Holt Family Tours provide adoptees with the unique experience of traveling back to their birth country with others “who are just like me.” Holt places special emphasis on the adoptees’ story during the tour.

Some comments by adoptees:

“I’m glad I went on this tour to China. I now understand more about why I had to be adopted.”

“I know that people in China care about me. Since this trip I think of China as a beautiful and interesting place. It makes me feel special being American and Chinese.”

“I have always wanted to go back to China. I am glad to find out where I was found… and now I know.”

Some comments by parents:

“Meeting with orphanage workers, (our daughter’s) foster family and being welcomed as valued and important individuals by persons involved in their early life gave our daughters a sense of belongingness no story we could tell them could ever convey.”

“On our last day of the tour, (our daughter) told me that she was very sad that the tour was over… I wish I didn’t have to leave…. She looked at me with shining eyes and I heard her unspoken words “I love China and now I know that China loves me.”

Tour Participants on the China Tour will:

• Experience the culture, customs and history of China
• Learn about Holt China Children’s Services and their many programs benefiting children in China
• Meet people who touched their early lives before they found their forever home. Visit their orphanage, foster families and sites of significance to their adoption story (whenever possible).
• See everyday life in China: Chinese schools, local family homes, cultural activities, Chinese village life
• Experience famous Chinese tourist sites such as the Great Wall, the mountains of Guilin, a Li River cruise, and enjoy the beauty of the diverse Chinese landscape

Dates for 2010 Family Tours (open to adoptees, their family members, and anyone with a significant relationship to the adoptee): Tours are being planned for the spring (March – April) and early to mid summer (starting late June through mid-July), but final formation will depend upon interest level. Family Tours generally are of about two weeks in length. We may form one specialty tour this summer specifically for families with children that were adopted from Guangxi province. Other tours will be open to families of children adopted from any province; families will separate mid-tour to visit orphanages, and then rejoin the main group. Actual tours will be formed based upon preliminary applications received and the availability of our staff in China. We expect to announce exact dates of our tours in the fall of 2009. Contact Holt for up-to-date details..

Cost for a 2010 Family Tour: Your exact tour cost will vary, depending upon your child’s home province and other personal choices. However, as an example, in 2009 the average fee for a two-week tour was about $3300 per adult or child aged twelve and older, and about $2900 per child under twelve. This cost did not include international airfare to and from China. Please see FAQs for more information.