Traveling to China – 5 Useful Things You Should Keep in Mind

China has seen a period of fast growth and changes ever since it opened its doors to the whole world in the 70s. Traveling to China and through it can be thrilling, but it comes with its shares of challenges. Many people opt to travel to China on a tour and reduce the challenges of arranging for transportation, hotels, itineraries, and meals. But don’t worry; with the right experience and planning, you can travel to china as an individual.

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Here are some useful things you must keep in mind when traveling to China;

You Must get your Visa before Travelling

You have to get a visa if you plan on going to China for more than one day. You have to get it before you get there, it is important to know that this type of visa is not the usual one like the ones you can get at the airport. You will have to apply for the visa online, and submit a comprehensive itinerary of every place you are planning to visit, all the hotels you are planning to reserve, and include the arrival and departure dates as well as addresses and phone numbers.

Buy a VPN prior to arriving in China

Have you ever heard of the Great Firewall of China? This firewall blocks access to YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Imagine being unable to access the sites that you use to get in touch with people back at home? Well, one way to deal with that is by purchasing a VPN before arriving. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) masks the IP address on your computer to look like you are in another country even if you are in China. You can then use the VPN to access Troypoint and check the best torrent sites. Make sure that you buy the VPN before entering China since access to the VPN companies is blocked in the country.

Learn Basic Mandarin

This is not a must; however, having a little knowledge of the basic Mandarin words will help you a lot. Traveling to places like Beijing and Shanghai won’t be that hard since many of the younger generations can speak simple English and are always willing to assist you. However, it would be necessary to familiarize yourself with some basic Mandarin words when you plan to visit smaller cities like Yangshuo and Zhangjiajie.

The menu is Presented in Chinese Characters

When traveling to China, you need to know that you are bound to get a menu in Chinese characters. You will end up picking out dishes randomly expecting to find the best, however, in the bigger cities, menus are in English or at least accompanied by pictures to make it easy on you.

Your Credit Card might not Work Every Time

Unfortunately, not all the ATMs in china accept foreign cards. You will have to try out different types of ATMs to finally get your Chinese Yuan. The other alternative is to travel with two cards from different banks and make sure to let them know that you will be using them outside your country.

Bottom Line

China is an amazing place to visit; however, it comes with its own challenges. For example, you will have to learn some basic Mandarin words if you plan to visit Chengdu and other smaller cities, you will need to get a visa before arriving in China and you have to buy a VPN in advance to be able to access all the blocked sites.