New Reply

Post a Reply

Thread: A foreigner and traveling alone to China; any recommendations?

Title: (100 characters at most)

Content: ( 3,000 characters at most, please )

You can add emoticons below to your post by clicking them.

[quote=LEMONCACTUS,251941]If you're visiting the major cities you've mentioned, you should have no big problems as they are used to foreign visitors. Most hotels have staff that can speak English and they will be able to help you with planning where you want to go, how to get there etc. They can also book train/bus/flight tickets.

A good tip is to take a business card of the hotel you are staying at. If you need to use a taxi for instance, it is unlikely that the driver will be able to speak English, so if you get stuck anywhere and need to get back to your hotel, you'll need it's name in Chinese. It doesn't matter if you can't "say" it, as long as the driver can read it.

Not all restaurants have English menus, even in the big cities, though many have pictures which helps.

Heidi is right though. The Chinese will really appreciate it if you can learn even the basics, Hello, Goodbye and Thanks. You can Google the web and find this information really easily. Or buy a Mandarin phrasebook.

Also, she is right in saying that you should find some information on the places you're going. This site is full of travel reviews on Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing. Just click on the city on the left under "Travel Destinations" and check out the reviews and tips from members who have been there.

Winter is a great time to travel in China, not so crowded. Beijing will be pretty cold, so bring some warm clothes.

Have a great trip.[/quote]

characters left

Name:

Get a new code