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Travel Tips for China

I have been fortunate enough to travel to China multiple times because of my full-time job. (To learn more about it, visit my About Me page.) In those trips, I’ve learned several travel tips for China that I’d like to share with you.

Get a Visa

You need to apply for a visa in order to get to China. This was news to me before I was planning my first trip to China. From my experience, there are not too many countries that require a United States citizen to have a visa before entering – but they are out there, so it’s always good to check before you go! Luckily, my manager informed me that it was required for entry into China mainland (but not Hong Kong) so I had time to prepare my application for approval.

Because I didn’t want to make any mistakes on the application, I consulted a passport office. If you don’t know of any in your area, do a Google search for “passports and visas dallas” or whichever city you are in and several contacts should show up. There is a fee but they can help you prepare everything you need, and you won’t risk any mistake of missing an item from your submission which can cause delays. They also maintain good relationships with the Consulates, so these types of companies can also come in real handy for when you need a visa in a rush.

Language Barriers

In my experience, taxi drivers rarely speak any English no matter where you are in China, but overall, I felt that metropolitan cities like Shanghai are overall pretty English friendly. As you venture outside of major Chinese cities, language barriers intensify and it becomes more of a challenge to navigate towns on your own.

One way that I overcome language barriers is to make a list of important places that I knew I would need transportation to and from, before I leave. This included:

Airport
My hotel
Convention center (in my case)
Cultural and historical landmarks and experiences that I wanted to check out in my free time
A couple of restaurants that caught my eye while researching

I then copy and pasted all of those addresses into a Word doc in English and in Mandarin. I also added a clear image of the location as well. I print these pages and put them into a binder that fits in my carry-on. When I’m trying to tell a taxi driver where to take me, I’ll pull out the binder and point to the location. This non-verbal form of communication has worked well for me. It’s also been a life-saver to use when my phone dies and I don’t have technology to rely on.

Being from Texas, I’m not used to hailing cabs. We don’t have a massive fleet of taxis all over the town like in New York. So I’m especially uncomfortable with hailing cabs in a foregin country. When I’m ready to head back to my hotel or the next destination on my list, I find the closest hotel. Hotels are a likely spot to find someone that speaks decent English since they cater to international clientele. After finding and walking to a nearby hotel, I go to the front desk and ask the attendant to call a taxi for me. I also tell them where I’d like to go so that they can communicate the destination to the taxi driver on my behalf. It doesn’t matter if you are staying in that hotel or not - I’ve always been very kindly accommodated upon asking.

I’ve also used the Google Translate app if I need to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak English.

It's a pretty powerful app - but this will only work if you've purchased a VPN!! (See below on internet firewalls and VPNs.) If you’re able to used Google Translate, I type the word or sentence into the app, then show the translation to the other person. It also works with voice too - you can speak you sentence in English into the app then have the sentence translated.

Cash and ATM's

Make sure you have enough cash on you before you set out for each day. I have found that my card works with some ATMs but not others. Even if the ATM says it accepts the card type (Visa, Mastercard, etc.,) it may still not work.

If you didn’t get cash out before your trip to China or at the airport, check on the local ATMs around your hotel and find at least one that will work with your card. On several occasions, I’ve been in the situation where I needed to grab cash fast and my card wouldn’t work.

Another note on credit cards - make sure you know your PIN. I’ve found that in the United States, I rarely need to use my PIN, but in Europe and Asia, a PIN is required often. Set up your PIN number for your card with your bank BEFORE you head to China. And write it down if you are a forgetful person!

The Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou, China

Starbucks is your friend

After a long day of traveling in a foreign country, I can get pretty burnt out, especially because I’m an introverted traveler. Starbucks is my reliable happy place for recouping when I’m out and about exploring.

>> Related reading: What is an Introverted Traveler? <<

Although I love trying new foreign foods and local cuisine, sometimes I just crave the flavors from home. Starbucks serves the same coffee drinks globally. I’ve found that they usually have local flavors incorporated into some of the food and drink menu items but overall, Starbucks is consistent.

The best part about Starbucks too is that they are everywhere! It’s a great place for me to charge up my phone, use their wifi, rest for a few moments, and regroup as I determine where my next stop will be.

Starbucks at Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai, China

custom travel planning - the jet set blonde - brittany ryan

custom travel planning with brittany

Internet firewalls and VPN's

Many websites, including Google and related Google services, do not work in China on wired or hotel internet connections due to the “great firewall.” This includes:

· Google.com

· Google Maps

· Gmail

· Google Docs

· Facebook

· YouTube

· Wikipedia

· Twitter

· Instagram

· Pinterest

· Dropbox

· And more (for a full list, visit here…before you’re in China)

Before you start stressing about being cut off from your favorite sites, there are some options.

If you have AT&T service in the US, they offer an international program where you can have access to your same plan as back home for $10 a day. It’s quite convenient when in a pinch. It’s not the cheapest option though so I would advise only turning this on when you really need it. Once on, you might as well use for a few hours because it will charge you for a full day flat fee automatically. This and other international roaming options can add up fast, so be wary.

Alternatively, you can purchase a VPN (virtual private network) service that will allow you to access all the normal sites that you are used to accessing back home.

I recommend that you purchase two separate services in the event that one service gets blocked. You should set this up before you arrive in China, otherwise it becomes way more difficult. A VPN subscription will give you access to Google and other restricted sites on a laptop, phone, and/or tablet. Once purchased and downloaded, you’ll be asked to sign into the app or service to install server connections. After clicking “Connect” you’re all set. I recommend ExpressVPN which includes the following:

24/7 customer support by live chat
Ultra-fast servers in 94 countries
Apps for Apple, Android, and more
Best-in-class security and encryption
No activity logs and no connection logs
30 day risk-free trial

Still unsure about a VPN? Watch the video below on “What is a VPN? And What Can You Do With It?”

Some good news…internet firewalls do not apply to Hong Kong – Hong Kong has not always been considered a part of the People’s Republic of China, therefore, they operate under different rules, one of which is less restrictive webpage security. Literally, right as I crossed the border from Hong Kong into China via car, my social media stopped working, so be prepared!

Safety

I found China to be very safe for a solo female traveler, though sometimes difficult to navigate with the language barriers. China maintains a high security society – with cameras, metal detectors, and police officials all over the city. Personally, I would not prefer that much security in the United States because of personal rights, but as a foreign traveler, in a population with millions of people, I understood the precautions. As with traveling in any city, even in your hometown, you need to be aware of your surroundings, but overall, I never felt worried about my safety in China.

Street security cameras on streets of Shanghai, China

A Few other differences to note...

After you land in China, you may notice that many people wear face masks. I’m not talking about the fun sheet masks for spa days - like the surgical mask kind that goes over your mouth and hooks around your ears. I’ve spoken to several locals about why more people seem to wear face masks on a regular basis. The way I understand it, for some, it’s a preventative measure against germs and to stay healthy. For others, it’s more of a fashion statement.

Chinese people not only like their tea, but they like warm drinking water. If you are at a local restaurant, you can expect that they will bring you a cup of warm water. As an American, I’m used to cold water – with ice. While traveling in China, I tried to do as the Chinese do, and just have warm water with my meal…though it’s not the easiest to get used to! If you want cold water, you’ll need to ask for it, or better yet, carry a good thermos with you that can stay cold for a long time.
When walking across street walks, pay close attention to make sure no scooters or bikers are headed your way. The use of scooters is a very common mode of transportation in China, so you need to be aware of not stepping in front of one on accident. They can whip around the corner pretty fast!
Download WeChat before you head to China. This is a multi-purpose app for messaging, phone calls, social media, car service and even payment. It’s like What’sApp, Facebook, Uber, Venmo, and more all rolled into one. WeChat arguably the most popular app in China – and with so many functions packed into it, how could it not be? If you need to communicate with anyone while you are in China, use WeChat. I also recommend using WeChat to communicate with friends and family back home – just ask them to download the app. The easiest way to exchange contact details is to pull up the QR code that is unique to your phone number and scan. I only use the app for its messaging features but if you have a Chinese bank account, you can connect it to the app for mobile payment functionality.

Dinner at Hangzhou Cuisine Museum in Hangzhou, China

Final Thoughts

China is a more beautiful place than I realized before visiting the country. As an introverted traveler, I personally find that the country can be rather overwhelming with the sheer amount of people and the language barrier.

>> Related reading: How to Travel as an Introvert Traveler <<

If you come mentally and physically prepared for your journey and armed with my travel tips for China, I’m confident that you too will see the beauty in the Chinese culture and people. There are some incredible cities in China - ones that are incredibly progressive and modern, like Shanghai, and others that are well-maintained and preserved culturally, like Hangzhou.

I’d love to hear what travel tips that you have for China…anything missing here or that you would add? Any questions you have that I missed answering?