Hey there, I’m back from a two-week adventure in China and I thought I’d spill the tea on how it all went down. Let me tell you, I was seriously freaking out before the trip. Usually, I’m all about that spontaneous “fly by the seat of my pants” travel style, but I knew that wasn’t gonna cut it for China. Spoiler alert: it was absolutely mind-blowing and changed my life. The people were so nice, the country was stunning, and once I got the hang of the systems in place, it was smooth sailing.
I did the solo traveler thing in Beijing and Chengdu for a bit, then linked up with a travel group to hit up Leshan/Mt. Emei, Yangshou, and Shanghai. Zero regrets there, as the cities were a breeze to navigate, but the more rural spots required some extra logistical finagling. Even so, the natural areas were still tourist-friendly, with English signs galore.
Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of how I prepped for this epic journey. First off, getting that visa took a hot minute and involved some back-and-forth. They grilled me on my trip to Turkey and my government job, but in the end, I snagged a sweet 10-year visa.
I relied on my T-Mobile international plan in China, but it was a tad sluggish. To cover my bases, I snagged an eSIM and VPN beforehand. The eSIM was a game-changer and saved me from payment hiccups with vendors. Oh, and that 100 GB/day plan from Trip.com? Pure gold. I also had Astrill VPN in my back pocket, but the eSIM breezed past the Great Firewall.
Alipay was my ride-or-die for payments, and setting it up Stateside was a genius move. It came in clutch for booking my Beijing hotel through the Trip.com mini program, earning me sweet points for a $10 credit I splurged on a show in Shanghai. Ran into a few snags with foreign cards at some merchants, but cash was king in those situations.
Now, onto apps – Amap was a lifesaver for navigation, WeChat helped me connect with locals, and Right Guide was a savior for translating menus. Apple Translate and Google Translate were solid backups, but I mostly stuck to Right Guide. DiDi Mini App via Alipay and Transport Cards via Alipay made