Travel to China - What should I know? How should I prepare?

[RosieA]

Hey fellow Covers,

I am planning my first trip to our two plants in China, and am a tad nervous. I'd appreciate hearing form any of you who have been there and done that, especially from women who have been there.

My need for education involves:
1. Personal safety
2. Local customs (tipping/no tipping, eye contact, male-female roles etc)
3. Adapting to local foods and sanitation (Western bathrooms are not available at either plant)
4. Tips for surviving the flight and resetting your internal clock
5. Immunizations: if optional, do you get them or not?
6. Any learning experiences that could help a rooky

Thanks!

[tomvehoski]

Rosie,

I highly recommend you check out www.flyertalk.com. It is a forum similar to this (even the same software I think) of all frequent flyers. I know they have a forum for women travelers in addition to safety, locations around the world, frequent flyer programs, etc. It is about the best travel resource I have found. The existing threads can probably answer all of your questions and 1000s more.

I can also help with number 4. I just invested in a pair of noise-canceling headphones for the trip I am currently on from Detroit to Guadalajara, Mexico. They have microphones that "listen" to the background noise and generate the opposite soundwave, to cancel out aircraft engine noise. Not 100% effective, but much better. I found I was much more relaxed and less tired after six hours in flight yesterday. The model I bought is the Sennheiser PXC-250, about $130. There are cheaper models, but these got some of the best reviews - again from flyertalk.

Hope this helps,

Tom

[RosieA]

Thanks, Tom. I just registered with flyertalk.com and appreciate the help!

[Mike S.]

The state department issues guides on travel to various foreign countries, so I'd check that out. I'd also invest in a guidebook for visiting China from a local bookstore. As for foods --- take as much as you can carry! I have not gone to China but know some who have and the food was...well... VERY different! For example, turtle soup entails dropping the whole turtle in the pot and cooking it all. The large cities have more western-style foods, the smaller ones are very different. If you don't wanna eat something, or not much of it, use the excuse I used in Korea -- "I have a bad cold and I just don't have any appetite"!

Your internal clock is gonna be screwed-up no matter what, but what has worked best for me is not to sleep overnight, gut it throught he next day, and try to sleep long and well the next night. No booze helps, as does lotsa water and some vitamins.

Good luck -- let us know how it goes!

[Randy]

Wear a maple leaf so everyone will think you're a Canadian. Just kidding... Everyone that I've talked to that has been to the PRC has said that it was a great trip. Most say that they'd rather go to China than to most Western European countries.

[RosieA]

I'm about 3 hours from the Canadian border, Randy, so maybe I should go soak up some Canadian culture to go along with my maple Leaf, Eh?

[qualitygoddess]

I almost traveled to China last year (Novosibirsk, Russia), and my advice is:

1. hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!! Stay away from caffeine on the plane, except if you need that AM coffee jolt.

2. Set your watch to the local time when you leave, so your brain can adjust to the fact that you are in a different time zone/day.

3. the headphones are probably worth it. It's also worth it to get up every 1-2 hours to stretch.

4. like another poster, I tried the sleep deprivation thing. That's personal choice. If you can sleep on the plane, that works.

5. pack lots of snacks that you like. In Russia, we found that the food was quite a bit different, too. For example, it is almost impossible to find a green salad. There are lots of salads made with meats and pickled veggies, but it sure ain't no Ceasar salad! If you order fish, expect the whole thing to arrive on a plate! You will probably find one or two dishes that you really like, and it is perfectly OK to keep eating them.

One cultural thing I do know is that if you are offered something by your host to try at a restaurant, it is an insult to not taste it. However, if it is really disgusting, too spicy, or possibly unsafe, I think you can decline. I remember one time in Mexico eating the parts of a cow that should not be eaten in my opinion. I knew that it was brains, and I did taste it. Of course, that was before the whole mad cow thing................. I would refuse it today.

6. don't drink the water! But you already know this one. I was amazed to find out that so many countries do not purify the water from the tap system.

7. from a safety perspective -- talk with your host. They can tell you more about the areas where you will be, and what is prudent for a foreign visitor alone. You do have to be careful, as many countries and people these days do not necessarily think very highly of Americans. It's profiling thing, I guess.

Best of luck. The plane ride will be the worst of it.

--Jodi

[barbt]

Rosie,
We just sent a delegation over to China, with huge success and no horror stories back. One of our guys took his wife and 10 year old daughter, I was naturally concerned about their health and well being given that the daughter was allergic to many things of peanut base. Again, all went well. Food and water were no problem, they stuck to mainstream restaurants and bottled water.

Prior to their departure I had done an online search for chinese business culture and etiquette, and was well rewarded with interesting tips of all kinds.- I also provided information for the local embassy which included the local numbers for credit card companies (in case of loss or disaster)

For the touristy portion of their trip, they hired local English speaking guides, pre-arranged of course. This apparantly worked out extremely well.

Good luck, our people found it an exciting and vibrant country! Hopefully you will have a good trip as well.

barbt