A friend has some work to do in Shanghai. So, I have free lodging at a 5 star hotel!
It will be in November. Probably a week there.
Do I need a visa?
Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone. I am stoked!
I believe you do need a visa if you are a US citizen.
Congrats! Take every opportunity that comes your way, as per Tracey Morgan.
Let us know what you do and what you think of Shanghai!
Enjoy it, take lots of pictures, and share your story with us! And congratulations!
You do need a Visa; they’ll want to know your itinerary and where you will be staying while in China. When I went, I had to have a letter of invitation from the business I was going to visit in China; I understand travel agencies or even hotels will arrange this, but if you’re not the person registered at the hotel it might be more complicated.
Before you go, make sure your cell phone has international service. You may need to contact your cell provider.
You’ll want to get some cash beforehand; not everyone will accept credit cards (e.g., taxis sometimes don’t). You can do a currency exchange into RMB at the airport, but the exchange rates are usually better if you do it beforehand with your own bank at home.
Almost everyone in Shanghai speaks a little English; that was never a problem for us while we were there. If you go inland, it may be a concern - I would’ve been helpless trying to get a highspeed rail ticket on my own, for example.
Also, check for any local festivals during your travel dates. I had to get through Beijing during the Moon Festival, and traffic was insane.
You need a visa. It’s expensive and a bit of a pain.
If you happen to bank with Bank of America, you can pull out money from the China Construction Bank ATMs without the usual $5.00 fee (though there is a 3% foreign transaction fee.) China Construction Bank ATMs are everywhere. There is sure to be one at the airport.
Shanghai is an international city and should be easy to navigate. There are lots of restaurants with English menus, but if you want more freedom to branch out you can find bilingual menus online that you can print out and carry with you. Restaurants serving Chinese dishes tend to have pretty predictable menus, so you can usually pull out your personal menu and point to what you want.
Carry a business card from your hotel-- you can show it to the cab driver to get home. Likewise, you can ask the hotel to write down the destination that you are going so that you can show the cab driver.
China is generally very safe and easy to travel in, but do look up some common scams- I saw a few in Shanghai. Beware any random people inviting you to tea or to practice English. They will take you to a restaurant and then surprise you by sticking you with an inflated bill. Also avoid people claiming to be art students. Shanghai is a busy and cosmopolitan city and people have better things to do that chat up wandering tourists. Be wary of anyone approaching you out of nowhere.
I’m one of those people who got invited to have a drink and then was presented with a bill for $300 (this was back in 1999). I eventually negotiated my escape for about $70. It was a bit unnerving that night, but I’ve probably gotten more mileage out of the story than almost anything else I could have spent $70 on. I figure why travel if you don’t want to have adventures?
Yes, you’ll need a visa. But there was no shortage of ATMs, even 17 years ago. And you’ll be surprised how much English you’ll encounter; for nearly three decades, Chinese with any ambition have been studying it. There are now more English-speakers in China than in the US—for some values of “English-speaker.”
Uber works in China and is invaluable for getting around. The interface is in English but all the map locations are Chinese only which is a bit tricky but you can just copy and paste addresses in from another source.
Make sure you install a VPN before you go. I like Astrill but ExpressVPN is also a popular choice. Google Maps is the only English language maps program of China and it’s not accessible without a VPN.
Taxi’s are cheap, helpful, will wait for no charge, and don’t expect tips. (You can also get a lift on the back of a motorcycle, waiting for business outside some of the public-transport stations.).
There is a shortage of free public toilets – dark corners stink of piss. “Old Shangihai” is the clean and tidy part of old Shanghai, but is still more foreign than Hong Kong or Singapore – stay away from the chicken. Stuff that’s boiled is safe to eat (and that’s an entire food catagory) Road vendor food are also generally safe – it’s safely cooked right in front of you.
When we were there, they were clearing the last, I think, of the dirty and messy part of Old Shanghai, but not all of the old and messy people were gone – as we approached one of the large market buildings, the trading permit enforcement officers were were entering at one end of the street, and the unlicensed street vendors were running out the other end of the street.
They’ve just closed the largest pirate software shopping centre in Shanghai, and it was already quite restricted. You may have trouble finding pirated software now, particularly English language software.
There are street beggars at night, and street salesmen in the tourist areas. I never felt threatened, except when invited out for drink while standing forelornly out infront of the main rail station. And that was in broad daylight – I never felt threatened by the beggars ore salesmen (who are themselves very worried about being caught by the police)
Have you given any thought to who’s gonna kiss you? Who’s gonna thrill you? Who’s gonna hold you tight?
I suspect you won’t get farther than the phone booth around the corner.
(YouTube link… for those who need it)
Thank you all very much for your replies.
Thanks rick for the link. Looks like the problem might be having a hotel reservation with my name.
My friend, who suggested that I come, works for a big company that has plants in China. And we would share the suite. It is bigger than my room/bath. I worked for the same company for nine years. Left in good standing. Maybe they could include my name on the reservations? Without that, I don’t think it could happen.
But it has been fun thinking about it.
Thanks again for all the replies. You people are amazing!
Don’t give up! The invitation letter is a formality. They just want to see something official looking that documents that you have a flight out and aren’t planning to sleep on the streets.
If you can’t get your name on the official reservation via the company, try contacting the hotel directly and see if they will work with you. I’m sure it’s a situation that comes up a lot and they’ll know how to document it.
Barring that, bunks in a hostel are under $10 a night, can be booked online, and can be cancelled just as easily.