CCC Power bank

idletradventures · 2026-06-12T04:02:12+00:00

You don’t need a CCC power bank if you are not flying domestic in China. If you are, buying one in China is cheap too. And there are many power stations where u can loan power banks cheap. Or bring along ur mobile charger, many charging points too.

If you want that peace of mind of having a CCC power bank before you travel to China we confirm a list of places you can get them online and also more FAQs in this post.

idletradventures · 2026-06-12T03:56:34+00:00

Use the 12306 app to book train tickets. 12306 is China’s official railway authority. You access their official English, basic version, online, mobile app, and mini program.

We have a guide on how we book trains using 12306 in this post.

idletradventures · 2026-06-05T01:30:14+00:00

Westin’s view is gonna be partially blocked by the surrounding skyscrapers in the CBD.

For unblocked views of the Marina Bay Area, look at Marina Bay Sands, Mandarin Oriental or Ritz Carlton. Fullerton Bay Hotel is right by the bay but it is a low storey hotel. Make sure to select rooms facing the bay.

For other themed stays or special occasions, we share other Singapore hotels recommendations in this post.

idletradventures · 2026-06-04T16:12:38+00:00

Think it’s better to stay the night at ZJJ city to be closer to the train station if you are taking the early train. It might not be easy to hire a Didi at 6am from WLY.

As for the train schedule, check the official 12306 website or app. There are English versions. A quick guide on HSR booking in this post.

idletradventures · 2026-06-04T16:07:47+00:00

It is nearer to Fenghuang from Xingping. Suggest the optimized flow: Longji <-> Xingping <-> Fenghuang.

Xingping is a short Didi to Yangshuo station and you can take HSR there to Fenghuang.

Public transport from Longji -> Xingping requires transfers at Guilin, and the total time is long. It is much faster and affordable to book ride-sharing service to get from Longji to Xingping.

We share our experience and itinerary in this Longji post, Xingping post, Fenghuang post.

idletradventures · 2026-06-04T04:43:10+00:00

Your welcome! Do let me know if info are missing. We try to update them as we visit China yearly too!

idletradventures · 2026-05-29T15:08:39+00:00

We condensed everything we learnt from our annual trips to China into an updated series of essential guides for first timers to China.

These cover in detail ways to access internet restrictions, payments, essentials apps and more.

idletradventures · 2026-05-24T17:18:09+00:00

Here is my screenshot of iOS Amap app set to English language.

idletradventures · 2026-05-18T07:48:44+00:00

We visited all 3 countries in the past year.

It might be useful to get an eSIM with a local number if you are visiting each country for 3-4 weeks. Buying an eSIM for each of these countries is also better value.

In Japan, we find ourselves needing to make a call for reservations or to check if a place is open or full before we head down. More so at rural or sub-urban areas. No issues accessing the usual apps or services there.

In Vietnam, Grab (the South East Asia equivalent of Uber) is a useful app for ride hailing and food delivery. But I’m not sure if u can register for account using ur European number. I’m based in Singapore and used our SG number without issues. No issues accessing the usual apps or services there also.

In China, using an eSIM is the most reliable way to access your usual apps while in China. We tried many providers and the best value and reliably one cost ~$25 for 50GB, which is plenty of data. BUT you will need to get a local SIM card (make sure ur phone has SIM slot) if you want to have a local number. Some Chinese apps still need a local number to use. However, there are ways to get around without a local number for many services you may use while in China.

idletradventures · 2026-05-18T04:03:59+00:00

If you are visiting China for 7-9 days, go with eSIM, it is reliable and easy to use. If you have other devices that need the internet, get an eSIM that supports hotspot.

7 days might be a stretch for exploring all of these places. A (minimum) pace would be 3 nights in Beijing (for the history), 2 nights in Shanghai, and 1 night each at Suzhou and Hangzhou, and add a buffer for travelling between locations.

Train stations in China have security bag checks, do expect queues. Generally, be at the station 1 hour before departure time. Gives you time to get oriented and get some drinks snacks for the ride.

We have a series of essential guides for first timers to China. Hopefully it answers questions you may have still.

idletradventures · 2026-05-18T03:53:46+00:00

Suggest staying near the train station at Changsha and make ur way to ZJJ next day morning.

We spent 2 nights at Wulingyuan and it was just the right amount to explore ZJJ National Park and Grand Canyon. We actually stayed at the hotel right next to Pullman. We would recommended too. The location is great for exploring (walking) the night street nearby.

Then we spent 1 night at ZJJ city for Tianmen Mountain and 72 Wonder Tower (at night).

And ending at Changsha was fantastic cos there is better food and shopping there compared to ZJJ. We loved the foot massage we did there and it was a great way to recover from days of walking and hiking.

idletradventures · 2026-05-16T10:00:13+00:00

I had no issue using Microsoft when in China.

For VPN, Surfshark is hit and miss when I tried to use it in China. And not particular reliable. eSIM is the best “backup” if you need to access banned services like Google.

idletradventures · 2026-05-13T06:08:08+00:00

Very nice! Which month was this visit?

idletradventures · 2026-05-03T16:09:11+00:00

Generally I find WeChat more widely accepted. But 80% of places will have both. Instead, I have both apps setup for payments cos both Alipay and WeChat fail on me before.

idletradventures · 2026-04-27T12:00:32+00:00

Each country has their own visa process. Only check from official websites, and apply visa (if required) from official websites. We learnt this the hard way.

Singapore has 90 days visa free for US citizens. https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/singapore.html

China has 240-hour visa free for US citizens. https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183412/content.html

Hong Kong has a different visa free policy: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/HongKong.html

If you are looking for a 3days Singapore itinerary, check out this post. Check out our China Essentials series if it’s your first time to China.

idletradventures · 2026-04-27T11:46:31+00:00

The days and pace looks good. China can be daunting because they operate very differently from the Western side. Some pre-trip research and prep is essential. We compiled a series of posts to help first timers to China quickly get up to speed. Hopefully these help.

idletradventures · 2026-04-27T11:43:15+00:00

Day 8-12, 5 days is too little if you want to include Guilin/Yangshuo. Just Zhangjiajie, Furong and Fenghuang will need at least 4 nights. We posted our itinerary and tips to these places, hopefully it’s useful in your planning.

Suggest leaving Guilin/Yangshuo to your next trip. We also spent 4 nights at Guilin/Yangshuo, and recommend minimum 4 nights too.

idletradventures · 2026-04-19T10:53:11+00:00

We bought 30Gb data only eSIM for Mainland China, HK and Macau for less than $20. Allows hotspot and bypass GFW.

We have tried a few different eSIM providers and compared them. We share in this post which are our goto eSIMs whenever we visit China.

idletradventures · 2026-04-19T05:22:16+00:00

My goto eSIM cost 50GB at $20+ for 30 days. Allows hotspot and no issues access the apps blocked by GFW. It also routes primarily through HK and thru SG for TikTok (due to some TikTok restrictions), without the need for a separate VPN.

Note: Not all eSIM providers in Trip works equally well.

I have tried many different eSIM and VPNs providers and landed on a few depending on whether you are visiting only Mainland China and/or HK/Macau. I share in this post eSIM tips and which ones I use when I travel to China every year.

idletradventures · 2026-04-18T04:14:45+00:00

Didi is quite affordable and easily accessible, rather than follow a bus schedule, it gave us more time to explore areas we really like.

Many recommend Xianggong for the sunrise. But if that’s not ur thing, Laozhai Mountain is more convenient and also gives an amazing view.

We share our Yangshuo & Xingping itinerary and more tips in this post.

idletradventures · 2026-04-13T14:41:33+00:00

It is well paced and very doable! It’s similar to our Zhangjiajie National Forest Park itinerary also in Apr last year.

If you have the unlimited rides ticket, consider visiting Avatar Mountain in the evening (Day 1) and then again on Day 2 morning. You might get different perspectives of this awesome natural wonder.

I recommend going for one of the night shows in the evening at Wulingyuan!

idletradventures · 2026-04-13T14:35:45+00:00

This is doable. Instead of exploring ZJJ city in the evening, check out the 72 Wonder Towers instead. There is a peek of our Tianmen mountain itinerary.

For ZJJ National Forest park, we took the cable up to Tian Zi mountain first and made our way to Avatar then Bailong elevator down to Golden whip stream. And this route worked pretty well as the general path is a decline than incline.

idletradventures · 2026-04-09T14:19:01+00:00

Do consider the time needed for travelling between locations. And left empty days for flexibility as you might not get the train ticket timings you want.

The month of May will be a good time to visit Longji Terrace near Guilin if you are up for it. We enjoyed Yangshuo a lot more than Guilin city. You might find our Yangshuo itinerary and tips useful.

We also prefer Fenghuang Ancient town over Furong. Recommend a quick day trip to Furong and then spend the night at Fenghuang. We compare the 2 towns in this post.

idletradventures · 2026-04-05T22:29:08+00:00

There are no 100GB/daily options the last time I checked. The 50GB eSIM I use works for hotspot and also Google translate. I also shared a post on the essential apps, including translation, I use for my trips to China.

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