As someone who travels worldwide on a regular basis by themselves, I am generally quite confident when traveling by myself. Therefore, I was taken aback when I unexpectedly became intimidated by the prospect of visiting China. This could have been due to the fact that I had formed some preconceived notions about China when I was younger, which I later found out were somewhat unjustified. On the other hand, I didn’t really comprehend the scope of those ideas until after I had traveled there. When I needed to travel to China for the first time, I had no idea what to anticipate and was probably quite careless about getting my visa because a visa is not required when I travel. However, I quickly realized that I needed to get my act together or else I would be waiting in the Shanghai airport for five days as I waited for my next connecting flight to Milan. An excerpt from my book titled “importing from China to Australia” is presented in the following paragraphs. I was aware that in order to visit China, I would need to get a visa; but, now that I knew someone who had traveled and could provide me with guidance, I began investigating the kind of visa that I would need and the specific steps that I would take to obtain it. One of the things that I did not fully comprehend was that in order to enter China on a tourist visa, you must first fill out the necessary paperwork, which can be downloaded online. After that, you must either send or bring the documents to the Chinese visa application service center. Once your application is approved, you are then able to pack your bags and leave. I can only speak for myself as an Australian because I am not sure what the process is like for people of other nationalities. But if you choose to fill out the forms and be honest about applying for a business visa, which I did because I didn’t want to end up in jail or arrested (perhaps due to my fear of the unknown because, despite my self-assurance, I had never had any dealings with the Chinese government), you fill out the form as if it were a business trip, stating where you are going and to which cities you will be going. On the other hand, I was unaware that in order to be invited, you need to be invited by a firm, the invitation must be written down, and the letterhead must include the company’s Chinese stamp and emblem. I have no reason to believe that this is a hoax. If you are applying for a tourist visa, I have seen that there are not many significant issues to worry about. My concern is that I am not aware of whether or not some individuals utilize a vacation visa to do business in China; nonetheless, I was not ready to take the risk of doing so. If you have never been to China before, your eyes will be scanned at the airport, and your passport will be photocopied at the hotel. I am unable to say with complete certainty whether you are tracked from airport to airport or location to location, but I am certain that you are. However, I did not want to take the chance of breaking the rules. It is not my country, and I always make sure to follow the procedure that is in place while I am traveling, regardless of the nation that I am in. The documents that I needed to submit in order to get a business and vacation visa was combined with my passport and sent to the Melbourne application office. Imagine my astonishment when ‘Harry’ contacted me and asked for my letter of invitation after I had already sent in my passport application. This is where things started to get a little bit complicated. The question was, “What? What invitation? I don’t know anybody; how can they invite me?” It is clear that Harry has made a mistake! simple…..i’ll email him back and tell him that initially I was going over to go to a trade fair, but due to time constraints I am unable to go as I want to visit 2 factories in china which are quite a distance apart and can’t possibly visit the trade fair, so, is that everything you needed to know, great, just return my visa in the mail. I’m sure that darling Harry was chuckling under his breath. “What on earth is she doing? What is this crazy Australian lady doing?” he must have wondered to himself. Is it any surprise that Harry, in his response email, sought the letter of invitation materials once again to support my application for a tourist visa for business purposes? which, by the way, I never ever pay for until I go to the hotel since there are methods to do this, and I still do not have a visa. If things continued as they were, I would be waiting at the Shanghai airport for a total of five days before I could board my next connecting aircraft to Italy. I phoned the center and scheduled an appointment to ask Harry precisely what it is that I need since I had made the decision that I really needed to have this sorted out because I was going to be traveling to China in less than two weeks. In addition, he was a kind and kind individual who corrected my errors and demonstrated to me the specific letter that was required. In addition to that, he informed me that it was necessary for me to choose which visa to ask for. Despite the fact that I would not be able to do business if I sought for a tourist visa, I would very certainly be granted the visa. In order for me to proceed with my business visa, I needed to obtain a letter of invitation from one of the firms that I was working with, asking me to China to inspect their goods. This letter needed to be sent to me as quickly as possible since I was running out of time. If I did not get this letter, I would not be able to return so that I could submit an application for a tourist visa since they would not trust me to refrain from doing business. A side note: I’ve also learned that just because you fly to Hong Kong to travel to China, even if you take the train, it is not always the case that you will be able to obtain a visa to enter China when you arrive at the border, even if you are only going to be there for a short period of time. This is something that I’ve learned since my first trip to China. It is recommended that you always have your visa in hand before leaving your country since the process might take anywhere from three to four days to complete. Now was the moment to send a frantic email to one or more of my acquaintances in China, hoping that they would be pleased to deliver this letter of invitation. I was concerned about whether or not they were aware of the contents of the letter when I asked them to do this. Once again, I see how foolish I was since it is a prerequisite for business, and I am certain that I am not the first person to ever do business in China! To my good fortune, it did take place. “The letter” was sent to me by one of the firms via return email. I arrived in Shanghai via plane, completely oblivious of what was about to happen. The process of traveling through customs consisted of nothing out of the norm, with a valuable visa in hand. Whenever I go on a trip, I make all of my own hotel reservations and transportation arrangements because, once again, I don’t leave any duty or chance to anybody else except myself. I am aware that not everyone is comfortable being in this situation; however, I have the ability to choose the price that I want to pay, the place, and I am not required to pay any money before I am required to. Because the website I use enables me to view the various prices of accommodations, provides reviews, and provides location maps, it is simple for me to find a place that is close to a train station from the airport. This is the mode of transportation that I prefer to use until I have a better understanding of my location. In addition, this website gives me the opportunity to choose a hotel that I do not have to pay for right away and that I may change if I feel the need to. Before I go, I always make sure to convert some of my money into the currency of the nation I will be visiting, which in China is the renminbi. Additionally, you should be informed that prior to exchanging your money, you could need to inquire about whether or not it is required to order this currency in at the money exchange. It is important to remember that not everyone carries the money or the quantities that you are looking for, so you should avoid being caught leaving it until the day before. Simply enough to pay for airport transfers if I’m not taking a train, as well as maybe something to eat and transportation for the following couple of days, is the amount of money that I change. I don’t change a lot of money. Even if you are unable to locate an ATM, the majority of hotels are able to change money for you; nevertheless, the exchange rate will nearly always be greater. Because I don’t want to carry a lot of cash, I opt to pay for my accommodation using a card. This is because there is a risk that I may be robbed or overcharged, which is something that can happen if a local sees you carrying a lot of cash or just because you are a foreigner. When it comes to traveling, I believe that personal safety is of the highest importance, and since I travel by myself, I am always conscious of my own safety. In addition, I exchanged money before I traveled to China for the first time since I had never been there before and I didn’t know anybody who had been there before, so I couldn’t inquire how much I should anticipate to spend for goods during my trip. Depending on whether you want to do sight seeing or simply go straight in, conduct business, and leave again, the cost of living might vary dramatically from nation to country. I think it also depends on whether you want to get married. It is more convenient for me to stay at a hotel since it allows me to walk to practically any location or at the very least to use public transportation. I believe that by doing so, you are able to catch a greater portion of the culture of the nation and observe the little details that you may not normally notice. An additional reason why I do not take a significant amount of cash that has been exchanged is that any cash that you do not use must be converted back into Australian dollars upon your return. It is important to keep in mind that whenever you change money, you incur fees and charges, and you also lose money due to the exchange rate. A further issue that may arise if you do not convert money before leaving is the possibility of getting at an airport and finding that the ATM is not functioning properly. This is something that has happened to me, and depending on the country that you are traveling to, not all of them have a large number of ATMs in the arrival hall. I rarely use money exchange outlets, which is a personal choice; I am not in favor of or against them; I just prefer to do it my own way so that I can know how much I pay. After arriving at the airport, if I am unable to utilize public transportation, I would rather pay for and use a shuttle service that travels from the airport to the hotel. Be wary of the amount that they ask you to pay since they could end up inflating it. However, you have the ability to negotiate the price, and keep in mind that there are instances when you are simply so exhausted that you just want to get to where you are going. I personally do not like to get into taxis by myself because I have had a bad experience in the past in Dubai, where I was charged $80 Australian Dollars for a trip of three kilometers and was scared to death. As a result, I just paid the fare and got out of the taxi at the airport, racking it up to experience. Because I am now in a foreign location, I have learned to accept the reality that whenever I visit a new nation that I am not familiar with, I will be taken advantage of at least once. I just try to keep the amount to a minimum, think about it the next day, tell myself what an idiot I am, and move on knowing that it reminded me once more of what can happen, and then I stay aware for the rest of the trip. Whether it be food, transportation, drinks, or me being tired from flights, it usually happens. I just try to keep it to a minimum. A few of the cultural practices that are practiced by the Chinese people are a little bit different from what I had anticipated. To tell you the truth, I hadn’t really given it much consideration, although I did conduct some research on what to anticipate by using Google. Consequently, here are some pointers to consider. A business card is always presented to you with two hands holding the card and a short bow. This is the standard protocol when someone offers you a business card. Occasionally, Australians have a tendency to believe that it is impolite to receive change that is not delivered immediately into your hand but rather placed on the counter top. On the other hand, it is primarily a cultural practice. In addition, I believe that the same individuals would wonder why we would give them money in the first place. It is effective in both directions. I was impressed by the level of courtesy and consideration shown by the Chinese people. Considering that I am not a fan of Chinese cuisine, I found the diet to be rather challenging to manage, and as a result, I ate the most of my meals in my hotel room. I was unable to find a wide variety of restaurants from which to pick. It seemed to me that I could always consume rice! I don’t really like eating things like prawns that have been deep-fried with their legs attached, frogs, or chicken feet; yet, when I ate them while keeping my eyes closed and my facial emotions under control, I found that they were surprisingly delicious. I definitely don’t know how to use chopsticks, as I looked like a complete fool when the food I was trying to eat didn’t quite make it to my lips. However, if you don’t know how to use them, you may need to learn how to use them properly. Take a cue from the Chinese while you are in China! I really hope you drink tea since it is also a significant custom in China. I discovered that it may take up to an hour to complete what I would call a ritual, which is that they drink various kinds of tea depending on the time of day. The plumbing is tied to the coffee tables, and the coffee tables themselves serve as your tea service. Regardless of the location that I have been, there are always individuals who are attempting to con you in a manner that is similar, and I believe that I have become used to the lies that the locals tell. I was contacted by three people when I was in Shanghai, two of whom were female and one of whom was male. This is the point at which the con starts. Initially, they requested me to take their picture, and then they began asking me questions about my nation, acting as if they were well-versed in it. I have a sneaking suspicion that individuals like this may learn a few things about each nation and then proceed to act as if they are familiar with it. After a fifteen-minute conversation, they informed me that there was a “national tea day” that had been declared by the government, and they invited me to attend a tea ceremony. Even though I had a sneaking suspicion that it was a scam, I went ahead and went anyway because opportunities to travel by myself don’t always come my way. My assumption was that if we went into some dark alleyways, I would either run away or scream, or both. We went inside the tea room, which seemed to be pretty real. I was encouraged to taste six various kinds of tea, and I was even told that the leaves could be used for beauty treatments. After the presentation and my male friend’s declaration of his undying love, the con came to the surface when two of my “friends” persuaded me to purchase a variety of things that were offered, while at the same time professing to buy for themselves and members of their family. The bill is delivered to you, and you are forced to pay it. Fortunately, I am not easily frightened, and I returned the bill for their “gifts” to them. At that moment, I made the decision that I should go as quickly as possible, which came as a surprise to them. They have an arrangement with the restaurant or hotel, or in this instance, a tea shop, to bring clients and charge them high fees on their credit cards. Therefore, if you are ever contacted by them, you should always be skeptical of them since they have this agreement. During my time spent living in Turkey, I was aware that nightclubs in Turkey demanded three thousand dollars from foreigners for alcoholic beverages. In reality, China is a stunning country that is home to a large number of individuals who are successful. Tai chi sessions in the park, in which anybody may take part, birds in cages suspended from trees, individuals exercising by walking backwards down the river, or just smiling and enjoying the day as it unfolds are all things that provide a great deal of pleasure to the park. One last piece of advice I have for you is to take some time to unwind and take in all of the sights and sounds that are available to you. Suzanne Beck is the one. the individual who travels by himself articles that are linked to lone travelers, including travel, solo travel, China, suggestions, and hints Send a friend an email with this story! Get stories like this one sent to your inbox directly from the source! Get a free subscription right now!
I love myBlogd
