I’m a former programmer and spent nine years working in Beijing. My travels and longer stays have also taken me to Taiyuan, Liuzhou, Kunming, Yuxi, Fuxian Lake, Inner Mongolia and Shunde. Local food, neighbourhood walks and the everyday details of a trip are what interest me most.
That’s the approach I bring to LanternGlow: leave time for a meal, work out how to get back, and choose the places you actually want to see. A day with fewer stops can be a better day. The guides aim to help with those choices.
In Notes from China, I share my own photographs and memories from those stays. Read about ten days in Liuzhou, with noodles, the Liu River and a park I never got to visit, or my stay by Dianchi Lake in Kunming, where I chose somewhere near the water and spent time in the wetland parks.
What you can ask me to look at
- Your itinerary: send a draft if you’re unsure about the order of stops, a busy day or an awkward connection. I can suggest changes and explain why I’d make them.
- Your questions: a few specific planning questions. If the answer depends on a hotel or provider that only replies in Chinese, I can ask them for you and explain their reply in English.
- Help during your trip: on the days you book, message me by iMessage, WhatsApp or email between 09:00 and 23:00 Beijing time when something comes up.
These are paid services at trial prices. Send me what you need, and I’ll let you know whether I can help. We’ll agree what’s included, the price, delivery time and follow-up questions before starting.
If you would prefer the trip arranged for you, I can also help shape a route and find a licensed travel agency suited to your family or private group. The initial consultation is free; the agency quotes, contracts with you, takes payment and delivers the travel services. Read about tailor-made trips.
Experience and research
I draw on my own travels where they apply and use published research for places I haven’t visited. A guide based on research isn’t an account of a personal visit.
Practical details link to the relevant park, operator or public authority. If a review includes contacting a provider, I’ll say who was contacted and what they confirmed.
I use AI tools to help draft and edit English. Send me a correction if you spot something that needs updating.
Guides and recommendations
The travel guides cover preparation, places to visit and everyday travel questions. Some include optional affiliate links through Travelpayouts. If a qualifying booking is credited to a link, I may earn a commission; see the affiliate disclosure.
To plan the basics yourself, begin with Start here. For a draft you’d like reviewed, send an itinerary enquiry.