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August 12, 2011 1:50 PM Subscribe
My husband and I are taking this trip in China and Hong Kong (with some extra days on our own in advance in Beijing, and some more afterward in Hong Kong) in October. We're aiming to pack light but I'm starting to plan just what that means, in terms of both clothing and electronics. Can you help?
Specifically, what do you recommend in terms of clothing? And even more importantly, in terms of whether to bring/not bring Android phone, Ipad2, Kindle, nano, camera. (I gather I could arrange for service in China from my Droid/Ipad 3g provider, Verizon) Finally, any highly recommended travel accessories like sleep sack we should consider taking too?
Specifically, what do you recommend in terms of clothing? And even more importantly, in terms of whether to bring/not bring Android phone, Ipad2, Kindle, nano, camera. (I gather I could arrange for service in China from my Droid/Ipad 3g provider, Verizon) Finally, any highly recommended travel accessories like sleep sack we should consider taking too?
Response by poster: Beginning of October to very early November.
posted by bearwife at 2:17 PM on August 12, 2011
posted by bearwife at 2:17 PM on August 12, 2011
Best answer: Electronics: on a recent trip I took my android phone (with camera) and my iPad for reading, music, games, and wifi. We didn't have free wifi so I got a prepaid card and bought data and used my phone as a wifi hub. If you were a big photography buff you might take a proper camera but that was enough for me.
My kids each had a nook colour with android installed and that was all they needed for movies, books, games, and writing a journal -- they could have used it for online access if we'd let them.
posted by tracicle at 2:21 PM on August 12, 2011
My kids each had a nook colour with android installed and that was all they needed for movies, books, games, and writing a journal -- they could have used it for online access if we'd let them.
posted by tracicle at 2:21 PM on August 12, 2011
Best answer: You're right to pack light. I did a similar trip a few years ago and I forgot that I'd be flying *within* the country, and that those luggage restrictions are not the same as international travel, and ended up paying a ton in extra fees. Check your weight restrictions on the Chinese domestic airlines.
You really don't need many electronics. These tours will keep you busy enough that you don't need entertainment there (plane ride there and back is a different story). Take a camera, definitely, and maybe ONE of the other things each. And get an international power adapter so it will charge!
If you pack some travel woolite or something similar you can give clothes a quick wash at the hotel and not have to pack as many.
Oh, and not relevant to your question, but relevant to your trip. Get your guides or someone to write down the names and addresses of your hotels in Chinese. One of my guides was beyond wonderful, she came the next day to my hotel to take me to the hospital when I was sick and canceled my outing for the day. But at the next city the guide didn't even show at the airport and I had to get a taxi on my own.
posted by Caravantea at 2:30 PM on August 12, 2011
You really don't need many electronics. These tours will keep you busy enough that you don't need entertainment there (plane ride there and back is a different story). Take a camera, definitely, and maybe ONE of the other things each. And get an international power adapter so it will charge!
If you pack some travel woolite or something similar you can give clothes a quick wash at the hotel and not have to pack as many.
Oh, and not relevant to your question, but relevant to your trip. Get your guides or someone to write down the names and addresses of your hotels in Chinese. One of my guides was beyond wonderful, she came the next day to my hotel to take me to the hospital when I was sick and canceled my outing for the day. But at the next city the guide didn't even show at the airport and I had to get a taxi on my own.
posted by Caravantea at 2:30 PM on August 12, 2011
Best answer: I spent several weeks in Beijing a few years back on a work/study program.
Several people on the trip arrived with nearly empty suit-cases. The first day, they went to the pearl market in Beijing, and purchased a bunch of brand new Western designer clothing at rock bottom prices.
Much of the designer clothes that you get in the US is made in China. Most of it can be purchased cheaply at the pearl market. I myself got a new North Face winter jacket just before I left for about a tenth of what it costs in the US.
posted by Flood at 2:37 PM on August 12, 2011
Several people on the trip arrived with nearly empty suit-cases. The first day, they went to the pearl market in Beijing, and purchased a bunch of brand new Western designer clothing at rock bottom prices.
Much of the designer clothes that you get in the US is made in China. Most of it can be purchased cheaply at the pearl market. I myself got a new North Face winter jacket just before I left for about a tenth of what it costs in the US.
posted by Flood at 2:37 PM on August 12, 2011
Best answer: What a great trip! I’ve taken several trips with Intrepid, including Beijing in November. A sleep sheet is a must – most of the hotels you’ll stay at are fine, but every once in a while – and on the trains – it’s nice to have a barrier between you and everything else.
Also, packing light always increases my happiness during the trip immensely. For the Intrepid Original trips, plan to schlep your luggage around quite a bit (or rather, don’t be surprised if they say “our hotel is only a 30 minute walk from the train station,” etc.) For my China-Nov. trip, I carried only a medium size backpack with an undershirt, two long sleeve shirts, two pairs of pants and an (overly-complicated) winter coat. And one pair of shoes. All toiletries can be bought there.
If you’re a coffee drinker, I would highly recommend bringing your own.
Feel free to ask more questions.
posted by jicinabox at 4:28 PM on August 12, 2011
Also, packing light always increases my happiness during the trip immensely. For the Intrepid Original trips, plan to schlep your luggage around quite a bit (or rather, don’t be surprised if they say “our hotel is only a 30 minute walk from the train station,” etc.) For my China-Nov. trip, I carried only a medium size backpack with an undershirt, two long sleeve shirts, two pairs of pants and an (overly-complicated) winter coat. And one pair of shoes. All toiletries can be bought there.
If you’re a coffee drinker, I would highly recommend bringing your own.
Feel free to ask more questions.
posted by jicinabox at 4:28 PM on August 12, 2011
Best answer: Speaking from experience working in Shenzhen and Shanghai, I'd strongly recommend bringing an unlocked GSM phone, as roaming is considerably more expensive than just buying a China Unicom SIM card. If you can't find one at a reasonable price in the US, you can buy a cheap candybar-style phone for about 200RMB (~$30).
Very comfortable socks and shoes/hiking boots are good to have, as it's difficult to find shoes larger than a US 11M or so. You'll probably do a lot of walking, as jicinabox mentioned. Double-layered running socks are a life saver.
Clothing of a variety of qualities is easy to find at low prices in most major cities in China; I'd frequently go with one or two changes of clothing and plan to buy what I'd need upon arrival. I haven't been to Beijing personally, but Wikitravel ought to give you a starting point for finding a shopping district. Just remember that all prices are negotiable.
A camera might be difficult to find at a favorable price, especially if you aren't fluent in Mandarin. If the camera in your phone, should you bring one, is insufficient, a small point-and-shoot will come in handy.
Keep your wallet in your front pocket, especially in train stations and markets, and don't carry anything inside of it that would be annoying to replace. If you don't have hotel safes or similar available, a money-belt is a good idea. Protect your passport like your heart.
Don't bring anything you can't afford to replace, and be very careful with the local water and ice. Try to arrange for Hepatitis B vaccinations, and a prescription for some Ciprofloxacin in case of food poisoning that doesn't pass in a day or two. If you get sick, buy a lot of bottled water and Gatorade/Pocari Sweat/similar and stay hydrated. If you ultimately become accustomed to the local flora, the street food in China is fantastic. Just don't eat at a stand/restaurant that has substantially fewer customers than you'd expect compared to nearby businesses or relative to the size of the surrounding crowd.
Please let me know if you have any further questions, and have fun!
posted by pmugowsky at 5:04 PM on August 12, 2011
Very comfortable socks and shoes/hiking boots are good to have, as it's difficult to find shoes larger than a US 11M or so. You'll probably do a lot of walking, as jicinabox mentioned. Double-layered running socks are a life saver.
Clothing of a variety of qualities is easy to find at low prices in most major cities in China; I'd frequently go with one or two changes of clothing and plan to buy what I'd need upon arrival. I haven't been to Beijing personally, but Wikitravel ought to give you a starting point for finding a shopping district. Just remember that all prices are negotiable.
A camera might be difficult to find at a favorable price, especially if you aren't fluent in Mandarin. If the camera in your phone, should you bring one, is insufficient, a small point-and-shoot will come in handy.
Keep your wallet in your front pocket, especially in train stations and markets, and don't carry anything inside of it that would be annoying to replace. If you don't have hotel safes or similar available, a money-belt is a good idea. Protect your passport like your heart.
Don't bring anything you can't afford to replace, and be very careful with the local water and ice. Try to arrange for Hepatitis B vaccinations, and a prescription for some Ciprofloxacin in case of food poisoning that doesn't pass in a day or two. If you get sick, buy a lot of bottled water and Gatorade/Pocari Sweat/similar and stay hydrated. If you ultimately become accustomed to the local flora, the street food in China is fantastic. Just don't eat at a stand/restaurant that has substantially fewer customers than you'd expect compared to nearby businesses or relative to the size of the surrounding crowd.
Please let me know if you have any further questions, and have fun!
posted by pmugowsky at 5:04 PM on August 12, 2011
Best answer: I did a similar trip a few years ago, and in retrospect i wish i'd taken an ebook reader - there were a several very long train trips, and something to read would have been nice. I did take a few paperbacks, with the intention of exchanging them at a hostel, but had trouble finding hostels that did this and ended up reading them each probably five or six times. English bookshops exist in the cities, but I opted to do stuff while I was in cities rather than spend time hunting for something to read, so I never made it to any.
I wish I'd taken another pair of shoes - i had good boots for walking/hiking in (imo the most important thing i took, given all the stairs you're going to climb in china!), but some light slip ons would have been fantastic. Also wish I'd taken one nice thing to wear, as I felt like a bit of a bogan showing up to nice restaurants in cargo pants.
As far as shopping goes, any light things like clothes or art I posted back home once I had enough for a parcel to save carrying them (my guide organised all this - I don't know that I could have managed it without him!). I didn't buy anything heavy until the end of the trip. I started in Hong Kong, rather than finishing there like you, but I found a lot of the same items at the Night Market in Temple Street that I saw in other Markets around China.
I see you're going to be in Yangshuo! It was really lovely when I went, definitely hire a bike and go exploring! I hope you have a beautiful time :-)
posted by sleep_walker at 6:06 PM on August 12, 2011
I wish I'd taken another pair of shoes - i had good boots for walking/hiking in (imo the most important thing i took, given all the stairs you're going to climb in china!), but some light slip ons would have been fantastic. Also wish I'd taken one nice thing to wear, as I felt like a bit of a bogan showing up to nice restaurants in cargo pants.
As far as shopping goes, any light things like clothes or art I posted back home once I had enough for a parcel to save carrying them (my guide organised all this - I don't know that I could have managed it without him!). I didn't buy anything heavy until the end of the trip. I started in Hong Kong, rather than finishing there like you, but I found a lot of the same items at the Night Market in Temple Street that I saw in other Markets around China.
I see you're going to be in Yangshuo! It was really lovely when I went, definitely hire a bike and go exploring! I hope you have a beautiful time :-)
posted by sleep_walker at 6:06 PM on August 12, 2011
Best answer: It depends on your priorities, of course, but for me...
A camera is indispensable. Parts of my life I don't have a photo record of are parts that I forget within a few years (or sooner); parts that I have documentation of are those that I remember long-term.
Kindle is a godsend. Travelling often affords lots of time for reading, whether it's on planes/trains/buses or just lazing and/or exhausted from doing stuff, at the beach or just in the hotel or whatever. I used to pack lots of books, and be on the lookout for book-swap backpackers' hostels and stuff. Now I don't have to mess with any of that weight or inconvenience, and plus if you get sick of reading too much of whatever you're in the middle of, you can just find something else to start, no matter where you are.
I used to never travel without an iPod, but now what with the kindle and the individual video screens on nearly all long flights (not Air China though!), my last couple trips I've taken the iPod along and never even used it.
I don't know exactly what an iPad is useful for (I don't know much about the device, never used one) but if it's taking the place of a laptop, then it might be worth it. I usually can't be apart from my laptop for any appreciable length of time. But if it's just going to duplicate functions that your other devices are taking care of, then it (or the other device(s)) might be superfluous.
International phone fees are killer and I would definitely not plan to use your foreign phone in China. Maybe you could take it just in case of emergency, but I've learned not even to do that, after one time my phone got lost/stolen in South America and racked up thousands of dollars of international charges before I realized it. I don't know how structured your trip is (it looks pretty structured) or if you know anybody in your destination(s) who could help you out, but if you want a cell phone for use in China during your trip, say for communication between you and your husband if you go your separate ways at times, you can get cheap used Chinese phones for 100-200 RMB plus maybe 20 for the SIM card (phone number) plus money for however much credit (minutes) you want to prepay onto it, altogether maybe US$40-50, or less. This is what my parents did for their 3-week trip to China, but they had me to find and buy the phones for them.
One thing I would say you probably don't need to bring is international power adapters. You can check the voltage ratings on the AC adpaters of all your electronic devices to see if they're compatible for the whole range of 110-240V, but these days, more and more things are compatible because companies know people will be traveling with their devices I guess. And the outlets in China pretty much admit every type of plug in terms of prong shape/configuration, so that's not generally something you have to be concerned about.
I've been to Beijing and Hong Kong, but not at that time of year, any clothing advice I'd give would be no more useful than, say, checking the temperature averages on wikipedia or something.
And, for what it's worth, probably when you're talking to Chinese people in China, steer clear of the "going to China and Hong Kong" phraseology - even though the border controls, currency, etc, are different, they are still adamant (almost defensive) about the fact that Hong Kong is part of China, so you're just "going to China."
posted by jef at 8:12 PM on August 12, 2011
A camera is indispensable. Parts of my life I don't have a photo record of are parts that I forget within a few years (or sooner); parts that I have documentation of are those that I remember long-term.
Kindle is a godsend. Travelling often affords lots of time for reading, whether it's on planes/trains/buses or just lazing and/or exhausted from doing stuff, at the beach or just in the hotel or whatever. I used to pack lots of books, and be on the lookout for book-swap backpackers' hostels and stuff. Now I don't have to mess with any of that weight or inconvenience, and plus if you get sick of reading too much of whatever you're in the middle of, you can just find something else to start, no matter where you are.
I used to never travel without an iPod, but now what with the kindle and the individual video screens on nearly all long flights (not Air China though!), my last couple trips I've taken the iPod along and never even used it.
I don't know exactly what an iPad is useful for (I don't know much about the device, never used one) but if it's taking the place of a laptop, then it might be worth it. I usually can't be apart from my laptop for any appreciable length of time. But if it's just going to duplicate functions that your other devices are taking care of, then it (or the other device(s)) might be superfluous.
International phone fees are killer and I would definitely not plan to use your foreign phone in China. Maybe you could take it just in case of emergency, but I've learned not even to do that, after one time my phone got lost/stolen in South America and racked up thousands of dollars of international charges before I realized it. I don't know how structured your trip is (it looks pretty structured) or if you know anybody in your destination(s) who could help you out, but if you want a cell phone for use in China during your trip, say for communication between you and your husband if you go your separate ways at times, you can get cheap used Chinese phones for 100-200 RMB plus maybe 20 for the SIM card (phone number) plus money for however much credit (minutes) you want to prepay onto it, altogether maybe US$40-50, or less. This is what my parents did for their 3-week trip to China, but they had me to find and buy the phones for them.
One thing I would say you probably don't need to bring is international power adapters. You can check the voltage ratings on the AC adpaters of all your electronic devices to see if they're compatible for the whole range of 110-240V, but these days, more and more things are compatible because companies know people will be traveling with their devices I guess. And the outlets in China pretty much admit every type of plug in terms of prong shape/configuration, so that's not generally something you have to be concerned about.
I've been to Beijing and Hong Kong, but not at that time of year, any clothing advice I'd give would be no more useful than, say, checking the temperature averages on wikipedia or something.
And, for what it's worth, probably when you're talking to Chinese people in China, steer clear of the "going to China and Hong Kong" phraseology - even though the border controls, currency, etc, are different, they are still adamant (almost defensive) about the fact that Hong Kong is part of China, so you're just "going to China."
posted by jef at 8:12 PM on August 12, 2011
Best answer: Good advice upthread. I'm writing from the perspective of someone who lives in China (well -- in Beijing), rather than having passed through: clothes are cheap here assuming you can find things in the right sizes (I am short and skinny, so it's no problem for me), so you can instantly cut down on your baggage. If you've got an e-book reader, you're absolutely made: assuming that you don't have to work and are not squicked out by internet cafes, you can travel pretty light.
Cipro isn't a bad idea -- at least bring some immodium, or maybe Pepto-Bismol. People react differently to the local flora, but it's best to be prepared. I used to recommend alcohol-based hand wash gel, but that's now widely available here in Beijing, so there's no reason to bring it.
Travel towels - the high-friction, quick-drying kind - are very useful if you're going to be spending any time in humid areas, but I don't know if I'd say they're a must anymore. Pickpockets are not nearly the problem here that they are in, say, Rome, but you may want to invest in a travellers' wallet anyway.
You'll probably want to bring a camera from the States: cellphones are quite cheap here, as noted above, but heavier-duty consumer electronics, particularly computers and anything with foreign IP, are more expensive because of import tariffs on foreign electronics brands.
jicinabox is right about coffee, but you might also think about waiting until you get to Beijing. There are plenty of stores here selling real coffee beans (not great ones, generally, but not terrible either), and Starbucks has a new instant coffee mix on sale here that is actually not bad, especially compared to the ubiquitous Nescafe alternative.
Sounds like a fun trip. Please ask or Memail if you have any questions!
posted by bokane at 8:13 PM on August 12, 2011
Cipro isn't a bad idea -- at least bring some immodium, or maybe Pepto-Bismol. People react differently to the local flora, but it's best to be prepared. I used to recommend alcohol-based hand wash gel, but that's now widely available here in Beijing, so there's no reason to bring it.
Travel towels - the high-friction, quick-drying kind - are very useful if you're going to be spending any time in humid areas, but I don't know if I'd say they're a must anymore. Pickpockets are not nearly the problem here that they are in, say, Rome, but you may want to invest in a travellers' wallet anyway.
You'll probably want to bring a camera from the States: cellphones are quite cheap here, as noted above, but heavier-duty consumer electronics, particularly computers and anything with foreign IP, are more expensive because of import tariffs on foreign electronics brands.
jicinabox is right about coffee, but you might also think about waiting until you get to Beijing. There are plenty of stores here selling real coffee beans (not great ones, generally, but not terrible either), and Starbucks has a new instant coffee mix on sale here that is actually not bad, especially compared to the ubiquitous Nescafe alternative.
Sounds like a fun trip. Please ask or Memail if you have any questions!
posted by bokane at 8:13 PM on August 12, 2011
Response by poster: Fantastically helpful answers, all. Thank you.
posted by bearwife at 12:47 PM on August 15, 2011
posted by bearwife at 12:47 PM on August 15, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 2:16 PM on August 12, 2011