If you follow me on Instagram, you know I was posting pictures from China for 3 flipping weeks. So I think its about time I let you all know what I did, how I went about it and any tips I have.

My mum bought a Groupon for 9 days, 7 nights through Rewards Travel. Her flights were included in the price and I arranged my own flight from Cairns to meet her in Beijing. My package was only $200 cheaper than hers with my flights ending up costing a fortune. So she got the better deal for sure but I was glad the travel package was still an option with a discount for arranging your own flights. Step one for China is getting your visa. However, you need your flights booked to apply for your visa.. they want to see you have a for sure arrival and departure planned.

V ISA PROCESS: Getting a visa for China is not easy so make sure you dedicate some time for it. Of course my mother and I waited until the very last minute and had to rush order ours. She elected to go through a company, pay a little extra and have them sort it all out for her. With me being an American citizen living in Australia it was a bit more difficult. I had to mail the following down to Brisbane with a return envelope for them to send it back to me: all of the necessary forms you can get online, flight info, a spare passport photo, actual passport, credit card info, my Australian visa showing I’m legal to be here, and a pay stub showing I’m actually working.

OUR ITINERARY: Like I said, we went through a travel agency and they had everything planned for us. A ton was included with optional add ons. While both my mum and I do not like to go with the crowd or be herded around, we were so happy we were with a tour group on this trip. It made everything so simple and honestly I was shocked at how little English was spoken. With the strict government and language barrier we were beyond thrilled with our decision to not take on China solo. Below was our daily activities!

• Day 1: They counted day “one” as your departure date so you’re flying all night and land the following morning. I met my mum there so I arrived the night before and holy crap. It was slightly terrifying. I got a cab from the airport to this freaking sketchy hotel I booked for the night… saying they had false advertisement is an understatement. Well, I didn’t have any cash. So I get in this cab and try and pay on card and they start yelling at me in Chinese. They called another guy over and he was trying to use google translate with me and after 5 minutes of me offering AUD explaining I had no RNB, I was just hoping I wasn’t about to be apart of Taken 4 and have to beg Liam Neeson to find me. They end up giving up hope on me and just letting me get out and not pay them anything. They had a free shuttle to the airport the next morning thank God because I’m not sure what I would’ve done. BUT I made it and met my mum at the airport the following morning and was with the group the rest of the trip.
• Day 2: They pick you up from the airport and take you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours to roam around Beijing. We didn’t do much honestly.
• Day 3: You had the option to do your own thing this day or do the optional tour of the Forbidden City and get lunch. We elected to do this and it was awesome to see. We then went to a pearl factory. The only complaint we had with the tour group setting was they force you to go to these “factories” run by the government and want you to spend money. You have to go to a pearl, jade, silk, and tea factory. Everything is overpriced and you have to go and do a walk through, demonstration type thing. We finished the night with a Peiking Duck Dinner which is just a must in China, you know??
• Day 4: seeing the Great Wall! Clearly one of the highlights of the trip. You have a few hours of free time to climb as far as you’d like and hangout. Really realized how out of shape I was here on day four. We didn’t climb much honestly and your girl was pretty sore the next day. That night they had an option play called, “The Golden Mask Dynasty” and we were really glad we elected to go to it. It was an amazing show and the only one we elected to see.
• Day 5: Explore a little bit more of Beijing before bussing it to Shanghai. We saw the Temple of Heaven and went to an herbal Chinese institute where you learn about traditional Chinese medicine. This was really awesome however definitely still government run and pushing you to purchase at least 3 months supply of these herbs. You then have the option of taking a rickshaw over to Hutong and going inside a local Chinese woman’s house and having her prepare lunch for you! This was incredible. Our rickshaw driver was hilarious although speaking very little English and being inside this woman’s house was such an experience. 10/10 recommend. We then bussed it to Shanghai and checked into our new hotel.
• Day 6: Explore Suzhou & Hangzhou. In Suzhou you go to the Lingering Garden which is a private garden with over 500 years of history and it was absolutely beautiful. We then got lunch and had the option to go on a boat cruise down the canal. We elected not to do the canal cruise and just wander around. We were happy with our decision and got some awesome pictures.
• Day 7: This day was somewhat similar to the previous. You go to The West Lake and have an option of a canal cruise. We did not do the canal cruise and wandered around this beautiful garden. The sky was hazy with smog but the landscape was just magnificent. We then bussed it over yo Shanghai. We had the option to go to another show this night but passed and were really glad we did because after the bus ride4 and walking all day we were pretty tired. We just got dinner and hung out.
• Day 8: This day was probably the least exciting. We went to a museum and wandered around another garden type area. But you have the option of going on the Huangpu River Night Cruise and it was beautiful. Its downtown Shanghai with beautiful lights. The weather for us was not ideal but it was still beautiful. My mum and I had a line of Chinese women asking for pictures with us. It was one of the highlights of the cruise hahahaha.
• Day 9 : bus it to the airport and say farewell.

We were really happy with our tour group and in Beijing we had the best guide. “Mama Lilly” was the best and made our Beijing portion. The group is split into 2 halves. You all do the same things just at different times. I’m not going to lie to you, the other tour guide drove everyone absolutely insane and had a lot of complaints on our trip so we were soooo thrilled to be with mama Lilly. Everything was well organized the entire time with the only downside being the government run places and “demonstrations” you are forced to sit through. I have travelled a lot of countries alone but was very glad I didn’t in China.

NIGHTLIFE :

I went out in both Hangzhou and Shanghai one night. In Hangzhou we went to a nightclub called SOS Club. We had a lot of fun although the prices are pretty high. American music is universal and us Americans got the dance floor started. No joke there not a soul on the dance floor and the group of us from the tour all went out there together and 10 minutes later it was packed.

In Shanghai I went to Bar Rouge. It is a rooftop bar atop a hotel and here, we were surrounded with 19 year olds buying Dom Perignon and we were quite jealous. There was a ton of money in this bar. It was quite small with half inside and half out but it did not disappoint.

TIPS :

• Honestly I would say book a group tour. I never thought those words would come out of my mouth but it was a life saver. Keep in mind very little English is spoken.
• Bring cash. Very few places accept card and the cheapest place we found to convert cash was in the hotel lobbies.
• Apply for your visa well ahead of time. As soon as you book your flights id say apply.. that way you’re not stressed. I got my visa back a few days before my departure and had no backup plan for if it didn’t arrive in time.. very typical me but don’t be like me, okay?
• Bring layers. If going in April, it will randomly be super cold in the mornings and hot as hell in the afternoons
• Download google translate ahead of time so you can use it offline. Game changer.
• Be prepared for people to take photos of you or more politely ask you for a picture first.
• Download a good VPN because incase you are unaware, Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, and Google are all blocked in China.