Hi everyone. I am 23 years old girl, and I had been saving money to travel to China for AGES now. I can speak Chinese pretty well (been studying it for a good time now).
My question is as follow: I would like to go as an independent tourist in Beijing. Is it safe going there alone for the first time? Is it safe just taking my backpack and go for the adventure? Or is it a bit risky the first time?
I saved over 5000 dollars. Do you think it is enough for me to stay there for 2 or 3 weeks?
Thanks for your answers.
It should be safe. Like any touristy area in the world you need to watch out for pickpockets and scams. Make sure you only take taxis with meters, and that they USE the meter. Beijing has a good subway system though that I preferred using. I’ve heard it sometimes happens where you will meet some ‘friendly’ locals and they will say they want to practice their English and you should go to a tea shop with them. Then they will charge $50 for tea in the end. So watch out for that.
Yes $5000 is more than enough.
June 4th, 2010 at 8:36 am
i’ve been to china a couple times now and there were times during my study abroad program where i had to, basically go alone to the store, mall, bank, etc and it was an adventure and i felt very safe. and i’m a Hispanic-american male and didn’t have any problems with people, they were very nice to me.
and from what i heard, women can travel alone because china is a very safe country. as long as you know the language and the culture and other things about china, you’ll be fine.
i think $5000 is enough for 2-3weeks.
have fun!
References :
June 4th, 2010 at 9:16 am
5000 USA = 35,000 RMB…. that is enough to live in China for 6 months if not longer.
RENT 2,500 RMB/M… (small one bedroom not to close to the metro and older building)
Utilities 300 RMB/M
Food 1000 RMB/M
FUN 1000 RMB/M
EXTRAS… Phone Cards… Metro Card… 300 RMB/M
5,100 rmb/m X 6 Months = 30,600/rmb = $4,500 USA for 6 months.
Those numbers are a Ballpark figure… But very close.
And you will be fine. People do what you are doing all the time. Just don’t get stinking drunk and go home with strangers from a bar. This could be said of any city in the world. The fact that you speak the language is a huge help for you. Be safe. Be smart. Don’t take candy from strangers and do not give your phone number to strangers.
This happens to women all the time here in Guangzhou,China. Chinese or Nigerians do this. They will hound you for your Phone number. "Hey pretty lady.. how are you? Let me call you. Give me your number" When you decide to give in and think you have out smarted them by giving them a fake number… they call you immediately as you stand in front of them. Just move along and say no.
References :
Me in Guangzhou, China for 15 months
June 4th, 2010 at 9:28 am
Not highly recommended that you make that trip alone. For your first time you should either go with someone or meet up with a tourist group. But if you absolutely have to make the trip on your own I would say stay at a hostel. (I recommend the Candy Inn, it’s a great hostel, very safe and you’ll be around many other foreigners.)
5000 USD? Haha yes you should be just fine; more than fine. Just know that everyone will try to rip you off. I cannot stress that enough. When you think you’re getting a deal, you most likely are not. Just a few quick tips on shopping and what you can get them to if you barter correctly:
Designer purses/bags: 50 元
T-Shirt: 20 元
DVDs: 8 – 10 元
Jeans: 80 – 100 元
Everything else pretty much varies, but I do know for a fact that you can get those prices at the Silk Street Market and the Pearl Market, two of the main BeiJing shopping areas. (Both are just large building with many stall shops inside.)
References :
I live in Guangdong and I was visiting BeiJing beginning of May for a week.
June 4th, 2010 at 10:14 am
If you already had experience traveling alone in other country, then most likely you will be fine by yourself in China. But if this will be your first time, things can get pretty complicated. Things are a whole lot different from what you hear and what you will really experience. My advice is to go with someone, although it’s pretty safe either way you’ll be fine.
References :
June 4th, 2010 at 10:36 am
I think 5000 dollars is really enough for you to travel at Beijing for 2 or 3 weeks. But you should take care of your money, especially when you visit crowded attractions. There may be some thieves. I think if you can speak Chinese pretty good, you can travel alone in Beijing. But before your trip, you should do some homework, like where will you stay. You should book hotels in advance, as in beijing, sometimes hotels are hard to book, especially during the tourism seasons. You should also search the transport tools to get to your scenic spots. If you haven’t do this homework, you may get lost, after all beijing is a really big city. Wish you have a good time at Beijing. And welcome to Beijing China!~
References :
June 4th, 2010 at 10:44 am
For you come to China you must remember you’re westerner. Westerner in China is not welcomed by Chinese Communist Party government. Example westerner internet websites such as Facebook, Youtube, mySpace, Twitter are completely blocked in China.
The only way you can enjoy trip to China is not to talk any person try to talk to you. You only talk to person you talk to first. Because person try to talk you first will want something from you, usually money or other things. You speak Chinese good, so you speak to person first.
References :
June 4th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Quick Tips:
-Bring deodorant (super expensive in china)
-Bring power converter
-Get in the Taxi line once you get off the plane. (People will try and trick you and ask for ridiculous amounts of money)
-Depending on where you’ve lived, China is one of the safest places in the world for a foreigner. The government is very harsh on crimes committed against a foreigner.
-Don’t buy real designer brands there (you can get it cheaper at home, lower taxes)
-China is super fun and you won’t wanna come back.
-I would suggest traveling to different cities because each city is drastically different in culture.
-my favorite city in china is Shenzhen
References :
June 4th, 2010 at 11:34 am
Hi, for the first time, it is better to go with a group of people with a tour guide just to get yourself familiar.
Then the second, you can go by yourself if you wish. Another thing is, why not go to Hong Kong instead??
References :
June 4th, 2010 at 11:58 am
It should be safe. Like any touristy area in the world you need to watch out for pickpockets and scams. Make sure you only take taxis with meters, and that they USE the meter. Beijing has a good subway system though that I preferred using. I’ve heard it sometimes happens where you will meet some ‘friendly’ locals and they will say they want to practice their English and you should go to a tea shop with them. Then they will charge $50 for tea in the end. So watch out for that.
Yes $5000 is more than enough.
References :
Living in China
try http://www.virtualtourist.com for advice and warnings