I just got my Chinese tourist Visa with this company's help, specifically Heidi, who I believe is the proprietor. I second the other reviews that she is super efficient and to the point. The myriad websites that attempt to explain Visa requirements for China are very confusing. I showed up with my best guess about what would make a complete application, and Heidi quickly pointed out several missing things and a few incorrect things on my application. After a few questions, she correctly understood my situation and instructed the appropriate way to fill the form. I offered to come back with the corrections, but she went ahead and fixed it herself! She was willing to take the application as-is and accepted the missing documents over email, fax, etc and print it herself so I didn't have to make another trip to her office. My Visa was ready for pick up at her office within 4 business days, even though she initially suggested it could be longer. In sum, she saved me at least two visits to the Chinese consulate in SF (likely more due to corrections), hours of waiting in line, multiple headaches all for the hilariously low price of ~$30 (she charged for the cost of the Visa and her services together). A heads up - she moves fast and can *appear* brusque, but from all indications, she has the best interest of her customer in mind. Go here, and you can thank me later. read more

Great service and fast turnaround for Chinese visa service. Open and in business as of 4/2025 read more

American Vacation Travel - Great service for Chinese visa applications. Open and in business as of 4/2025 - Passport & Visa Services Near Me - Mountain View, California

Our family benefited from Heidi's services for may years, this review is long overdue. Heidi is super efficient, very resourceful and customer service oriented. She is excellent in booking complicated itinerary which we are not able to do online; she also make excellent recommendations for alternatives (but not pushy) which can save us lots of $$ and hassles. She has good connections with various tour companies and airlines, very effective in chasing after wait-listed openings / airline seats which is so helpful. She is very busy most of the time, therefore the conversations are usually quick and to the point, not much into chitchat. I enjoy working with Heidi and her travel agency a lot, have recommended to friends and others. read more

Non-professional and unfriendly staff. On Friday, they picked my documents and passport for Schengen (German) visa, affirming that they send the applications and receive the visas in 1 week. On Monday another employee (Heidi Wong?) called me and with non-friendly voice explained to me that they do not proceed with Schengen visa at all. She asked me to pick up the passport the same day. I'm was in a hurry, because it was close to the visa application deadline. When I arrived and asked to print 15 papers of documents (flights, hotels, application...), so that I can go to FedEx and send documents to embassy myself, the woman aggressively answered that I better print somewhere else. (Seriously? Cannot print 15 pages? is it really a travel agency?). The experience is unpleasant, I've lost time. 1 star for being able to pick the passport back. Else, it would be 0. read more

I came here to get Chinese Visa. The office is small but the the workers were super friendly. It looks like their clientele is mostly Chinese but they speak fairly good English and I was served well. They charge $30 for the service fees on Chinese Visa, you, of course have to also pay for the actual fee that the Chinese Embassy charge for a Visa, it varies by what kind passport you own. I will certainly come here again for future travel services :) read more

Great service! American Vacation Travel quickly reviewed and processed my Chinese visa application. I highly recommend everyone come here for their visa applications. It's a lot easier than waiting at the embassy. read more

Heidi was very nice and I was able to receive my 10 Year China Visa within a week! TIP: for Section 2.2 Intended number of entries, choose OTHER! Things to prepare: - the China Visa Application (http://www.china-embassy.org/chn/lszj/bgxz/P020130830121570742708.pdf) - your Passport - a copy of your Drivers License (she can also photo copy it for you) - passport photo Make sure that for your passport photo that you: - don't show your teeth when you smile - show your ears, hair tucked behind your ears - nice clean white background (i got mine done at Costco for $4.99 with 4 copies!) ** She no longer helps take Visa Photos** read more

If you need a Chinese Visa in a hurry, this is THE PLACE to do it. For a visitor's visa, bring with you: - A filled out Visa Application (you can also come to the office and fill it out there) - Passport - Copy of your flight itinerary to China - Copy of your hotel confirmation in China - Passport Photos (otherwise you can pay them $10 to take it for you) - Checkbook; If you decide to pay after the visa is completed then be prepared to bring cash later. I booked my flight to China only 8 days before travel and was able to get a 10 year visitor visa expedited in 4 business days for only $210 (this already includes cost of Chinese Visa from the Consulate). Like other's have said, paying $30-60 (depending on if you want it expedited) for American Vacation Travel to cross-check your applicatio, and make two trips to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco is well worth the money! They also do a great job of booking multi-city flights. Now that I have a 10-year visa, I'm looking forward to going through them for a multi-Asian city trip! read more

Used them to get my China visa ticket. Asked for expedited service and had it ready in 2 days. Heidi walked me through the entire process. Would highly recommend this service to anyone trying to get a visa to China. Don't try to do it yourself. Last time I spent two days going to the consulate in SF and still didn't get my visa. Still have PTSD from that experience. Worth every penny I spent. read more

I just started to plan our family summer China/Japan vacation for our party of 12. From a friend's referral, I called on Sunday to leave my contact information or listen to their office hours. Heidi answered the phone and only said "It's Sunday.". I asked "Are you open?". She only replied "It's Sunday.". A bit taken back, I asked if the office is open tomorrow and if I could make an appointment with Heidi. She said "What time?". I said between 3:00 - 3:30 pm. She said "Ok." and was just about to hang up the phone when I asked if she needed my name for the appointment. She said "Sure." and then hung up after I told her. Definitely not off to a great or even acceptable first impression. The following day, Monday, I am a bit caught up at work and couldn't leave early enough as planned. Heidi called and left me an aggressive voice message, "It's 3:15 and you called yesterday saying you want an appointment. Are you coming or not?". Her number was not the same as the office number I called Sunday. I returned her call shortly but also got her answering service and left a message saying "I would still like to come but want to make sure you are in the office since I am coming from San Jose.". While waiting for her return call, I call my mother, who will be traveling with us, to try and coordinate if this appointment is still happening when I see Heidi trying to call me 3 times. After hanging up with my mother, I called and got a hold of a very angry Heidi. She repeated reminded me "You called on Sunday. Are you coming or not? I'ts pass 3:30 pm. You called on Sunday.". Finally fed up with her aggressive and rude tone, I told her "No, I'm not coming. I've decided to take my business elsewhere." I'm happy to spend a lot of money with a different travel agency. Any suggestions? read more

How on Earth are people saying that this place is amazing? I called to ask for help in planning an upcoming trip to Europe. Heidi rudely said I needed to email her an itinerary of what I wanted to do and she would get me a quote. I sent her all the pertinent information I could think of. She emailed back something in military time and airport codes that was nearly indecipherable. When I emailed back and asked what it all meant, she responded with a departure date and destination. When I asked if she had looked into a second-choice destination, she responded, "No chance." Um, is that "No, I have not had a chance to look," "No, you don't have a chance in hell of going," "No, there's no chance of my ever giving you a comprehensible answer"?? I gave up. I called up another place that has a staff who cheerily answer questions and gets back to emails in a timely fashion and in plain English. read more

Booked my travel tickets via American Vacation Travel. They did an excellent job and got me the itinerary I wanted -- and it was much cheaper than if I had booked it directly with United Airlines. Sometimes, they might not return your phone calls due to the sheer volume of clients they have to respond to, so either go there in person or keep calling back. The agent I use is Daisy Chen. read more

Has this happened to you: Spend weeks on kayak.com looking for that perfect price point flight, you find it, and when you go to purchase said tickets -- they don't exist. It's a f'ing scam that airlines do to show up as the cheapest result, and it happens frequently. So yeah, this happened to me. With little luck on the online front, I then proceeded to look at various well-rated "travel services" in the peninsula. I stopped by Travel Hopper and Irene's Travel, in both experiences no one was around at their listed address, and I soon realized these services were essentially run by single individuals renting a space or cubicle at an already preexisting business. Neither picked up their phones. A little pissed at the unsuccessful search, I took a gamble and headed over to American Vacation Travel. I am ENORMOUSLY happy I did. AVT exists on the second floor of an old building in downtown Mountain View. On first appearances, things look a little rustic at best, maybe a tad messy. You know what, it's because everyone here hustles -- obviously they have been at this game for a while and know what they're doing. There seemed to be a lot of people coming in to get visas to and from China when I was there. When I handed Heidi my Kayak printout, she raised a questionable eyebrow, then actually found me a cheaper and better deal. There's a refreshing no-nonsense attitude here. If what you're after is a cheap flight, period -- come here. They specialize in flights to Asia and Europe. For my backpacking trip to Southeast Asia, I got exactly the deal I wanted and then some. read more

I recently applied China visa through American Vacation travel, the experience is very positive. Heidi is very experienced in visa application process and carefully pointing out my mistakes in application form, missing documents etc. She saved me a round trip driving from Mountain View to San Francisco plus waiting hours in long lines. My whole day will be wasted with tiny mistakes in application materials. Their service is absolutely 5 stars, I recommended them to everyone. read more

Do it yourself or go to a travel agent. DIY would seem to get you the best rates right? Not necessarily - especially if you have to change tickets or have a complicated itinerary. I've used American Vacation Travel in Mountain View for a couple of years now and have had positive experiences each time. The employees are Chinese but you don't need to know Mandarin or Cantonese to get a good deal - which is almost always better than Expedia, PriceLine or any other online deal. My company has a different travel agency but I prefer to use AVT - their rates have always been lower. The agent I speak to is Daisy Chen - same as who Anita L has used. She's thorough and is easy to work with. As a bonus they're located on Castro St in Mountain View - which is a great place to have lunch after picking up your tixs. read more

Heidi is extremely knowledgeable and full of integrity! We went again to renew the China visa on his new passport. She instead of taking the fee told us a different solution, very helpful！ read more

Roberts a salty funny guy that does things in an old school way. Bottom line he gets you good itineraries and gives you good prices. read more

I have used their services for international travel for years. This year I got stuck in Hongkong due to typhoon. None of my relatives could get through to the airport to change their tickets. Heidi took care of everything with one email over the weekend. It is good to have an agent who one can trust to save the day. read more

Outstanding service, inexpensive, responsive, fast, pleasant They got the Chinese visa quickly and with no pain. The alternative is hours of waiting at the embassy in SF. Highly recommend read more

I've been going to Heidi for at least the last 10 years. This place is a Chinese business, but Heidi's English is just fine. Definitely the place to go for tickets to Asia. Nothing fancy, office is really tiny, but the service has always been excellent. read more

Wow. Heidi got a China visa for my daughter pre-COVID-19. She helped make sure I filled out the forms correctly and was a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend!!! read more

Have used this place twice to get a Chinese Visa expedited. Excellent quick service both times.

Everyone is trying to get the lowest ticket price as possible when they plan their travel arrangements, I have been using American Vacation for many years and would not go anywhere else for international ticket purchases due to their excellent service and low ticket prices. I have noticed some may not have a positive feedback about the service agents, but do ask yourselves that were you really serious about purchasing a low priced ticket or just to waste ppl's time, there are many customers only gets quotes and never complete a transaction, needless to say, these ppl are the one who makes other potential customers look bad. read more

I called a couple of travel agency but not able to get my questions answered regarding traveling to China currently until I talked to this agent. He is knowledgeable and extremely patient! Thank you! read more

I came here to get a visa for China. Heidi processed all my documents quickly and was very knowledgeable about other documents I was missing. After giving her all the necessary documents, my passport and visa were available for pickup within a week. I would highly recommend getting your visa processed here instead of at the consulate! read more

I needed a visa to China in four days. Heidi recommended the express service, which was $250 including all the consulate fees. This was significantly less than a lot of other places charge. She walked me through the process politely and patiently, took my passport photo ($10), and then said she'd call me when the visa arrived. It came faster than she promised, and she called three times to ensure I got the message. I was again pleasantly surprised that she'd obtained a 10-year visa for me rather than just the one-year or one-trip versions. No extra charge. So overall, Heidi offered very competent, speedy service at a surprisingly low price. It couldn't have been easier. read more

If you are too incompetent to reply to two emails offering to pay your company money, you get one star.

If you are looking for a Chinese visa, you can stop looking and call American Vacation Travel - excellent value, efficient service, and centrally located on Castro in downtown Mountain View! We paid $190 per person to obtain 10 year visas in 5 business days, or only $50 more than the $140 that the Chinese embassy requires. If you need your visa in less than 5 business days you will pay more (approximately $250 in 3 business days). Heidi took our visa applications and carefully checked them, and Mr Chan called us when our visas were ready. Caveat is that you either need to pay check or cash when you submit your documents or cash when picking them up. Highly recommended. read more

HASSLE FREE CHINA VISAS! --- THE DEETS: - Booked travel to China, needed visas. - Ain't no body got time for that! - $30 Visa Service Fee + Cost of Visa - $10 for Visa photos (OK to bring your own copy) - Visas ready after 4 business days - Close at 6pm, enough time if you stop by after work. --- OVERALL: - Spending $30 to having someone make two trips to the Chinese Consulate and assuring you filled out the forms correctly is a complete bargain! Would highly recommend. The staff was very friendly and sweet. The older woman who sat by the door went through my forms quickly and was very sweet. Unsure what other reviewers meant about any negative experiences being had here. One piece advice though, if you've traveled to China before be sure to bring all passports with expired visas because they need to be presented along with your current passport and application. The only reason why I knew this was because made sure I did my research before coming here. The lady on the phone only asked me to bring a photo, a completed form and my passport. Other things to know is to make sure you have at least 6 months left on your passport and blank pages (original). The location was fairly easy to find. Located right near Gelato Classico. Their offices are on the second floor. If you take the stairs facing Castro, walk down the hallway and turn into the first cooridor on your right. I missed that cooridor two times before I realized their offices were in there. Worth every penny! I would come here again for all my China travel related needs. #467 read more

I required an expedited passport for work. The process was confusing until I visited Heidi at American Vacation Travel. Glad I did, because it was painless on my end, I just had to make a couple trips which was not an issue. This needed to be done within a few days and waiting weeks for the post office was not an option. HOW TO RENEW PASSPORT GUIDE: If you held a passport as a minor, you need to complete the online application and print it out. At this point, photocopy your driver's license front and back as well as your expired passport photo/info page. Have a new passport photo taken somewhere. I went to Walgreen's 105 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale. Luis was a great guy and had it done in about 3 minutes. I am told its cheaper at Costco but you may have to wait about 30-45 minutes. Bring everything to American Vacation Travel to obtain further documentation. Pay Heidi for the service upfront. Now, you are ready to visit a US Post Office to acquire the "sealed envelope" this is exactly what it sounds like. The post office will only accept a check to process the sealed envelope. You swear the information is correct, the envelope is then sealed and stamped maybe 10 times. The next time its opened, will be at the headquarters in San Francisco, if opened otherwise, its invalid. You leave the post office with the envelope in hand, drop it off with Heidi and she gives you an estimated pick up time. I dropped it off on a Tuesday afternoon and was told it would be available Monday the following week. To my surprise, Heidi called Friday the same week I dropped it off and it was ready! I believe the speed depends on the number of items the agency planned to process altogether. Absolutely satisfied with the service. I will be recommending Heidi at American Vacation Travel to all my friends and family in the event they require an expedited passport. read more

This hands down the best Chinese travel agent in Bay Area, especially their passport service. I had a near impossible situation for my Chinese visa, I was turned down by several travel agencies, this was the only one accepting me. It took three times to finally get me a 10 year tourist visa. I was thrilled to see it on my passport . read more

Best service. I was a little concerned at first, since the office is small, but Heidi and her team are miracle workers - no one can do better when it comes to Chinese visas. Thank you! read more

This review is for service rendered May/June 2015. 4* for the process - Heidi checked the application form and required supporting documents and gave a good estimate of when I will get my visa and passport back. 1* for the transparency of charges - when I was about to write the check, Heidi added "oh, it is for a 10 yr visa, the total charge will (then) be $190". According to the Chinese Embassy online info, L visa fee is $140 regardless of length of visa. And I do not see (at least AVT does not explain) that there is more work on AVT since I am applying for a 10 yr visa instead of a shorter duration one. Note - I was applying via regular and not expedite processing. It is interesting to see the range of visa service fee that these agencies charge...a friend had his done for $15 in SF Chinatown. I'd only assume the $35 difference is fuel surcharge ; ) read more

We are very happy with our recently purchase with American Vacation Travel. We used to book our tickets through Eva web site when traveling to Taiwan but with a new born, there is no purchase options for infant, bassinet request or baby meals etc. Our travel date was around Christmas and return after Chinese New Year. We were told by Heidi; either we don't get to sit together or we might not get a bassinet for the baby because all tickets were sold out. She put us on standby and we didn't think we will have much luck because we did call other places (other travel agent simply said all the tickets were sold out and it's impossible to get a ticket on our request date). Surprisingly, Heidi called us back after several days and informed us that she was able to get the seats for us, along with the bassinet at her promised price. After all, we requested to change our return date numerous time because the baby was sick. Heidi changed the date for us with no complaints and she even tried to help us in waiving the penalty. Love their service. We will continue to buy from them. read more

My work books our travel arrangements (flights, China visas, and even airport rides) through AMV. They always come through. For example, my co-worker forgot her passport one time, and Heidi Wong (our agent) had it delivered to us at the airport. You can't beat service like that! read more

Short, but not sweet. Even a bit disorganized. But got the job done, which is the whole point. Will use again. read more

Great service and reasonable price, got my M visa within 3 days, glad that I checked Yelp ratings first, better than I expected, highly recommended for sure! read more

Heidi is a gem; knows her stuff and is extremely personable. I had an unfortunate/unpleasant experience with another China visa outfit and vowed not to go back to them. I found Heidi at American Vacation Travel and she took the time to advise how to fill out the application for a 10-year multiple entry visa. I took her advice and, bingo, now have that type visa. I appreciate Heidi's advice and quick turnaround to get the visa back to me. Great service! read more

The guy that answers the phone is rude and unprofessional. pretty much started off the phone conversation telling me I won't be able to afford the tickets during the days I plan to travel. Never called me back with a quote. read more

Got my Chinese Visa through AVT. They were great- only charged $50 on top of the consulate fee and had my passport/visa back to me in 5 days. Highly recommended! read more