• China has a pretty confusing (and expensive) visa system. A normal tourist visa costs $140 for Americans ($30 for other nationalities).
• But, it is possible to see the…

• For non-Chinese travelers, cash is king in China. However, as of November 2019, travelers can now use AliPay and WeChat Pay mobile payments like locals, though I think…

• The challenge with budgeting for China is that the country is massive and is effectively 2 countries: developed cities along the coast and poor cities inland. The cost…

• China is known for mobile payments. In 2018, for example, mobile payments accounted for $41 trillion USD in transactions in the country, making it by far the biggest…

Having travelled to China a few times, I found these apps to be pretty useful when travelling here:

• ExpressVPN: this is essential. China's internet is sealed off…

• They charge 500rmb per day for the overstay at the border when you try to go out. That's almost 100CAD
• You must pay in CASH only
• Processing time…

Just discovered there's free wifi provided on the high speed train in China!

• You need to provide your phone number and receive an activation code
• My guess is…

• The tourist visa to China is the "L" visa. Its processing time is standardized across the world at 4 business days for regular service
• However, for extra fees…

• For the longest time it was not possible for tourists to use mobile payments in China, because both WeChat Pay and AliPay ⁠— the two dominant mobile payment…

• You can buy it online or in person from any train station, but speaking from personal experience the best way is to buy it at the train station…