Real talk China travel tips | Payments, app stack & practical advice for Australians & tourists

Travelling to China in the year of our lord 2024 can feel sometimes like you're begging to be let in. But that's why I went there to test out all the advice you can find online, and see if it really applied to Aussies and my specific case! Hopefully this helps bolster your confidence to plan your own itinerary, even if for a portion of your trip! Timestamps: 0:24 - Caveats 0:58 - VPN & Internet 1:27 - International Roaming (Vodafone hack) 2:37 - eSIM (use my referral code CHRIST6406 for $5 off) 3:09 - LetsVPN 3:46 - Physical SIM cards 4:14 - Payment Methods summary (Alipay, WeChat, Credit Cards, Cash) 4:25 - Alipay Payment Guide 6:10 - WeChat Pay 6:20 - Credit Cards 6:45 - Cash 7:09 - Do I seriously need a Chinese phone number? 7:54 - Go-to App Stack and Alipay 8:18 - Navigation 8:43 - Meituan 10:09 - Didi 10:37 - Translation apps 11:05 - Attractions, tickets and hotels 12:20 - Passport tips Caveats: 1. I do have the advantage of speaking Chinese, but still used translation apps copiously throughout. The English-speaking level in smaller cities in China is not super high, so be prepared to rely heavily on translation apps if you don't have language ability 2. Advice is current as of Oct 2024 3. This is not definitive advice, just what worked for my experience. For more advice, links to other resources etc., check out the accompanying blog post at sketchandrun.com: https://www.sketchandrun.com/sketch-and-run/2025/1/4/real-talk-china-travel-tips-in-2024-for-self-guided-aussie-travellers ✧˖°. Music credit from Youtube's Audio Library - Dancing Star (Aakash Gandhi) - It came upon a midnight clear (Kevin MacLeod)