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Whilst in China I learned that there were things that I needed that I never would have even started to guess at. After trying to log onto my Gmail for the umpteenth time to get the number for the person I needed to meet; I realized that I should probably share some of this information so that others don’t have to deal with the same thing I did while they travel in China.
Teaching English as a foreign language is a great way to see China. Read about it here.
10. Get Vaccines and Pre-stock Medications
I put these two things together because you should do both before getting to China. Chances are that you most likely won’t be able to do so after getting there as finding a lot of western medicine there is very hard, if not impossible.
Vaccines especially. I have a friend who forgot to get his Typhoid vaccination. He ended up eating something he dropped on the table (a common practice out west) and got super sick for a few weeks. Huge fever, in and out of consciousness, all around not a good time. Better safe than sorry.
9. Make sure your Visa and passport are always on you as you travel in China.
In Europe, having your ID and proper documentation on you at all times is common practice. For me as a Canadian though, and most Americans I know, don’t bother bringing their ID with them if they are popping out to grab a quick bite to eat or going to the store.
Read about getting your Chinese visa here
Well, here that is not going to fly! If you are asked for your documents and do not have them you may be slapped with a huge fine…. Or worse!
8. Do not drink the tap water!!!
Unfortunately, this can be said for most Eastern countries. The filtration systems over here are borderline nonexistent. Therefore drinking water from anywhere other than a water bottle can make you sick if it is not boiled first. Dysentery and other diseases are a huge risk with this one as you travel in China or just Asia in General.
7. Download reliable map and translation apps.
So in China, there is something we like to call “The Great Firewall of China” (we will touch on getting around this later) that makes it so you can’t use anything google, Gmail, maps, translate, Snapchat, Facebook, WhatsApp, or Instagram while you are in the country. So you are going to want reliable apps in case your VPN isn’t working. (This happens if your VPN isn’t the best or if the Chinese Communist Party is cracking down on VPNs)
The map app I would recommend is MAPS.ME. You are always able to use it offline and it is based on crowd-sourced Open Streets Maps which means there are a bunch of lesser-known locations and must-sees on it. It’s super cool and was first introduced to me through Marek Bron’s book, Travel The World Without Worries. Thanks, Indie Traveller!
The translation app I would recommend for China would be Baidu Translate. It’s not 100%, but is fairly good for Chinese as it is Chinese made and chances are your Google translate won’t work half the time.
6. Everyone will worry about you.
I have found this to be the case no matter where I go, but for some reason, my family (both Canadian and American) were super worried about China. My grandparents were worried about me going to a communist country and my parents were worried I would wake up without a kidney! Luckily I still have both of those, but the more I travel, the more I realize that as long as you are smart the world isn’t as scary a place as it seems.
5. Bring or buy good quality, comfortable shoes and a converter plug.
Depending on where you are going in China (and the size of your feet!) this may or may not be a huge issue. I was able to find a converter fairly easily for what I needed them for, but I had a huge issue finding comfortable shoes that fit. I ended up going with a pair a size or two smaller than what I wear, but was flexible and stretched to my feet.
4. Keep Cash on you or get a Chinese bank account.
Like most places cash is king! In a lot of the bigger cities, you can probably get away with some type of credit card, maybe a debit card if you are super lucky, but most places outside of those won’t accept those. Especially from foreigners.
The alternative to cash is to set up a Chinese bank account. This requires your passport(with visa) and either fluency in Chinese or a Chinese translator/helper. It’s a long annoying process that will have you sign so many things you can’t even read, but it saves you struggles in the long run after you connect it to Wechat.
3. Download WeChat
WeChat replaced almost everything in China. Texting and calling? WeChat. Facebook and WhatsApp? WeChat. Paying bills? WeChat. Making purchases in stores? Pay through WeChat. Online shopping or ordering food? Order through WeChat! WeChat is literally the be-all, end-all of China. You connect your bank account directly to the app to pay for everything easily. Makes life in China super easy as everyone uses it.
Read about my first days in China here
2. Purchase a reliable VPN for any travel in China.
I made the mistake of not doing enough research into this before leaving. Before leaving I got a VPN that I thought looked reliable, but after landing in Beijing I soon learned that it did not work very well. I will not say which VPN I got as I don’t want to talk down anyone, but I knew I had made a huge mistake when I couldn’t contact the person I was meant to be meeting. Oops! What a waste of money.
You have to purchase (Yes purchase. You get what you pay for.) a proper VPN. After a while, my friend got me on Panda Pow which worked well for a while, but the two of us later decided to go with NordVPN. Have had 0 complaints about it anywhere in the world and still use it now that I’m back out west. I absolutely promote online security and anonymity and would recommend getting a VPN whether you are going to Asia or not.
This is literally the only way you will get around the aforementioned “Great Firewall of China” and it is completely worth it. Without it, you have no Netflix! You can purchase NordVPN at 70% off right here.
1. Always take toilet paper!
I struggled for a while about what to put at the top of this list. For a while “Purchase a reliable VPN” held the top spot. Then a memory hit me like a bad case of diarrhea…. I was strolling through a marketplace in downtown Beijing and suddenly was hit with a “HOLY SHIT I NEED TO FIND A TOILET NOW” moment.
You have to understand, I am really not a person who likes taking care of business in public. I like my little throne back home, but I really had to go. I find the nearest public washroom and before I even get to the door the stench washes over me. Precariously I opened the door as the worst smell I have ever experienced washed over me in waves, but it was not going to stay in. It was either risk exploding from both ends or making a huge mess of my pants so I was going in.
After finishing ruining the toilet I looked around to see that there was no toilet paper anywhere to be seen. There wasn’t even a toilet paper-holding device! The only thing in that little stall was the little wastebasket where you put your tissue after you wipe (There you have to dispose of it in the trash instead of the toilet as the plumbing systems are not good enough to handle the tissue and it will clog). I will spare you the experience of what I had to do and leave with you the imagined image and advice: Always take toilet paper when you travel in China!
In Conclusion
When you travel in or to China you should remember these 10 things:
10. Get Vaccines and Pre stock Medications
9. Make sure your Visa and passport are always on you.
8. Do not drink the tap water!!!
7. Download reliable map and translation apps
6. Everyone will worry about you.
5. Bring or buy good quality, comfortable shoes and a converter plug.
4. Keep Cash on you or get a Chinese bank account.
Is there anything else you think should have made it to this list? Let us know below!
