Before you jet off to China, it's important to know your stuff. What to pack, what to expect - you don't want to turn up in the airport and realise you've got a suitcase full of irrelevant clothes and no visa! China can be a difficult country to navigate so having a good knowledge of the place you're going to be exploring before you arrive means you'll have a bit less culture shock to deal with. Never fear - Travel Nation is here to help! Here are our a few things you need to know before travelling to China.
Several websites are difficult to access in China, including Google mail, Twitter and Facebook. If any of these sites are your main way of keeping in touch with friends and family at home, make sure you warn them that they may not hear from you for a while to avoid any worry or confusion.
To enter China you need a visa in your passport before you arrive, you can't buy one on arrival. We recommend using the services of a company like The VisaMachine for quick and easy visa processing that will take the hassle out of getting your Chinese visa (especially if it is part of a multi-country itinerary).
Jonny: "The VisaMachine take the leg work out of arranging visas, and will check your application, submit it and collect your visa(s) from the embassy for you which certainly reduces the chance of errors and the level of frustration."
Chinese trains are the most efficient way of travelling long distances but they book up very very early, especially at peak times like summer and Chinese New Year. If you want to do a train journey, make sure you book ahead or you might be stuck somewhere for a lot longer than you planned!
Chris: "For longer journeys across China, overnight trains and very good. There are 3 levels of comfort on the train; hard seat (not great), hard sleeper or soft sleeper (the best). Go for hard sleeper as a minimum on very long journeys."
Pack light clothes with lots of layers. In China you can go from shivering on the Great Wall to baking hot in muggy Yangshuo so layers mean you can easily stay comfortable during your visit.
In the UK, spitting and burping in a public place is frowned upon but in China, not so much. Don't be shocked if people walking past suddenly spit audibly right next to you or your taxi driver burps loudly during your journey. It might be a surprise, and you might not like it, but each place you'll travel to is different and this is one of China's quirks.
Chris: Once they've got used to the spitting, Brits often forget there's no queueing system, so you might notice you've been in a queue for an hour and gone backwards! One tip - wear a backpack and swing from side to side to stop people pushing in!
China's certainly a fascinating destination! If you're interested in visiting, we can show you how to include China in your round the world ticket, and we can also help create a 'soft landing' when you arrive. If you're looking for a tailor-made China holiday, we can arrange flights, transfers, accommodation and local tours - just call us on 1273 320 580 or request a quote by email.
Product Manager
Fresh out of high school, Milly left her home comforts behind and set off to work in a school in Thailand for a year. Whilst working in Thailand she managed to explore Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and China before uni. In the breaks from her English & American Literature degree she interned for Travel Nation, eventually joining our team in 2014. Milly is fascinated by wildlife and food and weaves these elements into both her own trips and those she plans for others. Her natural instinct for building fascinating trips that take you off the beaten track inform the trips she plans and she currently works as our Product Manager sourcing great hotels and itineraries for our customers.