China With Kids
Discover the best way to visit China for kids and learn about all the China has to offer!
I’m so excited to have Andie from One Daring Adventure guest post on China for kids today! It’s somewhere I’ve longed to go my entire life! When Andie reached out I was so excited to hear how her trip went! What an amazing place China is! If you’re planning a visit to, check out the resources at the bottom of this post. Here’s Andie…
Hi! I’m Andie. My husband and I, along with our 5 children, just returned from our first family trip outside of the USA- to China. We are a family who loves traveling, with our home base in Minnesota. We have done many long road trips in the States and I believe those 12 hour days in the car prepped our kids wonderfully for the 13 hour flight to China! Our kids are still fairly young, ages 5-11, and two of them have cognitive disabilities. If we can do it, I think anyone can.
Why China for Kids?
There are so many amazing places to visit in China with kids. I recommend China to any families who love the adventure and the beauty of different cultures. In 2014 we adopted one of our daughters from China, so we jumped at the chance to go back.
On this trip, we slept in a guest house by the Wild Wall at Gubeikou, visited friends in a high-rise Xining, stayed by the Yulong River in Yangshuo, spent 4 nights in a traditional wooden house in a Yao minority village, and finished off by taking an overnight train to Beijing where we stayed at a hostel in a hutong. We experienced many aspects of Chinese life both in popular tourist destinations as well as locations without many Westerners.
Because China can be an intimidating destination for families due to the language barrier and other factors, I want to alleviate a few common worries about traveling there.
Language in China
We do not speak any of the Chinese languages. The language barrier doesn’t cause as many problems as you’d think. Many signs are in English, especially in the places one needs signs, such as subways, airports and train stations. You will find people who know some English in most of the places necessary, such as your hotel, or even at KFC in Beijing.
For transportation, we planned major transfers ahead by email with each accommodation. We had drivers, who didn’t speak English, show up various places with our name on a sign and all was well. In the village with a local host, we dealt with the most language issues, which we expected.
The English-speaking owner of the Airbnb property did a wonderful job of prepping us. He also communicated with the host during our stay for any concerns that couldn’t be cleared up with WeChat, Google translate, and Pleco apps. We found that shop owners and street vendors were always quick to show us a calculator with a total in CNY so we knew how much to pay. Overall, we managed just fine without speaking Mandarin.
Packing China for Kids
I have noticed that many people traveling to China feel it is necessary to pack everything plus the kitchen sink. We traveled carry-on only and it worked out beautifully. Anything you might need in China, you can find there with some help from a translator app.
We were able to find specific medicines we needed at the pharmacy by asking for the medicine by its translated name. We had a backpack and a pair of pants that needed mending, and by asking our hosts we were able to hire someone to sew them.
It is not necessary to bring tons of clothes because many places allow you to send out your laundry for a reasonable cost. We also brought laundry detergent sheets and a line for air-drying. We used down coats + packing cubes for pillows and made use of layering for wildly varying climates.
Traveling light served us well when we fit the 7 of us with luggage into minivans with a driver, walked numerous blocks to the subway, and navigated many stairs in train stations with our hands free to hold onto younger children.
Getting Visas in China for Kids
We were able to find roundtrip plane tickets to China from our home airport for $530, which is why we decided to go in the first place. The trip gets more expensive when you consider the cost of visas, though. The visa fee is $140 plus a courier fee per visa if you don’t live near a Consulate.
Where you send your visa application depends on where you live- we live in Minnesota so we sent our visa applications to the Chicago Consulate. There are other Consulates in NYC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston and then the Embassy in DC.
Recently, most people are able to receive a 10-year multi-entry travel visa as opposed to the 2-year ones from a few years ago. For us, this means that to get our money’s worth, we definitely want to go back to China again in the next 10 years!
Food in China for Kids
My kids LOVED the food 95% of the time, probably more than at home. Being able to purchase their own baozi (steamed buns) while walking through a hutong, pick their own vegetables from Li Ayi’s terraced garden in the village, or choose bizarre flavors of Pocky sticks or potato chips made eating in China a blast for them.
The kids loved Jiaozi (dumplings), Chuan’r (seasoned kebabs), Lao Beijing Suannai (bottled yogurt drinks), You tiao (deep fried breadsticks) and of course, all the rice and noodles they could eat. The Chinese eat family style, so we found it worked well to order enough rice or noodles for everyone to share and then several main dishes to try. That way, you learn what the kids like for next time.
I hope I have answered some of your questions about what it’s like to travel to China with kids! If you are ready to plan your family trip to China, here is a post I wrote about helpful websites for China travel. I think you will love this beautiful country.
More RESOURCES for planning your trip to China for kids:
Lonely Planet Discover China Travel Guide
10 Great Books on China for Kids
Camping on the Great Wall of China with Kids from Mum Pack Travel
Visiting Shanghai Disney with Kids from Mum Pack Travel
Five Surprising Discovering while Traveling China with Kids
You can find Andie on Instagram and blogging at onedaringadventure.com
Thanks Andie for that awesome post! I can’t wait to visit China with my kids!
If you would like to follow along with us day by day you can follow @wanderlust.crew on Instagram or on Facebook or on Twitter or sign up for our newsletter! We would love to hear from you!
Andie, I have loved reading about your adventure. You’re my new inspiration for travelling with 5 children and carry-on only! I always thought of China as quite a restrictive country and didn’t realise you could have so many experiences that weren’t so touristy. Another place to add to our ever growing wish list.
Kirsty, I was really impressed with their travels as well. She makes it all look so easy too! They got to do so many amazing things! I need to practice the art of carry on! Maybe now that we are out of diapers!!!
Ahhhh such a great post! We love China too and think it’s such a great place for families. It’s definitely not as difficult as people may think to travel here. Loved this!
Yes! You and Andie have totally inspired me to make it happen!
Thank you, I’ve just been searching for information about this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I’ve discovered till now. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the source?
Wonderful paintings! This is the type of info that are meant to be shared across the web. Disgrace on Google for now not positioning this publish higher! Come on over and consult with my web site . Thanks =)
This actually answered my problem, thanks!
I’m typically to running a blog and i actually recognize your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your web site and hold checking for brand spanking new information.
This design is spectacular! You most certainly know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
I was conversing with a good friend of mine regarding this and even regarding upvc sliding windows too. I do think you made a few good points in this article, we’re also excited to read more material from you.
We are a bunch of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with useful information to work on. You’ve performed a formidable activity and our entire group will be grateful to you.
I love it when people come together and share opinions, great blog, keep it up.
Very interesting info !Perfect just what I was searching for!
Good post and straight to the point. I am not sure if this is in fact the best place to ask but do you guys have any thoughts on where to employ some professional writers? Thx 🙂
Great ?V I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your website. I had no trouble navigating through all the tabs as well as related info ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Quite unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, website theme . a tones way for your customer to communicate. Excellent task..
An attention-grabbing discussion is price comment. I think that you need to write extra on this topic, it won’t be a taboo topic however usually individuals are not sufficient to talk on such topics. To the next. Cheers
Thank you for sharing superb informations. Your web site is so cool. I am impressed by the details that you have on this web site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for extra articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the info I already searched everywhere and simply could not come across. What a great site.
Terrific paintings! This is the kind of information that are supposed to be shared across the net. Shame on Google for not positioning this put up upper! Come on over and talk over with my web site . Thank you =)
You have brought up a very excellent details, appreciate it for the post.
Hey, you used to write magnificent, but the last several posts have been kinda boring… I miss your super writings. Past several posts are just a bit out of track! come on!
I appreciate, cause I found just what I was looking for. You have ended my four day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
Awesome blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog shine. Please let me know where you got your design. Thanks
I am lucky that I found this web blog, just the right info that I was searching for! .
Hi! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a team of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You have done a wonderful job!