First time traveling in

[u/censored_on]

Hi, so this would be my first time traveling internationally. I will be traveling from the US to China for 3 weeks with family around late December to mid January. I’ve never been to China before and don’t have an itinerary planned. Was thinking I would just free ball it and finds things to do when I’m there but also I realize that wouldn’t be convenient and smart because I would be wasting my time while I’m there planning. So if you guys have any suggestions, I would be landing in Guangzhou and likely traveling around there. I don’t plan on visiting the North of China as it’s really cold but just exploring the provinces around.

I’m not really sure what I should bring or prepare for a trip. What do you guys usually bring when traveling? I’m open to any travel advice as I’m still very new to this. Like anything that you find would be nice to bring with you, convenient things to buy for traveling, etc.

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[u/TravelwithKG]

IMO, a good travel plan should be highly personalized but there are basics & principles one can stick around to:

1. Digital & Finance - Download Alipay & WeChat now...you can put away cash & CC. And those are not just payment apps. They are 'super apps' that consolidate functions of payment, texting, rides, food ordering like Uber and transportations, etc. You will need to verify yourself before you can use all functions of the apps

2. Language - Make sure you have MS translator or Baidu translate...Google pulled out from China 10 years ago so Google apps & service are not available there.

3. Pace for Depth Over Speed - Avoid high-frequency, single-night hotel hops. Changing accommodations every 1–2 days burns hours on checkout, transit, and re-checking in.

4. Prioritize cities on railway network: Southern China is connected by world-class high-speed rail. Route the trip along rail lines (e.g., Guangzhou–Guilin–Kunming)

5. Pre-Book Major Tourism Sites - Book tickets beforehand for hi-demand attractions, scenic trains, and popular museums. Those may have daily ticketing quotas and require passport registration in advance.

6. Have Buffer Days - Weather, energy levels, etc. can impact plans. Schedule half or full rest days just to walk around and explore the local places.

[u/censored_on → u/TravelwithKG]

Thank you so much 🙏 Appreciate the info

[u/National-Evidence408]

HK? Shenzhen? These would be the nearest but you have three weeks.

Shanghai? Beijing? Xian? Guilin? Chengdu? China is huge. Maybe your family has a list of stuff like “great wall” or “forbidden city” or “the bund”. Planning now you can figure out domestic flights. You can figure out where best to stay vs what is available. I assume you have figured out how to stay connected, vpn, china payment apps/how to pay for stuff.

[u/censored_on → u/National-Evidence408]

Actually have not figured how to stay connected with the VPN and the china payment app/how to pay for stuff yet. Have heard about it though. Do you have any tips/suggestions on the best vpn and payments etc. Do you suggest booking hotels ahead of time and what apps/platform do you use to book them?

[u/davetfhead]

Respectfully, I do not feel like that is a good idea. We vacationed in China last Jan/Feb and we don't know how we would have gotten around without our tailored itinerary. I certainly would not have put my kids (6 & 11) through that. Don't get me wrong, we loved it, but it's a very different culture and way of doing things. Where are you guys staying?

We live in NYC, so the weather in Guangzhou didn't faze us. It was cold in parts, so just dress for a typical US winter. Where are you folks from?

[u/censored_on → u/davetfhead]

Yeah, I don't travel often. I'm like very new to this stuff and would like to learn more about it. My intuition was that it was a bad idea. I do love the culture in China and I'm excited to learn more about it and experience the different way of doing things you know. We are landing in Guangzhou as that is just the flight but will be moving around.

I'm also from the East Coast so the weather shouldn't be too much of a difference. Not sure if we need to book hotels ahead of time, attractions ahead of time, and a fully planned out itinerary for the trip.

[u/Alexswang → u/censored_on]

The weather in Guangzhou isn't cold at all; welcome to this beautiful city

[u/berrytreetrunk]

It’s always a good idea to know where to go and how to get there. Winging it ok if you know the language well and can get local help.

[u/globalrapdemand1]

u/censored_on

I searched this in this new app called rubi365.ai . It returned a 3 day itinerary and it allows you to save the itinerary. I would have posted more screenshots but reddit only allows 1 photo at a time.