What should you pay attention to when traveling to China? Planning a trip to China can be daunting if you've never been there before, so I want to share some China travel tips for anyone who is thinking of visiting China for the first time because it's not so simple for most people. To have a lifetime trip, we compiled a list of tips to help make traveling in China a little bit easier for you.

1. Prepare the Travel Documents for Entering China: visa (and passport)

If you are going to China, the first one you need to consider is a visa. Because most foreigners need a visa to enter China. It takes a lot of time to apply for a visa, so you should apply for a visa through a Chinese Embassy at least a month in advance, or find a travel agency in China to help you apply.

Also，ensure that your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your planned departure date from China.

2. Bring your ATM bank card and Some Cash

I recommend that you always have enough cash (or an ATM bank card) with you because your foreign credit card is not likely going to be accepted in China. The most common payment options there are Alipay, WeChat Pay, and cash. For a foreign tourist, you can't access WeChat Pay and Alipay without a Chinese bank card, so it is very necessary to bring some cash.

3. Get a VPN

Everyone who has visited China knows that if you expect to check your Gmail, use Google, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and any Western social media, then you must download a VPN on your phone or on your tablet beforehand.

Without the VPN, you cannot use those apps in China basically because those apps are all blocked on regular Chinese internet. So that is why you need to get a VPN.

4. Learn a few translated phrases

Knowing some Chinese phrases can get you a long way in China. Most people don't speak English, especially in small cities and rural areas, so it is a bit difficult to get around if you don't speak any Chinese.

But don't be intimidated by the language barrier. You can install the Google Translate app on your phone and download the Chinese language offline. When you need to communicate with others or have a question, you can pull it out anytime. With the help of Google Translate app, I'm sure that most of your questions will get answered. Of course, I would recommend learning some Mandarin if you can.

5. Get a map app

When you arrive successfully in China, you will also need a map app. Unfortunately, Google Maps is more or less useless here, because obviously Google is blocked for the locals. There are two choices: either Amap or Baidu Maps. They are more accurate compared with Apple Maps or Google Maps, but they are only in Chinese.

Luckily, Petal Maps has an English version, so it is very friendly for foreign tourists.

6. Ride hailing in China

Ride-hailing in China, I would personally recommend using Didi or Amap. Didi is an application you get on your phone and it's basically the Chinese equivalent of Uber or Grab, and the price is very affordable.

You can practically use Didi or Amap almost anywhere in China. Whenever you need a ride, it would literally arrive in a couple of minutes. It's very efficient and very easy to move around.

7. Transportation

As far as public transit goes overall, China has perhaps the world's best public transportation system. Most of the cities have train stations and for smaller cities without train stations, you can go there by bus.

For shorter trips, I would personally recommend taking the high-speed rail, which is very fast, sometimes faster than a plane. For example, it's less than three hours to get from Beijing to Shanghai by high-speed rail. But for long-distance intercity travel, I still recommend taking domestic flights to save time.

8. Adjusting to Squat Toilets in China

While some of the more popular tourist attractions and larger toilet blocks now have western style toilets, you may still have chances to meet squat toilets, especially in some rural areas. It might be a challenge for a Westerner, but you'll have to get used to squat toilets here.

Also, you'd better bring tissues or toilet paper wherever you go, because it's hard to find toilet paper in public toilets.

9. Tap water is not drinkable in China

You may be used to drinking tap water from the sink, but in China, water is not drinkable straight from the tap. Locals drink it only when the water is boiled, so if you still want to drink tap water, please boil it first or buy bottled water from the stores.

Of course, if you want to use tap water for activities like brushing your teeth or washing your face, it's all fine.

10. Avoid Chinese holidays

If you're going to China soon, you should try to avoid Chinese holidays, such as the first week of May, the first week of October, and the Chinese New Year. These holidays are crowded everywhere, and your travel costs will be higher.