planning
All travel guides tagged with "planning".
57 articles — page 8 of 10
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China Travel Insurance Guide 2026: What Coverage You Need & Best Policies
Travel insurance for China — what's different about insuring a China trip (medical evacuation is the critical coverage given the complexity of billing at Chinese hospitals as a foreigner), which insurers are accepted at international hospitals in China, the standard of Chinese public hospitals (good, but language barriers), and specific policy recommendations for different trip lengths and activities.
Updated May 2026
Read →China Travel Mistakes to Avoid 2026: What First-Timers Get Wrong
The 15 most common China travel mistakes — not setting up mobile payment before arriving (everything requires Alipay or WeChat Pay), not booking train tickets early enough for Golden Week, underestimating distances (Beijing to Xi'an is a 5-hour train, not a short hop), not downloading offline maps (internet is unreliable in many scenic areas), forgetting that passport registration is required at check-in at every hotel.
Updated May 2026
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Bringing Pets to China 2026: Import Rules, Pet-Friendly Hotels & Dog-Friendly Travel
Travelling with pets to China — the import requirements (microchip, rabies vaccination at least 30 days before, specific health certificate formats that vary by nationality and are notoriously complex), quarantine possibilities, pet-friendly accommodation in major cities (surprisingly common), and the reality of flying with a dog or cat in cabin on Chinese domestic flights.
Updated May 2026
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2 Weeks in China for First-Timers 2026: The Classic Route That Covers the Essentials
The perfect 2-week China itinerary for first-time visitors — 3 days Beijing, 2 days Xi'an, 3 days Chengdu (with Panda Base and either Jiuzhaigou or Leshan), 4 days Shanghai. Why this route works, what train connections to book and when, realistic daily budgets, and what you'll want to come back for.
Updated May 2026
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China Visa on Arrival & Port Entry Guide 2026: Which Nationalities Qualify
China's visa-on-arrival and port entry options in 2026 — the Hainan 30-day visa-free policy (by far the most generous, applicable to 59 nationalities), the 72-hour and 144-hour transit visa exemptions, the 15-day visa-free bilateral agreements, and the countries where China visa on arrival is available at specific ports. Updated for 2026 policy changes.
Updated May 2026
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Best Time to Visit China 2026: Month-by-Month Weather Guide & Regional Differences
China's climate varies enormously — Beijing in July is 35°C and humid, in January it's -10°C; Yunnan is pleasant year-round; Hainan is tropical. A month-by-month breakdown of the best places to be in each season, when the major weather events (typhoon season, sandstorms, monsoon rains) affect which regions, and the key holidays that create crowd surges.
Updated May 2026
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