China on a Shoestring

Granted, all your shots have to be up to date before you can go to China. But if you're all ready, tours in China start as low as $1,000 for seven to 10 days -- including meals, transportation and first-class accommodations. Throw in round trip airfare, and you can spend this year's vacation traveling like Middle Kingdom royalty for about $2,000.

Itineraries vary depending on the operator, but every good whirlwind tour includes ample time in Beijing, taking in historical sites like the nearby Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square, and Shanghai, one of China's largest and most cosmopolitan cities. You should also have time for a day or two in Xi'an -- the country's ancient capital, the end of the Silk Road, and home to the Terra Cotta Warriors -- as well as a luxury cruise down the Yangtze River, where you can view the scenic Three Gorges and visit the world's largest hydroelectric dam.

If you have some extra time, look for tours that will also take you to places like Suzhou, the silk haven just south of Shanghai; Guilin, home of the fantastically sculpted peaks that have long inspired classical Chinese landscapes; or Guangzhou, the industrial powerhouse fueling much of China's recent development.

CHOICE OF PACKAGES.  Best of all, you don't have to worry about booking late. Though some of the most popular packages are already sold out, with a bit of savvy surfing you shouldn't have a problem finding trips that suit your schedule. Three-city, 10-day "China Delight" tours with a three-night cruise were still available in late June for as little as $1,050 from Affordable tours.com. And China Discovery Tours' 15-day, five-city extravaganza is $2,199, including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles.

Last-minute fares may be even cheaper, since operators like Discovery Tours often offer discounts to fill fast-approaching tours.

So, if you start planning now, you still have plenty of time to purchase your China package -- and get current on all your shots.