Best tips from locals to travel in China

For independent travelers who want the real thing

I help first-timers
navigate China without the overwhelm.

Planning a China trip on your own can feel like staring at a wall of
Mandarin you can’t read. I’ve been there. After years of living and
traveling across China, I help people like you figure it all out — the
routes, the apps, the trains, the food, all of it.

A bit about me

I fell in love with China by accident.

I moved there on a whim in 2022 with one suitcase and zero Mandarin. Within a week I’d already missed a train, accidentally ordered chicken feet, and gotten hopelessly lost in a hutong with no phone signal. It was the best mess I’d ever been in.

Since then I’ve traveled to over 35 cities, figured out the payment apps the hard way, eaten my weight in street food, and helped hundreds of travelers plan trips that actually make sense.

I’m not a travel agency. I’m just someone who’s done it, screwed it up, and learned what actually works — and I want to save you the headaches.

Sound familiar?

Planning China travel is... a lot.

Here’s what I hear from almost everyone before their first trip.

Too many cities, no clue where to start

There are literally hundreds of places worth visiting. Picking the right ones for your time and style? That's the hard part.

Booking trains without Chinese apps

China's high-speed rail is incredible — but the booking process if you don't know the tricks? Not so much.

Apps, payments, VPNs... what?

WeChat, Alipay, getting a Chinese SIM, setting up a VPN — your phone basically needs a whole makeover.

Scams and tourist traps

The fake tea ceremony, the "student" who wants to practice English, the taxi that takes the long way. Classic stuff.

Finding real food (not tourist food)

The best meals cost $2 and are down an alley you'd never find on TripAdvisor. I'll tell you exactly where to go.

Nobody to ask your weird questions

"Can I use my debit card?" "Is tap water safe?" "How do I say I'm allergic to peanuts?" — I've heard them all.

How I help

Think of it as chatting with a
friend
who happens to live in China.

No scripts. No sales pitch. Just a real conversation where we sort
your trip out together.

You tell me about your trip

Quick questionnaire — when you’re going, what you’re into, what’s worrying you. Takes five minutes.

We jump on a call

Video or voice, whatever works. I walk you through your route, answer everything, and share the stuff that’s hard to Google.

You go with confidence

You’ll know exactly what to book, which apps to set up, and where to eat on day one. No more second-guessing.