TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO CHINA (AND NOT SHIT)

Send

Before preparing the backpack to embark on a new adventure, countless questions and doubts begin to arise in our heads ... And when it comes to exotic destinations such as China, it may be even more. So if you have in mind a trip to the Asian giant, keep reading because in this post we are going to give you some how many tips to travel to China (and don't screw it up!).

As with many other countries, to travel to China you need to have a passport with minimum validity of at least six months. In the case of Hong Kong, the minimum validity required is three months, but it is usual that airlines do not allow passengers to board passengers with passports that are not valid for more than six months. Better not take risks ... six months yes or yes!

And ... what about the visa? Well, sorry to say YES, you will needprocess a visa in advance to travel to China. You can do it in embassies and consulates of China, online through agencies authorized by the Chinese government, or in a CVASC (Chinese VISA Application Service Center) which is the official visa center that speeds up bureaucratic procedures. More information about this last option on the website.

The tourist visa is 30 days and only one entryIf you plan to stay longer, you can extend the visa once you are in China.

But there exceptions, one of the most common in which no visa is needed is for trips of less than 90 days to Hong Kong and Macao. Or also to do maximum 144 hours transit in Beijing, Shanghai and the administrative provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, with the obligation to show in this case a plane ticket (with confirmed date and seat) to a third country. Although in this case, the Spanish Foreign Minister himself recommends obtaining a visa if you have a long stopover and want to leave the airport. Do not worry if you have a stopover in China on the way to another destination, because you will not need to leave the international airport space.

If you want to visit the Tibet that you know that you can only do it if you go in a group with an organized trip or hiring this trip in specialized Chinese agencies.

Another important fact is that ALWAYS go documented, with passport and visa in order (or at least one copy). In China you don't play with the authorities and security is sometimes a bit extreme. It is normal to be asked to identify yourself, for example, at bus and subway stations and at the main tourist attractions. So carry your passport always at hand.

If you ask yourself, just taking into account the weather ... the answer will depend a lot on the area of the country you want to visit. China occupies immense territory, so Weather conditions can vary greatly from one area to another during the same period of the year.

You should avoid cold winters of the north or the monsoon season of the south of the country (from May to October), in addition to considering that in many places (especially in the eastern coastal areas) the humidity is very high, particularly in the warmer months of the year. With everything, spring and fall They may be the best times to visit almost every place in the country.

It is recommended that Do not travel to China during public holidays, such as during the Chinese New Year, the most important holiday with millions of trips throughout the country. Finding train tickets during those days is practically impossible and the prices of flights and hotels skyrocket 😉 Outside the big cities, most businesses remain closed for at least a couple of days and sometimes up to a week. During the Golden Week which begins with the celebration of National Day (October 1) it is also better to avoid trips to China.

If in spite of everything you need to travel to the country during these festivities, the idea would be to book as soon as possible.

If you are one of those who enjoy improvising when you travel and do not like to plan or what you are going to do the next day, then traveling to China may be somewhat complicated. The distances in this country are enormous and the list of places to know is endless, so if you do not consider this beforehand you may have to give up places you did not want to miss or visit them very quickly. It would be advisable that you also value if you want to do any excursion or special activity, to book in advance and avoid wasting time or not finding places once you are there.

These are some of the most popular excursions and tours:

Chinese Wall + Forbidden City (here we leave you a useful post to visit the Chinese wall for free)
Trekking through the Great Wall- Jinshanling
Xian Terracotta Warriors Tour
Leshan's Great Buddha and Panda Bear Reserve
Rice Terraces Tour - Guilin

If you had 3 weeks to travel around China, this could be a base itinerary:

Reach Shanghai and excursion to Zhouzhuang. (3 days). What to see and do in Shanghai
Train up Peking and visit the Great Wall. (4 days). What to see and do in Beijing
Train to the medieval city of Pingyao (1-2 days) Our pass through Pingyao
Train up Xi'an and visit the Terracotta Warriors (2 days). Our trip to Xi'an
Train up Chengdu and visit Leshan Buddha (2 days)
Train up Guillin and visit Yangshuo (4 days)
Bus to Hong Kong (3 days). What to see and do in Hong Kong

If you have more time you can spend about 5-7 days to visit the beautiful province of Yunnan, one of the areas we want to explore in a future trip to China.

→ Here we tell you what are the best 20 things to see and do in China.

The Chinese love this means of transport and in fact trains are an ideal place to observe on a small scale many aspects of how society works China. It will take you a short time to realize how everyone helps and shares space, food and conversation with strangers, as if they were lifelong friends. Surely your travel companions will quickly include you in their circle, so do not miss this fantastic opportunity to meet locals and learn some Chinese words. Without of course forgetting to take a look from time to time through the windows to contemplate the spectacular landscapes you will pass.

It is important that you know that you will not be able to buy the tickets on the official railway website while out of China and that, depending on the time of the year, some routes can be quickly exhausted. One option is that book your tickets online through an agency accredited to offer this service, such as China Highlights or DIY Travel.

One time in China, you can book train tickets at the ticket offices of the stations “without problems”. We advise you to write the destination, time and day in a Chinese daughter, because the person attending you may not speak or read English. Here we tell you how to travel by train in China and how to buy tickets.

If you want to avoid the long lines that are formed in the stations to get your tickets, you can book through local agencies or even in own accommodations, paying a small commission.

As for the trains in China, they seem very comfortable, especially the night trains with bunk beds, which also allow you to save on accommodation 😉 Here is an example of how to read a Chinese train ticket:

For many, a great challenge may be to stay away from social networks for a few days. Internet is available throughout the country, but as you probably know, the strict control of the Chinese government over the population makes most websites and social networks most used in the western world remain blocked and censored. This is the case of Google, Facebook or Instagram (among others). You will have no choice but to take your trip as an opportunity to disconnect completely ...

Or if you don't feel capable of it, you will always have the alternative of invest in a VPN (Virtual Private Network) before traveling there. What does it consist of? It is an application that forces your device to connect to the internet through a port of the country of your choice (and thus change your IP). It is worth, for example, to be able to see HBO abroad having a Spanish account, in addition to protecting your connection to make it more secure. We, by connecting to quite a few public networks, have Surfshark

In order to use an internet while traveling, we always recommend buying a local SIM upon arrival at the airport. But in this case, if you want to kill two birds with one stone, you have the option of getting oneHolafly prepaid SIM card, which although more expensive than a local SIM, includes VPN. In this case we believe it is worth it. If you buy from this link you also have a 5% discount. Yeah

Before traveling to China it is a good idea to approach a International Vaccination Center. There they will inform you about the necessary and / or recommended vaccines, in addition to giving you some useful tips to keep you healthy and fit during your trip. But in general, for a stay of several weeks of tourism, it is not advisable to get any vaccine.

Other recommendations of health are that you do not drink tap water, that you avoid eating raw vegetables and fruits with skin, that you always stay hydrated and use sunscreen during long days of tourism and that if you think it is convenient, use a mask to protect you from pollution (especially children and people with asthma or other respiratory problems).

On this website of the Ministry of Health you can generate health tips for your type of trip.

Do not forget also that before leaving home it is essential that you get a good travel insurance. Yes, I know, it's a pain to have to compare and waste time and money on something we hope we never have to use, but prevention is better. Health in China is not free and if something happens to you, the bill can be quite high. There are a good number of insurances with good coverage and at very competitive prices, but as in everything, it will depend a lot on what you are looking for. Our recommendation: IATI Insurance, here you have a 5% discount.

The currency of China is the Yuan (CNY)Other currencies are used in Hong Kong and Macau. Today traveling without credit cards is unthinkable and it never hurts to carry at least two. We routinely use the BNEXT card, a very comfortable and recommended option for trips since it allows you to get money without charging you commissions. And in the bedroom we keep the N26 card, which we also use to stop payments.

It will always be advisable to use these types of cards to exchange money at exchange houses or buy yuan at your bank before leaving on a trip. Preferably it would be in this order:

Bnext and N26 card, to get money abroad and pay in non-euro currency
Change € in a exchange house / bank in the city
Change € at the airport / get money with your usual card
Buy yuan at your bank

The change now (end of 2019) is this: € 1 = CNY 7.82.

Raise your hand who has never tried Chinese food! But ... wait ... the food in the Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood doesn't count, I'm sorry 😉 And the thing is true local chinese food, is far from what you have tried to date. Do not be afraid of the unknown because Chinese cuisine is delicious, varied and most of the time ridiculously cheap. Although careful because sometimes it can sting more than expected!

Here we tell you more about Chinese cuisine.

Although in large Chinese cities more and more people speak English, in less touristy places and in rural areas, communicating in English can be quite difficult or practically impossible. Do not despair and do not create a barrier where there is none. Patience, some gestures and especially smiles and good humor are universal and help to understand each other almost anywhere in the world.

You can also use some simple tricks That will make things much easier for you. For example, you can bring the addresses of accommodations in Chinese (or take the business card of each hotel), places to visit, destination and schedule to make a transportation reservation, etc.

Or download to your mobile Applications as useful as Baidu, which not only has the traditional translator of words and phrases, but also allows voice recordings to be translated. Or Waygo, who will become your best friend when you are starving and in front of you have a menu with only Chinese characters and neither an image nor a half ... take a photo and "voilà" ... instant translation!

Traveling without prejudice can be difficult on many occasions, but we encourage you to always try to fully enjoy the wonderful experience of traveling ... and much more when it comes to a country that can be as fun as China. Of course, you have to have an open mind.

The strong cultural shock will be a bit "traumatic" at the beginning, but it is best that you use some humor and philosophy to deal, for example, with situations as usual for the Chinese population (and equally uncomfortable for the Western population) as spit, burp and fart in public.

You will also quickly notice that the personal space It is much smaller for the Chinese and it is very likely that sometimes you feel a kind of "invasion" when someone looks over your shoulder what you are reading or even what you are looking at your mobile.

Ah!… And I almost forgot to tell you to prepare and rehearse your best pose, because in China it is very likely that you will become a “superstar” for some time and be the preferred target of the Chinese cameras.

- You might wonder if China is a safe country: The answer is yes. Obviously, as with each site, you have to have common sense, but usually you should not have problems on your trip. The only risk is that you become addicted to dumplings (true story).

- Wherever you go, never forget to take a roll of toilet paper. Overcoming the experience of Chinese baths can be a great challenge and even more when finding the precious toilet paper is practically an impossible task. So pay attention to me and make things a little easier.

- As in India, in China that of order in a queue does not exist. If you are at the window waiting for your turn, watch out for a Chinese (or 10) to sneak in front of your eyes ... For them it is the most normal thing in the world -_- the good thing is that, as soon as you notice, it will return to get behind you (there would be more) XD.

- The bargaining It is a common practice in China. Merchants tend to inflate prices (especially with tourists and for example the Beijing Silk Market) to make the most possible profit. You will need a lot of patience and determination to deal with them. The important thing is that you ask several and get a rough idea of the value of the product, and set a limit on how much you are willing to pay. Don't forget to enjoy the experience, bargaining with a Chinese can be more fun than playing marbles 😉

- Obvious advice, but better to make things clear: distances from the country are enoooooormes, so something indispensable before closing the itinerary is to check if the trains are direct and how long they take. Otherwise you run the risk of spending the trip sitting on a train and that doesn't cool! Better to see fewer sites, but fine.

- Leave tip It is NOT the norm, moreover, it may even be seen as an offense.

- Gave no to drugs. Obviously this is applicable for any place in the world, but in a country like China where there are very heavy penalties (including the death penalty) for traffic and consumption, it would be a complete stupidity to fool around this issue. Keep an eye on people who approach you and do not know anything, or even be in contact with strangers in apps like WeChat.

- There's a very popular scam which is that one or more “students” approach you with the excuse of practicing English and invite you to continue the night in a place they know. The site in question is usually a kind of pub / restaurant with reserved rooms, where they will directly take your order without showing you the menu. The surprise, as you can imagine, comes to the end with the account: S

- Never keys the chopsticks in a rice bowl: for Asians in general, it is a sign of bad omen because that is how offerings are made for the dead.

- Do not rule out doing some stretch in plane: Good deals are often found and a flight can save a lot of time!

- What you have to discard is to rent a car: in China the international driving license is not valid.

- To learn Mandarin It is not easy or advisable for a 3-week trip to China, but we recommend you learn some basic words: being able to say Ni hao (hello) or xie xie (thanks) is something that the locals will appreciate.

- More recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.