GUY RUBIN – "Huang Shan, or Yellow Mountain, is in the province of Anhui, west of Shanghai. I first climbed it in late October. Clouds glided across the granite tusks; it was overwhelmingly beautiful. I later asked the contemporary artist Zheng Zai Dong why he had never painted the mountain. He shook his head. 'How could you be equal to the task?'" Rubin creates ultra-luxe itineraries for travelers in search of the trip of a lifetime (Imperial Tours;  » Read more »

China has always been an intriguing destination, but the buzz accompanying the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics has pushed the country to the top of many travelers' wish lists. With an English-speaking staff split between San Francisco and Beijing. Imperial Tours specializes in creating Western-friendly tours that showcase parts of the country not easily accessible to first-time visitors. Honeymooners can enjoy a white-linen banquet on a secluded section of the Great Wall, float down the Li River past local fishermen and grazing water buffalo,  » Read more »

China has always been an intriguing destination, but the buzz accompanying the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics has pushed the country to the top of many travelers' wish lists. With an English-speaking staff split between San Francisco and Beijing. Imperial Tours specializes in creating Western-friendly tours that showcase parts of the country not easily accessible to first-time visitors. Honeymooners can enjoy a white-linen banquet on a secluded section of the Great Wall, float down the Li River past local fishermen and grazing water buffalo,  » Read more »

San Diego's Luxury Lifestyle Magazine Holiday Traditions La Jollans Betsy and Scott McClendon also experienced special access and insider events when they visited China in April 2006. "We were dreading being part of a tour," Besty told me, "but Imperial Tours enabled us to go behind the scenes and have extraordinary adventures." "When we visited the Forbidden City in Beijing, our group was taken to a gate that led to a private section of grounds.  » Read more »

Reported by Andrea Bennett The agents listed the following pages know the world – and how to get those elusive upgrades, hard-to-score reservations, and seats on sold-out flights. We've interviewed hundreds of agents to pick the ones who always deliver. You'll find our 125 travel super-agents listed by area of specialization, with their dream trips included to inspire you to see the world. We also reveal some of the secrets they shared in completing our annual survey of agents,  » Read more »