I'm planning to travel China by myself from Christmas for about a month. Basically work my way down the country from Beijing (flying there from here on the 24th), visiting the major sites, Shanghai, Xi'an, Nanjing, etc., back to HK.
My question is, how should I go about finding/booking accomm (and transport)? I won't have a strict itinerary, nor strict list of destinations, so I'll be mainly playing it by ear.
Same goes for transport. Are trains & buses my best option? And can I buy tickets for most places on the day?
I'm just a student, so I'll be looking for reasonably priced places. Should I stick to hotels/motels/hostels? My main concern is cleanliness believe it or not. I'd hate to come back to HK with bed bugs or something (touch wood!).
Any recommendations or books or advice or whatever is appreciated. I'm doing this largely on a whim!
Cheers.