Pre-Trip Checklist

1 Work the checklist in the app

Most China stress comes from leaving payments and connectivity to the last minute. Use the interactive checklist below — tick items off as you go, add your own, and it saves automatically on this device so you can pick up where you left off.

2 Count back from your flight

Visa windows, passport validity, and rail bookings all have deadlines measured from your departure date. Punch in your country and flight date and the calculator tells you the latest day to act on each one, using current 2026 policy.

3 Condensed timeline

When the tools above say “do it now,” here is the short version of each phase. Full detail lives on the linked pages.

2–3 months out

• Passport valid 6+ months, with blank pages
• Confirm visa / visa-free / 240-hour transit; apply early if needed
• Book flights and key hotels
• Install Alipay, WeChat, Amap; test the foreign-card link at home

2–4 weeks out

• Buy a travel eSIM / SIM
• Install a VPN at home (it won’t download inside China)
• Book high-speed rail between cities
• Save addresses in Chinese for taxis and hotels

1 week out

• Tell your bank you’re travelling
• Swap a little cash or plan an airport ATM withdrawal
• Save offline maps of your first city and hotel
• Check the weather, pack layers

At the departure airport

• Passport, visa, and a paper/phone copy of your night-one hotel
• Arrival-card details ready
• eSIM QR saved or SIM in your hand luggage

4 Documents to carry (phone + paper)