Bicycles in Shanghai’s Old Town

China is becoming increasingly recognised as an exciting and manageable destination for families traveling with children.  We were lured by the promise of snow in the north and the spectacular Harbin Snow and Ice Festival.  Reassurance that China is becoming increasingly Westernised also put me at ease. I was an intrepid traveller prior to having children and was keen to explore Asia again – yet desired a travel itinerary that did not put too much pressure on the family unit.  With the introduction of direct flights from Cairns to Shanghai by China East Airlines Asia became a little closer.

Traveling with small children in China was facilitated by the Chinese’s fascination with Western children.  Throughout our travels we were greeted warmly and the children were frequenty offered sweets by strangers.  Drivers would also go out of their way to assist the children out of vehicles and we were ushered through priority queues at airports.

As with travel to any international destination though there are some tips that assist families on their journey.  I have put together this list from our own experiences in China.

(1) You need a visa to travel to China.  A travel agent can assist you to do this (for a fee) or you can arrange it yourself online.  While they tell you this can be done in four days ours took two weeks to be completed. You must submit a copy of all accommodation bookings with your visa application.

(2) Many travellers to China neglect their pre-travel medical visit.   Ideally you should visit your GP or a doctor with expertise in travel medicine 6 weeks prior to your departure date.  Neglecting to do this may put yourself and your child at risk of communicable diseases such as hepatitis A and typhoid.

(3) The cost of internal flights is greater if purchased through an Australian or American travel agent or online booking service.   You can save a bucket load by booking internal flights though a Chinese online booking service.  We used C-trip to book our own flights from Shanghai to Harbin and these were 25% of the quoted cost of other online booking services.

(4) Most taxi drivers don’t speak English.  Non-Chinese language speakers should carry the name and address of their hotel written in Mandarin to assist drivers to transport them to the correct destination.

(5) Due to the tonal nature of Mandarin listen to some online language classes before you depart for China rather than relying on a phrasebook.  I memorised useful phrases from a phase book prior to traveling to China, only to discover my phrases were incomprehensible to Mandarin speakers when we arrived.

(6) Public restrooms often don’t provide toilet paper or soap.  Carry wipes or tissues in your bag at all times.  A bottle of hand sanitiser doesn’t go astray either.

(7) Air pollution can be a real problem in parts of China including Shanghai and Beijing.  If one of your family members has a respiratory illness such as asthma have a chat to your doctor before you go about precautions that may be necessary, such as increasing the dose of preventer medication just before your travel.

(8) Some taxis don’t have seat belts.  We chose to hire a car and driver to pick us up from the airport to ensure we could secure our young children in car seats.  We also took our own child restraints as transport companies did not seem to have these available for hire.  Alternatively the rail system is a safe option.

Chang Feng Garden in Shanghai

(9) Beware of motorbikes.  Riders of motorbikes pay little heed to pedestrians even when they are crossing at identified crossings.  Motorbikes (and other vehicles) also make their way onto sidewalks more frequently than they should.

(10)  The fondness of the Chinese for Western children meant that my blond boys were often photographed during our travels.  My younger son thrived on the attention from the “paparazzi” however my four year old, who is shy found it  intimidating.  I did help that I had warned him this may happen before we arrived and I suggest other parents do the same.

Mid snowball throw in Yabuli near the Russian border.

Others that have travelled to China – please add any of your own tips as a comment.

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