Tips & Answers · Community post
Solo travelling to China
A first-time solo traveller asks whether flexible accommodation, no Chinese language skills and meeting other travellers are realistic in China.
I suddenly got the opportunity to travel to China, which I've wanted for years. The only issue is that this would be my first time travelling solo. I'm wondering whether solo travel in China — without pre-booking every accommodation — is feasible without speaking the language.
I'm also curious about easy ways to connect with other travellers to do things together, because I'm worried about feeling lonely if I do the entire trip alone.
If you have other China travel tips, including useful apps or VPN preparation, please share them. Thanks in advance!
Comments (1)
Knowing zero Chinese is manageable with preparation. Download more than one translation option before arrival, save your hotel address in Chinese, and keep an offline backup. The China Travel Pocket Kit is useful for showing key phrases and addresses when conversation is difficult.
Booking every night in advance is not essential outside major holiday periods, but your first few nights and any tight transport days are worth securing. During Golden Week and other busy holiday periods, flexible booking becomes much riskier and good-value rooms can disappear quickly.
For meeting people, hostels, small-group day tours, food tours and expat/traveller events in larger cities are the easiest starting points. It depends on how outgoing you feel, but you do not have to commit to a group for an entire trip.
Before flying, set up an eSIM or roaming plan, download a VPN if you need services that may not be reachable normally, and add Alipay, Amap and Trip.com. Start with our Amap navigation and taxi guide and keep a little cash as backup.