Our condensed Tips for your Trip
Here you will find, in vague order, things that helped us out on our trip, or that we wish we had done, brought or thought of.
Please note that these tips may not be universal, and may sometimes apply more to CAWLI folks than not. Everyone should find something they can use though! Have a tip?
Feel free to Email Us us with any questions or concerns!
Airplanes
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Bring saline solution. After 12 hours on a plane, your nose gets really dry and this stuff was a life saver.
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Don't eat everything they put in front of you. You're not under contract to finish a meal, and on a long flight, you can get fed a lot!
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Bring extra toilet paper/tissues. Again on long flights the bathrooms can get understocked on these things.
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Always test any travel medicine (i.e. bonine) before you fly! Do it a few days ahead of time to make sure you won't have any adverse reactions.
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Keep drinking water. Not only will it keep you hydrated, but you'll be getting up a bit to use the bathroom.
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Stretch. Stand, walk the length of the plane, do yoga, whatever it is that you need to do to get your body moving.
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Before you travel, take all of your packed luggage and lug it somewhere. You'll be doing this a lot. Now try and do it with a child stuck to your body. This will help prepare you for the luggage shuffle marathon.
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When leaving Beijing for your child's province, try a can of Pocari Sweat. It tastes much better than it sounds.
In China
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Be aware that how you present yourself and how you act is a direct reflection on every member of your travel group and also on the United States. Be polite and remember that this isn't America.
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Go with the flow. Not everything will go as planned, so be prepared to change plans sometimes.
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Don't drink the water! You'll have two bottles of water delivered to your room every day. Use those. Also purchase bottled water, but make sure you do so from a department store or a 7-11 type shop. Some bottled water sold on the streets is simply repackaged tap water.
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Eat fruits that you can peel. Don't eat salads (as they're washed with tap water as often as not).
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Keep your mouth closed in the shower. This means no belting out your favorite American Idle tunes. Practice at home. :)
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Try stuff. This may be the last time you're in China, you just never know. So try that food, try bargaining, try climbing the great wall, or just saying 'Ni Hao' to folks.
Gotcha Day
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Breathe. Really, this sounds silly but you have to remember to do it. We made little place cards that said "Breathe" and placed them around our room.
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Make pacts with group members to man cameras. If you've brought some extra help along (inlaws, outlaws, friends, etc.) ask them to help out your travel mates with this as well. It will be very much appreciated!
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Bring rice paper. Your child will have their footprint logged in red ink for the CCAA. You can get a copy of this on your own rice paper, which is a great keepsake.
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Breathe.
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Bring some small toys. Plastic keys, stacking cups, a soft book.
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If you're traveling with older kids, bring your portable DVD player. You may be in the gotcha day room for 3-4 hours and this goes a long way towards keeping older siblings entertained.
Paperwork
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Listen to your guide. They know what they're talking about
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There's a lot to do, so plan on one parent doing the paperwork while another watches your child. If you're traveling alone, bring toys to keep your tot entertained.
Shopping
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Ask your guides if you can bargain. If you can, do it with a smile on your face, and have fun!
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Be aware that in Beijing you can buy lots of stuff at Tianaman square. Not all of this commerce is er... government sanctioned. Don't expect to get a real rolex for $5 US, but have fun with it, you can get some neat stuff.
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We opted not to buy any silks or outfits in Beijing. We found the prices in our province (Anhui) and in Guangzhou much, much better - sometimes 1/3 the cost as Beijing. This can be particularly true of the Friendship Shops. Having said that though, if you absolutely fall in love with something, get it. You don't know if you'll see it again.
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Ask you guide to write down that you're looking for some lullabies or children's music. Bring this with you when you wander about in your child's province. If you see a CD shop, stop in and find some music to bring back with you.
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When in Guangzhou, as your guide to arrange a taxi to take you to the jewelry market. Even if you don't buy any, this place is really neat.
Beijing
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If offered the chance to go on a Houtong tour, do it. This is a bike (rickshaw) tour of Old Beijing, and well worth it for the glimpses of everyday life that you'll get.
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The Great Wall is a hard climb. If you plan on doing it, allow plenty of time to rest.
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If you go to the Beijing Acrobats, be aware that there is a stand just inside the theater where you can get scrolls made with your child's name on them. These scrolls are done where all of the letters are animals or sunsets or other such things. Very pretty.
Anhui/Hefei
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We purchased a Good Baby stroller from Parksons, which is about a 15 minute walk from the Hefei Holiday Inn. This cost us about $15 US and we're still using it today. The strollers the hotel provided were a little wobbly and not all that fun to steer.
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The shopping area near Parksons is well worth poking through. We bought several children's CDs at a music shop. There's a neat indoor mall and tons of interesting shops, including a toy shop.
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Lord Bao's temple is well worth the trip.
Guangzhou
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Get your laundry done. It's a great relief to have clean clothes! Many of the shops will do it for you and most of the prices are the same.
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I would recommend not eating at Lucy's. The service was horrible (40+ minutes for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich) and the meat a bit undercooked. Several of us got sick.
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Do order from Danny's Bagels. They deliver little slices of
heavenpizza. -
If you're staying at the White Swan, exchange your travelers checks at the desk there after 6pm. The bank is conveniently located next door and can be an all day trip for you, so avoid it if you can. However, the WS won't exchange money while the bank is open, so plan ahead.
Coming Home
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Guangzhou airport can be super crowded. Make sure you're on time for your bus that will take you there! Getting to the airport 20 minutes early can make everything so much easier.
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Remember, you've got a child and a stroller now. The good news, you get to board first! (At least in the US Airports). But don't forget that you'll have to check your stroller with the flight attendants and then get it back when you land. It won't be at baggage claim, but rather will appear at the end of the walkway when getting off your plane.
Feel free to Email Us us with any questions or concerns!
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