Planning
China Travel Checklist Before You Fly
A pre-flight checklist for first-time China visitors covering documents, visa checks, payment, apps, eSIM, hotel addresses, transport, food, packing, and emergency phrases.
Last updated: July 8, 2026
Quick answer
Before you fly to China, prepare entry documents, payment, apps, internet, hotel addresses in Chinese, transport confirmations, packing basics, and emergency phrases. The goal is to make your first arrival day boring in the best possible way.
Step-by-step guide
- Check passport validity, visa or visa-free eligibility, flights, and first hotel details.
- Install Alipay and WeChat, add cards where possible, and prepare a cash backup.
- Choose roaming, eSIM, SIM, or pocket Wi-Fi before landing.
- Download offline translation and save Chinese hotel addresses.
- Screenshot flights, trains, hotels, attractions, insurance, and emergency contacts.
- Pack passport, power bank, adapter, comfortable shoes, basic medicine, tissues, and weather layers.
Common mistakes
- Saving everything only inside cloud apps that may need data.
- Packing clothes carefully but forgetting payment and phone setup.
- Not saving hotel addresses in Chinese.
- Booking trains without checking the exact station name.
- Arriving with no small cash backup.
Troubleshooting
- If mobile data fails, use the screenshot folder and airport or hotel Wi-Fi.
- If payment setup fails, use cash for urgent purchases and fix apps later on stable Wi-Fi.
- If a taxi driver is confused, show the Chinese address and hotel phone number.
- If you miss a train, go to a service counter with your passport and booking details.
First-day checklist
- Passport and entry papers accessible.
- First hotel address saved in Chinese.
- Payment app and cash backup ready.
- Mobile data plan ready.
- Transport from airport or station planned.
- Emergency phrases saved offline.
Before you book
Check your passport validity, visa or visa-free eligibility, arrival city, onward plans, and whether your hotels can register foreign guests. Do this before paying for non-refundable flights or hotels.
Before you fly
Install payment apps, add cards, prepare mobile data, download offline translation, screenshot hotel addresses in Chinese, save train or flight confirmations, and pack a power bank.
- Alipay or WeChat Pay prepared.
- eSIM, roaming, or SIM plan chosen.
- Hotel addresses saved in Chinese.
- Emergency phrases saved offline.
Arrival day
Before leaving the airport or station, check that data, payment, maps, translation, and ride-hailing work. If something fails, use Wi-Fi or staff help before you move into a taxi pickup zone.