We joined the Eat & Explore China trip (Oct 12–19, 2025) and unfortunately it was one of the worst travel experiences we’ve ever had. The itinerary was not followed, the hotels were unacceptable, and we constantly had to solve problems on our own instead of enjoying the trip.In Beijing, couples were put in rooms with separate beds, the hotel was a low-budget tourist bunker, and several promised activities were canceled or rushed — for example, the “dumpling workshop and lunch with a local family” turned out to be a tourist trap with inedible food. We often went without proper meals for hours (our group described it as "starvation", which is absolutely correct!), spent most days exhausted and even sick, and had no free time to explore the city. Also we only had 2,5 days in Beijing and even the host said, that this does not make any sense due to all the activities and the size of Beijing. Everything food related where optional tours, we had to pay extra for.In Xi’an, things got even worse: the hotel was dirty, moldy, and unsafe. I have a mold allergy and had a breakdown after seeing the room. We had to find and pay for a new hotel ourselves. Other travelers also complained — one even found toenails in their room. The next day, the included bike tour used completely broken bikes with snapped chains and falling pedals — a real safety hazard. The trip was planned for over 4 days in Xi'An, so most of the trip, which does not make sense at all.Although TrovaTrip later offered a $300 refund per person, that doesn’t begin to cover the stress, health risk, and missing experiences. We paid over $1,800 per person for what turned out to be a low-quality mass tour that didn’t match the advertised “Eat & Explore” experience at all.We expected an authentic food and culture trip with proper organization and comfort — instead, we got chaos, poor communication, and constant disappointment. Definitely not worth the price or the brand reputation TrovaTrip claims to have.To be honest: this is a total rip off and you will have a better trip, if you book everything yourself and just hire local guides!!!
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