China Travel TIPS
 

China may feel like a different world to you when you arrive.  It is easy to become critical of the differences. Every country has its own problems, but you will gain so much more from the experience if you remain open and flexible.

We really think this is unnecessary, but we have been asked by families who have recently traveled to China to remind our families the importance of being polite and respectful when traveling to China. Your behavior is a reflection upon your agency (Children?s Hope International), your country and most importantly, yourself.

SMOKING:  Many people smoke in China and there are very few ?non-smoking? areas.  We do request non-smoking hotel rooms for our families and these are subject to the availability when you check-in.  Flights are non-smoking.

PERSONAL SPACE is defined differently in a country where there are one billion three hundred million people.

WAITING IN LINES:  People do not wait in lines in most cases in China.  Be prepared to move with the crowd or you will be left behind (commonly called herding ? moo!).

TIME DIFFERENCE

On your flight, you will cross the International Dateline.  You will lose a day when you fly to China and you will gain a day on your return.  For convenience, you may want to wear two watches. Keep one on your home town time and adjust the other to the actual time.

WATER

DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER.  Drink only boiled or bottled water.  DO NOT USE THE TAP WATER TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH.  You may want to place a washcloth over the water faucet as a reminder.

ELECTRICITY

In China and Hong Kong, 220 volts AC, 50 HZ is standard.  Some hotels provide 110 outlets, but they are unreliable.  If you take an appliance, take a universal mode or a voltage converter.  China has its own type of socket.  Take an adapter.

PHONE CALLS

• CHI uses onesuite.com for our business calls to China
• Prepaid calling cards are available in China at newspaper stands and are economical for calling the US. 
• CHI will send you information on the Panda Cell Phone service in China.
• You can also use a US calling card (AT&T, MCI, etc) so that you can bypass the China Telecom system, which is much more expensive or ask your family to call you at an appointed time.  Make sure they have a long distance carrier  with an International plan (AT&T or MCI, etc.) on the phone.  You will want to inquire from your carrier the country code and rate before you travel.

E-MAILS / INTERNET

You may want to set up a ?portable-free? email account (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.) from your home computer before you leave. Before you leave enter the email addresses of the people to whom you want to correspond in your account?s address book.  You will then be able to choose those addresses from the address-book ?pick list? anywhere in the world.  Internet service is available in the business centers at the hotels and many cities have internet bars.

METRIC COVERSIONS

Centimeters to inches ? centimeters divided by 2.5 = inches
Kilograms to pounds ? kilograms multiplied by 2.2 = pounds

AIRLINE INFORMATION

Please allow enough time to check in for your international flight.  Refer to the information sent to you by the international travel agency. 

If you are prone to motion sickness, ask for a seat over the wheel or wings.  The tail section gets the bumps.  Keep air vents pointed toward your face.  Relax.  Ask your physician about anti-nausea medication.

LUGGAGE

In case your checked luggage does not arrive with you, pack necessities in your carry-on bag.  The carry-on bag should include all of your important documents and a change of clothes.  You will be able to survive until the luggage is delivered.  Cameras, adoption paperwork, prescription medication and valuables will be safer in your carry-on luggage also.  Keep your travel documents (passports and airline tickets) organized and easy to access.  Make copies of your passport and visa and keep in a safe place.

Some people like to put a heavy, colorful strap around their checked baggage for security and for easy identification.  Attach strong, well-marked ID tags to all luggage and also put ID tags inside.   

When packing luggage, don?t pack all of the child?s clothes and supplies into one bag.  Mix parents? and child?s belongings together, packing half in one bag, half in another.  If one bag is lost, you will have enough clothing and supplies to survive until your other luggage is found.
 

LUGGAGE WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS

US Domestic and international flights allow two (2) checked bags per person up to 50 pounds per bag, and one carry-on bag per person (no larger than 14?x9?x22?).  For any recent changes, please check with your airline carrier.

China Domestic flights allow one (1) checked bag per person-up to 44 pounds, and one carry-on bag.  Some Chinese Airlines will charge additional fees for over weight luggage.  Our coordinators try to have group check-ins for the luggage, sometimes eliminating any additional fees.

WEATHER

China is on the same latitudes as the U.S. and has the same seasons and variation of weather from north to south.  Dress accordingly for your trip to China.  In the central area, you will find it quite hot in the summer, and moderate in the winter -- but with many buildings and vehicles unheated.  Your hotel will be air-conditioned and heated, but otherwise you will find buildings to be hot in the summer and uncomfortably chilly in the winter.  Be prepared for long waits in cold rooms so bring layers.  In summer, Guangzhou can be extremely hot, as can Nanjing and Shanghai.  For Internet users, we recommend checking the Asia weather forecasts on America On-Line (keyword weather).  Check any of the major search engines for other weather information.