Travel to China?

[Edensmum]

WOuld you travel to China at this point in your life? What political or medical concerns would you have? Are there anythings you would want to look into before going for the first time. There is a chance we are going to Tianjin.
Thanks

[sweetsue98]

I would definitely go with no concerns but would probably take young children. Would you be going with others, tour group, or visiting family?

[crl]

WOuld you travel to China at this point in your life? What political or medical concerns would you have? Are there anythings you would want to look into before going for the first time. There is a chance we are going to Tianjin.
Thanks

We adopted ds from China in 2004. We had a wonderful trip, loved China and were never concerned about our safety at all. We don't have any particular health concerns and I was not concerned about medical care for us. I have a vague recollection that we had figured out some clinic in the place we were going to spend the most time after adopting ds. But that was a very long time ago now.

We would gladly go back and plan to do so in the next few years.

I would most likely not take my three year old right now because it is a looooonnnnggg flight and she's a lousy traveler (doesn't sleep, even at my parents house, screams on planes, etc).

Catherine

[sste]

DS is obsessed with visiting China! Obsessed. We are planning on going in a couple of years. Personally, I would not take a child much under 4 if there was a way to help it due to the flight and also we have a concern about food/water poisoning -- dehydration can be very dangerous the smaller the child.

You should phone a travel clinic and see what they rec shot and safety wise.

I would personally do a tour group for a trip to China. We have never done that for Europe, Australia, etc but Asia I would find a bit daunting.

Have fun!!

[crl]

I will say English was not commonly spoken in China (unlike Europe). At least that was our experience. We did get stuck at the airport with a flight delay in between guides--one dropped us off at the Wuhan airport and the other picked us up at the Guangzhou airport--no one behind the counter spoke English and it was a challenge to figure out what was happening. A really nice Chinese businessman took pity on us and sat near us and translated all the announcements for us. As far as I could tell he was the only person present who spoke English.

So unless you speak Catonese or Mandarin, I agree that a guide/tour group is a good idea.

Catherine

[mom2akm]

I have been following the bird flu problem in China carefully. (Google: Bird Flu 2013) I don't think there is anything to be concerned about at this point of time especially if you're traveling in the warmer months. It will be a fun trip. I hope you get to go.

[kara97210]

I was just was just in Beijing two weeks ago. I have travelled there and Shanghai for work 2-3 times a year for the past 5 years. I really enjoy it and have less concern there than in other places (Brazil, most of Latin America, etc.).

For your first trip I would definitely set up an organized or private tour for the first or second day. It's very inexpensive to set up a car and driver to show you around and usually you can bypass lines at most attractions if you go with a guide. I'm not really a guided tour person, but China can be overwhelming (especially when you are also dealing with jetlag) and it's nice to get the lay of the land initally with a tour.

In my experience most people on the street don't speak English. When you leave your hotel, ask the front desk to give you a hotel card (so the you can show a cab driver the address in Mandarin when you return) and to write down the address you are going to in Mandarin on a card (so you end up going to the right place).

I try to pack pretty lightly, but I always add a couple of granola bars (just in case I'm caught somewhere and can't grab a bite) and tampons.

If you go, have a great trip! It's a really wonderful country in a lot of ways, with an amazing history.

[hillview]

We'd go!

[Philly Mom]

My parents travel everywhere and they found china very safe. They did arrange lots of private guides. My dad has a serious food allergy so it is often helpful to have someone who can explain it at a restaurant especially when they were out of major cities. Only complaint was air quality. It was bad. They loved their trip.

[Simon]

I would go sans kids. I second the experience of people not speaking English, especially if you are traveling outside of major cities and/or trying to avoid major tourist stops (i.e. Hard Rock Cafe for dinner). We had an amazing trip but we also had tour guides to help us around. I would not have felt comfortable charting my own trip, but that was some years ago. FWIW, I have done all of Europe either alone or with a friend and it was much easier to navigate. I am more afraid of unrest in Central/South America than China.

[JBaxter]

I'd tag along on one of DH's work trips but I wouldn't take the kids. Travel that far with mine would be a nightmare.

[mommylamb]

I've been twice. Both work trips, once to Beijing and once to Beijing and Shanghai. We had guides set up for us by one of the Chinese governmental organizations, which was very helpful. Prepare to bargain for everything. It was a great experience, though I don't feel any need to go back to Beijing. Have fun!

[mommy111]

We lived there for 2 years and loved it. I never had any safety concerns at all, lovely community. Of course we were in the city, Beijing, so lot of diversity. Most people do t speak English but they sure try :) I may be going again for a business trip in the summer. Watching the bird flu situation carefully, though

[KLD313]

I'm surprised by all the positive responses. My cousin is working in Beijing recently and all she talks about is how awful the air pollution is. She says she has to wear a mask when it gets really bad. Yesterday she said she almost got kidnapped leaving the Pear Market. Obviously, I have no first hand experience and she hasn't said anything about any other responses.

[codex57]

I'm not worried about politics, etc.

Pollution, well, not ideal but for a short trip, it's not a big deal. Granted, I'm from Los Angeles so I'm more used to the idea of smog. I've been to China several times. It's not the same, I know, but for a short trip, I'm ok with suffering through it. Ideally you wouldn't bring kids though.

I'm not worried about crime.

Safety is a broad term tho. What I am worried about is things like accidents. Life is cheap in China. Like practically worthless. It's also crowded there in the cities. But even out in the boonies, accidents can be common. They're safety standards are essentially nonexistent. Just youtube car crash videos of Chinese made autos. Many taxis and buses we took seemed to have connected the end of the exhaust and piped it into the cabin area. Many drive like crap (like what you see on those Russian dash cam vids) and the pedestrians can be crazy too.

The other big thing is food quality. I'm not too worried about bird flu. Compared to the population size, the infection rate is basically nil. However, look at the stories of polluted rivers, contaminated food, etc. I'm not really comfortable eating anything in China. Even stuff at 5 star hotels. Anything "fresh" is particularly suspect.

I remember one trip we went (with a tour guide). Stopped by an outlying village. Got "fresh" seafood straight from the river. We were clearly the rich non-natives who ordered every expensive thing on the menu. We took one bite of what looked to be a monstrous prawn and we all spit it out. It was mushy. And had a funky smell. Gave it to locals dining near us. They thought we were nuts (and filthy rich) to give away perfectly "good" food.

Ultimately, I'd go if it was just adults. I'm not comfortable enough to take my kids yet though.

[essnce629]

I'm surprised by all the positive responses. My cousin is working in Beijing recently and all she talks about is how awful the air pollution is.


I'm not worried about politics, etc.

Pollution, well, not ideal but for a short trip, it's not a big deal. Granted, I'm from Los Angeles so I'm more used to the idea of smog. I've been to China several times. It's not the same, I know, but for a short trip, I'm ok with suffering through it. Ideally you wouldn't bring kids though.

One of my mom friends from my weekly playgroup just spent 10 days in China with her DH as part of their 40th birthday celebration. They had a great time and she told me all about it. They did not take their DD (3 yrs old) because it was a planned adult-only trip for their birthdays. I know they went to Beijing, Shanghai, and several other places. They went with a tour group and she said that was a must. They had 3 different tour guides and she liked hearing the different perspectives from each guide. I talked to her about the pollution and she basically said the air (in Beijing) smelled like it does after a fireworks show, but all the time there. The sky was always grey, no sun. BUT she said very few people wore masks and she didn't feel it was a real concern for the 10 days they would be there. Would she want to live there permanently with that type of daily pollution, no, but for 10 days it wasn't a problem. She did say that the toilet situation in several areas was pretty sketchy (sometimes just a hole in the floor), but she said you could always find a clean bathroom at Starbucks or KFC!!!! I saw all of her pictures and it looked like a great trip.

[mommylamb]

She did say that the toilet situation in several areas was pretty sketchy (sometimes just a hole in the floor), but she said you could always find a clean bathroom at Starbucks or KFC!!!!
:yeahthat: Make sure to bring tissues with you in case you're somewhere where there is no toilet paper.

I think the pollution is much worse on some days than it is on others. Both times when I was in Beijing, it wasn't that bad. It didn't seem much worse than London to me.