Courtesy of China Connection, a national newsletter for China-adoptive families

Traveling Alone (or with a recruited companion) to Adopt (although with a group, usually)
----Ideas & Resources


----Please note that this listing originated Jan. 5, 2000, and will take a while to develop.
----Readers are invited to add to the list by e-mailing the web URL and a short description
--vof the story (comparable to what is seen here).

 

Introduction
A China-adoptive parent who is either single or whose spouse is not traveling, faces the decision of whether to recruit a travel companion. If it is decided to take an companion, the expectations of both persons need to be in accord so that the companion will not anticipate a vacation nor the parent expect a nurse-porter.

Reading the reports of parents who have traveled alone (although in a travel group of adopting parents) or with a non-spouse companion should be helpful both in deciding whether to take a companion AND in providing background information to a prospective companion. A parent can even use discussion of such reports to test the appropriateness or readiness of a potential travel companion.

 
     

The following listing is in two parts: stories of parents who traveled without a companion, and parents who traveled with a recruited companion. Unless noted otherwise, travel was with an adoptive group.

WITHOUT -

China adoption trip WITHOUT a companion (though usually traveling in an adopting group)

  

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http://members.aol.com/rayzir/Caiastory.html
A married parent who has other children, including one adopted (China), traveled in a small group without her spouse or other companion to adopt a toddler (15-18 mo., but I didn't see the exact age. --ed). Some of the material consists of copies of her posts to APC. After an initial announcement of her return, saying the trip was OK, a lengthy account follows. (Gillette)

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres8680/chinatrip1.html
A single parent provides a detailed diary account of her July, 1999, adoption trip to Maoming (Guangdong Province) to adopt a toddler (about 20 mo. old). Lots of photos. (Gibson)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
   

WITH -

China adoption trip WITH a recruited companion (and usually traveling in an adopting group)

  

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http://www.xiandong.com/inchina.htm
A single parent who went to China in 1998 in a group (--appears to be about a dozen couples /singles) and was accompanied by her father and aunt, to adopt a 12-mo. child. (Laughlin)
The writing, which is in sections, is very lengthy, but the final two or three sections may be the most informative, since they cover receiving the child and completing the trip. (A book-length chronicle, Diary 1, covers the year or so prior to the trip.)

http://gamma.is.tcu.edu/~sanderson/story/intro.html
A single parent accompanied by a friend (who was a parent herself) to Hunan in 1999 to adopt an infant. The travel group (they met in China after going a day earlier to sightsee) consisted of 5 couples and 3 single parents. The other two singles were also accompanied, one by an aunt, one by a sister. The story is about 9 webpages, including over a dozen photos. (Anderson)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
     

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