I’m the type of person who prepares a packing list for every vacation months in advance. For this China trip I started with the usual template and adjusted due to the destination and time of year.
The list was unique in many of the items I needed to bring such as a face mask for pollution. I got tips from TripAdvisor and the few blogs I could find from previous travelers with Sinorama Holidays. I’m hoping these lists will provide similar help for others.
Flight
I used a carry-on size rolling bag for the flight which I used to store my cpap and a bag I took out to put under my seat with items I would use during the flight. These items were:
- E-reader
- Footrest (inflatable)
- Headphones
- iPad
- Pillows (one for back and one for head)
- Power bank
- Prescriptions
- Purse
- Sleeping pill
- Snacks
- Socks
- Sweater
Clothing
Let me start out by saying I didn’t bring enough clothes. I under-packed for my trip to Italy and did it again for this trip; not by a lot but enough that I had to send out laundry on the river cruise. I did bring quick drying socks and underwear and washed them myself in my rooms which I would do again.
- Bras
- Flip flops (I wore these in my room and on the boat)
- Gloves
- Hat (winter for my trip but you’ll want one for sun in other seasons)
- Long underwear
- Pajamas
- Pants
- Scarf
- Shirts (long sleeve in winter)
- Shoes – 2 pairs (comfortable!)
- Socks
- Underwear
- Winter coat
Things I didn’t pack or miss but others may want to include:
- Dress or dressy outfit
- Gym clothes
- Swimsuit (a couple of hotels had indoor pools)
Miscellaneous
Most of the items I packed that normally wouldn’t go with me were in this category. I’ve italicized the ones I didn’t use but think would be useful depending on the person.
- Antiseptic towelettes (baby wipes)
- Chinese money
- Cold medicine
- Credit cards
- Ear plugs
- Eye drops
- Face masks
- Facial tissue – pocket size (multiple packs)
- Hand Sanitizer
- Ibuprofen or Aleve
- Imodium
- Lip balm
- Money belt
- Nuts
- Outlet converters (2)
- Passport with visa
- Pepto bismol
- Protein bars
- Pstyle
- Selfie stick
- Sudafed
- Toilet paper
- Toiletries
- Tour documents
- Umbrella
I didn’t need to buy anything during the trip outside of souvenirs and bottled water so in those terms these lists were a success. My next and last post for this trip will include final observations.
Don’t miss the previous China posts linked below.
Going to China (tour and visa)
China: Trip Preparations
November 12-13, 2016: Travel to Beijing
November 14, 2016: Beijing and Great Wall
November 14, 2016: Ming Tombs and Peking Duck Dinner
West International Trade Hotel Beijing
November 15, 2016: Hutong and Temple of Heaven
November 15, 2016: Tiananmen Square, Fobidden City and Beijing Opera
November 16, 2016: Pearl Factory and Summer Palace
November 16, 2016: Traveling to Xi’an
November 17, 2016: Jade Factory and Terra Cotta Warriors
November 17, 2016: Dumpling Dinner and Tang Dynasty Opera
Grand Barony Xian Hotel
November 18, 2016: Traveling to Wuhan
Howard Johnson Pearl Plaza Wuhan
November 19, 2016: Wuhan to Jingzhou
November 19, 2016: Boarding the Century Diamond
November 20, 2016: Yangtze River and Three Gorges Dam
November 21, 2016: Yangtze River and Goddess Stream
November 22, 2016: Yangtze River and Shibaozhai Pagoda
November 23, 2016: Chongqing to Beijing
November 23, 2016: Beijing to Home
Hey KayLynn,
Thanks for sharing your list. What type of face masks do you recommend? I like the inflatable foot rest, I’ll make sure to check on them and also the ear plugs 🙂
No one brand in particular as long as it has a filter. Thanks for the comment.
Did you use your facemasks?… I’ve been wondering. Did you use a credit card in China?
We are going in April with Sinorama, a 15 day tour that includes the Yangtze River cruise.
How and where did you figure out about using your U.S. phone in China? We have Samsung Galaxy s5 phones and I am finding conflicting info.
Hi Diana,
I used the facemasks in Xi’an where it was very polluted and I had trouble breathing outside. The only place I used a credit card was to pay off my bill on the river cruise boat. I felt it was safe there. It would have been at the hotels too.
I didn’t use my phone or iPad with cellular connection but rather using wifi at the hotels and on the boat. I knew about the Chinese ban on many sites (gmail, facebook, etc.) to signed up for a 30 day subscription to VPN Express so I could access them. VPN skirts the ban by connecting to servers outside China.
You’ll have a wonderful trip!