Before you leave home

Thank you very much for choosing ASIA TOURS. To help you prepare your trip and make the most of your time when y o u a r e in China, we would like to give you this pre-departure document. It will provide you with a comprehensive guide to China before starting the tour with us.

PASSPORT AND VISA REQUIREMENTS

  • • Passport: Your passport needs to be valid for at least six months from the date of entry into China with at least two blank pages for China visa.
  • Visa: Most foreigners travelling to mainland China, whether for business or pleasure, require a visa. You need to apply visa from the Embassies of China in your countries.
  • • Require: round-trip air tickets and hotel orders or invitation letters issued by Chinese travel agencies or individuals, one completed Visa Application Form with a recently-taken colour passport photo against a light background attached.
  • *Invitation letter or travelling itinerary issued by a reception travel agency in China if traveling to China by your own vehicle
  • *Itinerary if travelling by ship
  • (*) Please work with your Travel Consultant to get exact visa policy information before starting your tour in China.

WEATHER

Judged by the interval of temperature variety, China weather changes with seasonal replacement. Check the detailed
weather in each season below:

D E C E M B E R – F E B R U A R Y ( W I N T E R )

cold & snowy less than 0°C

M A R C H - M A Y ( S P R I

warm & dry ~09°C – 20°C

J U N E - A U G U S T ( S U M M E R )

hot & rainy ~21°C – 30°C

S E P T E M B E R - N O V E M B E R ( A U T U M N

cool & quite humid with briefly rains ~06°C – 16°C

CLOTHING

  • • Comfortable lightweight, loose-fitting, a long-sleeved sweatshirt and cotton clothing is recommended for comfortable travelling. Dress should be simple, modest, and comfortable while visiting temples or pagodas.
  • • A hat, high-factor sunblock and pair of sunglasses are advisable for protection against the hot sun when sightseeing
  • • Hat, sunglasses and rain gear, depending on your travel destination and time of arrival. All they are necessities when you travel in Tibet region.
  • • A handful of suitable seasonal clothes, especially made of synthetic fabrics, which are durable, wrinkle-resistant and quick to dry.
  • • We recommend good shoes or walking shoes for hiking/ trekkings/ walking/ cycling.

MONEY

C U R R E N C Y

Foreign travellers can exchange their currency into RMB back home. However, one traveller shall not bring more than 20,000yuan cash into china according to the regulation of chinese Customs. Since it’s very convenient to exchange money in China,the best advice is exchanging a small amount in your country and exchanging more if you need when you get to china.

CHINA

Renminbi or RMB (Main notes are ¥0.1, ¥0.2, ¥0.5, ¥1, ¥2, ¥5, ¥10, ¥20, ¥50, ¥100 jiao & the coins are 1 jiao, 5 jiao, 1 yuan)

ATMS

A’TMs are common in the larger cities and tourist spots. Please make sure you bring enough amount of money when going to thecountryside because there are fewer ATMs there.

CREDIT CARDS

You can make cash withdrawals in China by using an AT’M with the Visa card or Master Card. cash through an AT’M is moreconvenient comparing with currency exchange in a bank/ hotel. Remember to pick up your card after you cash the moneyFor the exchange rate of currencies, you can check on this website: http://xe.com/

ELECRIGNY

Before packing for your trip to china, it is necessary to check the electricity in China, as well as its plugs and socket system. lnChina the power plugs and sockets are of type A, C and l. The standard voltage is 220 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

HEALTH – MEDICAL – INSURANCE

H E A L T H

Please consult your doctor to discuss your particular health or immunization requirements. If you have any medical problem, allergy, dietary restriction, please let us know so we can inform our guide and relevant suppliers. During the trip, please kindly contact the hotel or our guides when you are in need of medical attention. We will help you find the nearest standard health centre/clinics/hospitals for a check-up.

C O V I D – 1 9 P O L I C Y

From April 29, all international travelers entering China will only need to take an antigen self-test instead of a PCR-test.

I N S U R A N C E

Travellers are highly recommended to purchase appropriate insurance packages as a cost-effective way for unexpected events like tour cancellation, accidents, property loss, pandemic or medical evacuation. The main risks Chinese tourists face are personal injury, loss of property, flight delays, flight cancellations, lost baggage, hotel orders cancelled, traffic accidents and disasters

ARRIVAL

• After luggage and visa procedures, you will walk through the exit gate. Look for our tour guide holding a welcome
sign with your names.
• If you are unable to find the ASIA TOURS welcome signboard, please request the airport supporters to call us for
immediate assistance on the local emergency number listed on your tour itinerary and at bottom of this document for
assistance.

TRANSPORTATION

T A X I

Taxis vary from city to city, but in most cases, they are clean and air-conditioned, and they have seatbelts in the back. The taxis are usually painted in red, yellow and green, or yellow and black. Please note that taxis cannot stop anywhere such as in a busy street with traffic police, so drivers are likely to ignore your signal on such streets. Look for a taxi standing zone or try a side road when signalling a taxi or making a reservation phone call.

F L I G H T

• China’s most important international airports are Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. China’s next largest international airports are Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, Kunming Changshui International Airport. • These airlines include the “Big Four” – Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines.

T R A I N

• You can move to the most remote areas such as: Xinjiang, Tibet, Lanzhou, … Especially train stations are often built near the city center. city, this will help you more convenient during travel. In addition, the ticket price for high-speed train or train is quite cheap, the travel time is fast, the procedure is also very simple.

S U B W A Y

• Subway is a very popular and convenient means of transportation in big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen,… Metro fares in China are quite cheap, depending on the journey that you go, there will be a small difference, about 2-7 for one trip. To save more costs you can do subway monthly tickets.

TIPPING

T I P S

Tipping is not compulsory but greatly appreciated in China, especially in the tourism industry. Most establishments have a strict no-tipping policy in China, including most of the Chinese hotels, restaurants, massage studios, barbershop, etc. However, in the high-end hotels and restaurants where cater to western travellers, tipping is often expected but not required. Bellhops and concierges in those high-end places may be used to accept tips from western travellers and are expecting tips from them. Still, it won’t offend the service staff if you don’t tip or just tip a little.

PACKING LIST

Before packing, you should understand some luggage restrictions are entering China by air. Varying from different airlines, the restrictions can be hard to tell one by one. Besides, some items are prohibited to carry or checked-in, including guns, controlled knives (daggers, knives with three edges, switchblades, etc.), inflammable and explosive articles (lighter, lighter gas, alcohol, paint, fireworks, etc.), corrosive materials, toxic goods and other dangerous goods.

S U G G E S T E D P A C K I N G L I S T

  • • Passport & Copies of passport
  • • Travel Insurance
  • • Flight tickets
  • • Travel documents
  • • Emergency contacts
  • • Personal Medication & First aid kit - with international doctors’ note to ensure easy passage of medication across international borders
  • • Appropriate clothes
  • • Comfortable shoes for walking / trekking
  • • Visa
  • • Mosquito spray & insect repellent
  • • Sun cream, sunglasses and sun hat
  • • Adaptor – 220V, 50Hz; Type A, C or I electrical plugs
  • • Camera, battery and charger
  • • Cash in USD/EUR small notes
  • • Personal hygiene