My first international trip was technically in Europe, but I was with professors and peers from my college and didn’t have to worry about a thing. So, I guess visiting China with my husband Brian was sort of my first international trip where I had to figure a lot out myself. Also, the culture in China is much different than the US, when compared to where I visited in Europe! There were some things I wish I knew before my trip to Beijing, and some things I did do that I am SO happy I did. I recommend the following tips to have a great time in Beijing, China!
Get an International phone plan
You never know what situation you may find yourself in where you will need your phone. Brian and I totally expected to be with either our tour guide or at our hotel for 90% of the trip. But, on one of the first days of our trip, we asked to be dropped off at the Wangfujing Snack Street after our tour. It was nearby our last tour for the day and it was on our must-do list so we thought this would be a great idea!
We had a great time but could not get any cab to drive us back to our hotel. We asked 6 cabs; 2 told us that they wouldn’t take us. Our hotel said this was probably because the short drive wasn’t worth it to them, or they saw our hotel was in a hutong (alley) and they didn’t want to drive down it because hutongs are very narrow. The other 4 cabs wanted us to pay a fixed rate. When Brian asked them to turn on the meter, they said no. We later found out that they were trying to charge us about 3-4 times the normal rate because we were tourists.
We used our phone to contact our hotel through WeChat to ask for guidance and the Beijing subway app on my phone. Without an International plan I don’t know what we would have done. We probably would’ve paid the high price and hoped the taxi would take us to the right destination and not ask us for more money. Or, we would have attempted to walk several miles back to our hotel using our paper map.
Download the following apps before you arrive:
WeChat is the main way people in China communicate with each other. We added our tour guide’s number and our hotel’s number so we were able to ask questions once we arrived Beijing. This was a big help to make sure our tour guide knew where to pick us up at our hotel. It was also helpful when we messaged our hotel front desk to confirm that our driver was waiting at the airport once we got off of the plane. Oh, and when we needed help because we were lost, as I previously mentioned, lol!
Metro Beijing Subway
YOU NEED THIS APP. Let me start by saying that I am very “Type-A” while Brian is very easygoing. We definitely balance each other out. A week before leaving I told him I downloaded a handful of Beijing/China-related apps on my iPhone in case we need them, and he thought I was over-planning. Fast forward to the second day of our trip, thank goodness we had this app! We were able to look on this app and see our exact location and the subway station closest to us. By using our paper map and the map on this app, we were also able to find the subway station closest to our hotel. The app allowed us to enter our beginning and end stations, and then see which subway trains we needed to take and the ticket fare. The subway was a great experience; it is clean and much more efficient than the one we have in California! I highly recommend using the subway with the help of this app.
CalConvert
This app easily allows you to convert currencies so you can quickly figure out how much you are spending in your own currency. This was especially helpful if you visit the pearl market so you can better understand if what someone is offering you is a good deal.
Didi
We only used Didi for its map because we could see our exact location and nearby streets (similar to Google Maps). But, I think Didi would be a great option if you are planning on needing to take a taxi. Didi is like Uber for China!
Know Key Phrases
If you don’t know Chinese, I think it is important to at least know key phrases that you may need to use. Some important ones include:
- Hello
- Thank you
- Excuse me
- How much does this cost?
- Where is the bathroom?
It may also be worth it to write down different menu items in your phone. Many menus have pictures but it would help to know that you’re ordering pork and not donkey. Not all menus have the items written in English!
Write down important information in Chinese
Brian had the great idea of writing down key information in English and in Chinese on a piece of paper. He wrote down out hotel’s name, address and phone number, our tour guide’s name and phone number, the airport’s name and addresss, and US Embassy information.
The Bathroom Situation
Oh my goodness. I almost forgot this one but I feel like it is one of the most important things to mention! You should know before you get to China that our normal toilets that we take for granted are not as common in China. Most bathrooms are squat toilets, so it’s practically a hole in the ground. If you are in a touristy location they may have a fancier hole in the ground (lol) or a mix of western toilets and squat toilets. There will often me a picture on the door depicting which one it is, if it is a nicer bathroom.
But in all of this bathroom talk, it is most important to remember to bring your own toilet paper! Many bathrooms do not supply it, so it is best to just bring a small baggie full of clean toilet paper in your bag throughout your trip. Doing this will help you avoid a potentially crappy situation (LOL).
No Gmail, Google Maps or Google Search
If your main email address is a Gmail account, keep in mind that your emails will be blocked by China’s firewall. If you are trying to contact tour groups and hotels in China they may not receive your email and/or you may not have access to these emails once you arrive Beijing!
Keep in mind that you also will not be able to use Google Maps. That is why we just used the maps on Didi and the subway app, depending on where we were trying to go! Also, you can’t use Google. You may have already known this, as did I, but I found myself continuously typing a question in the Safari app on my phone, forgetting that Google would not answer it because it’s blocked. If you want access to these things you can look into getting a sim card; we decided not to because our trip was so short.
Our trip was such a fun time, but traveling to another country that is so different compared to ours (and that speaks another language!) can be challenging. I hope these tips help you as you plan your trip to Beijing!
