Travel China – What Should You Bring for Your Trip?

As little as possible, but it also depends on when you are traveling and for what purpose you are traveling. When considering "Lightweight and compact", also keep in mind that it is always a good idea to be fully prepared, especially if this is your first trip in China, and you do not know anybody there to start with. Today's China is well stocked with most personal items, but for your own convenience, pay attention to the items recommended below:

Carrying Bags
Investing in a good backpack is one outlay you will never regret. A sturdy backpack or a rucksack is much easier to carry than a suitcase. A frameless or internal-frame pack is preferable. It is generally easier for storage on buses and trains and is also more comfortable to walk with. A small shoulder daypack bag or a bum bag is essential for carrying your camera and other daily items, also for collecting souvenirs during the day out.

Do not use fanny packs for your passport, traveler’s checks and valuables. Always use a security pouch that can go over your chest or worn under your shirt and / or around your waist. Look for these in travel stores or catalogs.

Clothing
Clothing is inexpensive and one of the best buys in China, so you do not need bring too many from home. Theoretically you need only two sets of clothes, one to wear while the other set is being laundered.

Bring clothes that are easy to hand wash and dry. Silk shirts are warm and wash easily. Think layers. Dark colored clothing allows you to not wash every day. You can purchase almost any kind of clothing in China. A good pair of comfy, well broken in, hiking shoes are highly recommended.

 

Recommended Items
Small umbrella (that can fit in a daypack)
Light jacket or rain slicker
Inflatable neck pillow (for air flight and for bus rides)
Extra duffel bag (for goodies)
Toilet tissue (small packs of tissues work great)
Hand wipes (the wet ones)
Small sweet treats from home and Breakfast bars-power bars etc
Slide film 200- 400 ISO (difficult to find in China)
Mini recorder and tapes (for lectures)
Ear plugs (for bus ride traffic noise)
Eagle Creek "Pack It" cubes (work wonders) check travel sources
Journal or pen and pads
Female personal items (not easily found)
Postcards or "souvenirs" from home (for gifts)
Powdered detergent,
Travel clock or watch with alarm
Small sewing kit,
Zip lock bags, assorted sizes (very handy)
Swimsuit
Small locks for luggage
Contact lens supplies
Aromatherapy candle or atomizer for hotel rooms (seems like more than fifty percent of Chinese people smoke)
Pre-printed address labels (for postcards)
Razor & blades
Sunscreen, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, deodorant, shampoo, nail clipper, tweezers, mosquito repellent, vitamins, special medicines and small medical kit.

Equipments
If you need to bring any electronics such as a laptop computer, remember that the electronic system in China uses 220V standard. You can either buy an adopter in China or bring your own. It is much cheaper to buy one in China and it is available in most of the department stores, but you do need to spend time going out and finding it!

Remember to pack your camera, enough films and batteries as well. If you use a digital camera, remember to bring all the accessories for uploading the pictures onto a disk or flash drive, unless you have a huge capacity memory stick.