Packing, itinerary and daily rhythm

China is vast, so packing for "China" as a single country isn't enough. Check the weather for the specific cities and regions you will actually pass through. Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, Yunnan and mountain areas can demand completely different layers within the same trip.

Leave slack when planning the itinerary. Large railway stations, security checks, urban distances, crowds and sprawling sites can take far longer than the map suggests. In China it is better to plan fewer points per day and do them calmly, without pressure.

Prepare the names of hotels, railway stations, airports and major sites in Chinese too. It is genuinely useful when ordering a ride, asking for help, or searching for a destination inside Amap. A screenshot of a place name in Chinese can save a lot of time when communication is difficult.

Make a short list of the things that must happen, and next to it a flexible list of options. If the day is going well you can add another stop, and if there is tiredness, crowding or awkward weather, you already know what to drop without feeling you missed out.

In China your phone is an everyday working tool: navigation, translation, talking to hotels, storing tickets and often paying too. Treat it like a second passport — keep it charged, back up anything important, and prepare a fallback for the moments you have no internet.

If you are taking domestic flights inside China, pay attention to the newer rules on power banks. Many airports require the power bank to carry a CCC mark, and without it security may refuse to let it through. Don't assume every power bank will be accepted just because it is a familiar brand or worked for you in another country.

Keep a photo of your passport, your hotel address, your destination written in Chinese and a contact phone number somewhere that works offline. It is worth saving the details both in a notes app and as an image in your gallery, so you can show them to a driver, a receptionist or station staff without having to explain anything.

Prepare a few basic phrases or translation cards: your hotel address, food allergies, asking for water, toilets, the train station and the airport. You don't need to speak Chinese to travel well, but a little preparation takes a lot of pressure out of the moments when nobody around you speaks English.

In summary

• Check the weather by city and region, not just by country.
• Names and addresses in Chinese for hotels, stations and important sites.
• Layers and comfortable shoes for long walking days.
• An itinerary with clear anchor points and room for change.
• Screenshots of addresses, bookings and key places in case you lose signal.
• A power bank and charging cable in your day bag — ideally one carrying a CCC mark if you have domestic flights.
• If you buy a power bank in China, check explicitly that it carries the CCC mark.
• Screenshots of addresses, bookings and tickets before you leave the hotel.
• A short note in Chinese with the key details you can show quickly.