Many Beijing citizens are having a vacation windfall next month, as the authorities have approved a six-day holiday for employees in government departments and institutions during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting to ease traffic.

Athough companies are not included, some of them said they would provide a holiday to their employees to support the APEC meetings, which will be Nov 10 and 11.

  It's natural for those who don't have to work to think of traveling from Nov 7 to 12. The local government is encouraging people to travel during the holiday, and it is working with some travel agencies to promote tours.

  Before you jump off to plan your holiday, here are some reminders and good news to keep in mind.

   1.If you plan to drive out of the city, remember that Beijing will use an odd-even traffic ban from Nov 3 to 12. That means cars can only be driven on alternating days based on odd or even license plate numbers. Consider public traffic if you tour inside the city or visit the surrounding areas, as Beijing will increase the number of buses by 400, or 2 percent of total public transport capacity.

  2. Tourism administrations of eight provinces and cities – Hebei, Shanxi, Tianjin, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejing and Sichuan - have tailor-made a six-day tour package especially for Beijing tourists during the holiday. Travel agencies are also providing more routes to meet the growing needs.

  3. Although options are plenty, plan your holiday before it is too late. Most people reacted fast and booked their trips soon after the news was announced last week. According to Beijing Evening News, the amount of orders through agencies and travel websites has tripled that of last year, with prices 

  4. You can travel with your car without city-to-city driving. If you want to travel around another city in your very own car, the good news is that Beijing is offering more auto train routes during the APEC holiday to transfer your vehicle on a train to another city. From Nov 4 to 14, the temporary service is available for six destinations: Zhejiang, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hunan, Shaanxi and Hubei.

  5. If you hold a Beijing ID, you can enjoy a 50 percent discount and even free admission to many major attractions in Henan province during the APEC holiday.

  (From chinadaily.com.cn)