China Travel Checklist 2026: Everything to Prepare Before You Fly

China is not a "show up and figure it out" destination. The apps you need are blocked there. The payment methods you use at home don't work. And tasks that take 30 seconds at home — like downloading a translation app — become impossible after you land.

This checklist is organized by when you need to do each thing: 1-2 weeks before, the week of, day before, and after landing. Print it or screenshot it.

1-2 weeks before: the non-negotiable setup

Payment

• ✅ Set up Alipay with passport verification and international card — 15 minutes
• ✅ Call your bank: "Enable international transactions for China. Whitelist Alipay and Tencent."
• ✅ Open a Revolut or Wise account as backup card (free, 10 minutes)
• ✅ Order ¥500-1,000 in small bills from your bank (takes a few days)

Internet

• ✅ Buy a travel eSIM (Holafly ~$25/10 days) — download and test before flying
• ✅ Install 2 VPN apps (LetsVPN + Astrill recommended) — test both
• ✅ Download offline maps for your first city on Maps.me
• ✅ Download Chinese language pack for Google Translate or Baidu Translate

Apps — download ALL before flying

• ✅ Alipay — payment
• ✅ WeChat — messaging + backup payment
• ✅ Didi — ride-hailing
• ✅ Trip.com — train/hotel booking in English
• ✅ 2 VPN apps — tested and logged in
• ✅ Translation app with offline Chinese
• ✅ Maps.me with offline maps

Week of departure

• ✅ Test VPN: connect to a Hong Kong or Japan server — make sure it loads Google
• ✅ Test Alipay: if you know someone in China, ask them to send you ¥1 and send it back
• ✅ Print passport photocopies (keep separate from passport)
• ✅ Print allergy/dietary cards in Chinese if needed
• ✅ Confirm hotel bookings — make sure they accept foreign guests
• ✅ Book intercity trains if traveling during Chinese holidays

Day before / at the airport

• ✅ Activate travel eSIM — set as data SIM
• ✅ Screenshot hotel address in Chinese — save to photos
• ✅ Screenshot emergency Chinese phrases
• ✅ Check weather for your first city — pack accordingly
• ✅ Charge power bank (this is non-negotiable — your phone IS your wallet)

After landing: first 3 hours

1. Connect to airport WiFi — test that VPN + eSIM are working
2. Withdraw ¥1,000 from Bank of China or ICBC ATM (English interface available)
3. Buy bottled water at a convenience store — test Alipay payment
4. Open Didi → set hotel as saved location
5. Take Airport Express train or Didi to hotel
6. At hotel check-in: hand over passport for mandatory police registration (they do it automatically)
7. Connect to hotel WiFi → verify VPN works → message home that you arrived

Packing: things you wouldn't think of

• Travel tissues (public toilets rarely have toilet paper)
• Hand sanitizer
• Universal power adapter (China uses Type A, C, I plugs)
• N95 masks (3-5 for bad air days — summer and autumn have best air quality)
• Imodium or Pepto-Bismol (gut adjustment in first days is normal)
• Small day bag for bathroom kit (toilet paper, sanitizer, wet wipes)
• Portable power bank (your phone is your wallet, map, translator, camera)
• Hotel-sized slippers (many hotels don't provide them)