Travel Guide

Let me set the record straight before the paranoia circuits start firing: solo female travel in China is, statistically and anecdotally, one of the safer solo trips you can take….

Most first-time visitors to China make the same mistake: they try to see everything. Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Guilin, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie — all in nine days. They spend more time on…

Here’s the single most useful thing to know before you land: tipping in China is not the norm. Unlike the United States or much of Europe, where leaving 15–20% is…

If you are planning a trip and worrying about cash in China, here is the short answer from someone who has now made seven trips across the country: you can…

When I first started planning my China travel, the railway booking system looked like an unsolvable puzzle. Everyone kept telling me to “just use 12306,” but as a foreigner I…

When I first started traveling in China back in 2018, the thing that stressed me out most wasn’t the language barrier or the Great Wall crowds — it was getting…

When I first started planning my own trips, the single biggest myth about China travel was that everyone needs a tourist visa stamped into their passport weeks in advance. That…

There is a version of China that exists in guidebooks, and a very different version you meet the moment you step off the plane. After a dozen trips and a…

Standing in line at Beijing Capital Airport at 11 p.m., a first-time visitor turned to me and whispered, “I have no idea how I’m supposed to pay for anything here.”…

Update (2026): China expanded its visa-free transit from 144 to 240 hours (10 days) in December 2024, now covering 55 countries, 65 ports and 24 provinces. Read our fully updated…