it work.

Back to the trip, the first five days in Yunnan were like a military march. But they were in high spirits, their steps light as they gazed at the snow-covered Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from Black Dragon Pool Park and admired the religious stories, folk legends, and historical events depicted in the White Sand Murals at Baisha Ancient Town.

Unexpected Flight Changes Disrupt the Plan

The real challenge lay in their sixth day, traveling from Kunming to Guilin. Joseph had insisted on booking an early flight from Kunming to Guangzhou himself, leaving us in a dilemma. If we stuck to the original plan with the high-speed train to Guilin, a flight delay would ruin the rest of their action-packed itinerary. If we changed to the last train, they would have a five-hour layover at Guangzhou station.

Late into the night, our local team's chat group lit up with messages. We scrambled to rearrange the Guilin itinerary, moving the Longji Terraced Fields to the early morning, shifting the Li River Cruise to the eighth day, and even compressing the half-day Reed Flute Cave visit into a two-hour whirlwind tour.

On the sixth day they landed, I kept a close eye on their flight's arrival time. Only when I received the message "arrived on time" did I realize my back was soaked in cold sweat.

Twenty days later, I received their email with an attached photo of them on a bamboo raft on the Li River. The elderly gentlemen, wearing a Naxi-style dark blue headscarf, posed against the backdrop of mist-shrouded peaks.

The caption read: "Dear Cindy, thank you for your patient work, always in our best interest, good itinerary, good implementation. I think that the good evaluation of your colleagues is also a praise of your work. This trip went so well that we talked among ourselves that we will try to make a trip to Tibet next year."

I smiled at my computer screen. It seemed I would soon be planning another travel miracle for them in Tibet! I look forward to their visit!