Even in this day and age, thousands of websites and mobile apps are still being blocked in China. Imagine not being able to check your Gmail, access your work files on Dropbox or document your travels on Instagram.
As fellow Travel Intern Clara and I were on a mystery trip and only found out that we were headed to China an hour prior to our flight, we were unable to amply prepare ourselves. When we arrived in China, we were in for a rude awakening as we discovered that many websites were blocked.
We could not use Google Maps to navigate ourselves to our accommodation; Google Translate to find phrases in Chinese; Google Search, Google Docs and Gmail to access important information. We essentially felt naked in a foreign country. Here are some essential apps that will make your travels in China better. Betternet is a free VPN service that requires no registration and allows you to access almost any website in any country.
You can update your followers about your travels in China in real time on your various social media platforms! It also protects by encrypting your private information from hackers when utilising public wifi hotspots.
The app requires a stable wifi connection through a hotspot and cannot be used with mobile routers. Waygo is a visual translator than scans foreign text Chinese, Japanese or Korean and automatically translates them into English even without an internet connection. It works best and is mostly used to translate restaurant menus and signages. Pleco is one of the most popular Chinese dictionary apps available. WeChat is a text and voice messaging communication service similar to WhatsApp and Telegram.
We made many new friends during our trip and they requested to add us on WeChat so we could stay in touch! TripAdvisor is probably the most popular travel app in the world.
Prices similar to booking. Thanks so much for suggesting these! I knew Trip. Thanks for mentioning that! Hi I'm Richelle! I'm the founder of the Freedom Life and I've been living abroad since For the last eight years, I've been helping hundreds of adventurous people just like you move abroad, and I can't wait to help you get started on this incredible adventure!
Share Tweet Pin 1K. Pin Me! Gotta post this on WeChat! My go-to VPN! Enjoy the pollution snaps! Find cheap flights to Hong Kong! Get roujiamo delivered! I got SO much apartment stuff on Taobao. When bikeshare gets out of control. Need help planning your China trip? Are you moving to China? Like this: Like Loading Source: amazonaws.
Source: oneatatime. As most drivers are unable to converse fluently in English, Di Di offers an instant translation feature that allows you to type in English while having drivers receive them in Chinese! There are also prepared English message options with common requests you can choose from. How convenient is that? Source: startuphk.
Here is where we get our basic fix for holiday essentials like portable WiFi devices, airport transfers and dining deals. It is also especially helpful when it comes to half-day tours to locations outside of the city such as the spectacular Longji Rice Terrace Fields in Guilin that might require quite a bit of time and energy if you were to venture out on your own. Source: techinasia. Klook also offers discounted tickets to key attractions like Shanghai Disneyland. Klook is available in several languages and supports over 30 currencies making it extremely easy for users.
Planning a holiday in China has never been easier! No VPN will ever be perfect. And there are plenty of free ones like Hotspot and Free gate. There will be times when it will not work but it is better than nothing at all or flying all the way to Hong Kong just to check your Facebook.
You can download Astrill VPN here. You can download Express VPN here. With this link you get 30 days free. It shows very clearly the subway lines in English and Chinese. It can easily tell you the time and cost of your journey by simply tapping on the the starting and ending destination in the app. You can download Explore Metro maps for major cities in China here.
It can also be used to pay for things by QR code. If you only have days to visit a city, our Day Tour Booking app is the best way to plan your day trip. Every stop of your tour can be checked easily on the app before you make your payment.
After you have booked, you will be picked up from your hotel lobby by a local tour guide, and an experienced driver in a comfortable car to start your tour. If you're considering doing a lot of traveling by air in China, Flight Radar may actually have more information than the airport when it comes to delays and actual flight times.
Prepare by getting this app, and you won't regret it in case something unexpected happens while you're at the airport. Also great for those with a special interest in airplanes!
Airbnb is not only changing the way people travel in the West, but also in China. On Airbnb you will find a wide array of accommodation throughout the entire country, including some very unique spots near the Great Wall of China , for example.
Most Airbnb hosts signed up in China do speak English, and you'll also find that many of them are actually foreigners living in China with a unique view of the country to share.
If you're worried about traveling in China as a result of increased coverage of its air pollution issues , it can be worth downloading AirVisual ahead of your trip. The app shows real-time air pollution levels as measured at different points in the country, with an estimation for the next few days. This can be useful if you're traveling with someone who has a weaker respiratory system.
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