China Family Travel with Kids

Dinning is one of the most important parts of the journey. And in China, you and your children will have chance to enjoy the authentic Chinese food. Some of the foods are out of your imagination. But you should pay a great importance to make sure all foods are clean and nourishing.

Where to find clean and safe food?

Most Chinese foods are cooked fresh. Basic foods, such as rice, noodles, fruit, bread and eggs can be obtained anywhere you go. If you are homesick about hometown foods, you can find some western-style café and fast food in most popular tourist cities. The good news is that most Chinese restaurants have kid-friendly choices of foods. Some restaurants even offer nursing service and

facilities for kids, such as game room, room for lactation, etc. Generally, most 4-star and 5-star hotels provide both Chinese food and western buffet.

We also strongly recommend your bring a portable bottles to store purified waters or drinks because the tap water in China is not drinkable in China. You can also buy the mineral water in the supermarkets or shops.

What about the food and drink for the infants?

We recommend parents bring their own infant formula from their country, since the formula your baby likes may not sell in China, and switching brands may cause small tummies. But still there

are some international brands of infant formulasold in China, such as Nestle, Similac and Dnfamil.

You may worry about the diarrhea, which is a common problem everywhere not only in China. Our suggestion is to avoid street food.

A comfortable stay is very important for family travel. Besides, the family-friendly amenities matter much more, such as supervised, planned activities, fun activities like theme parks and attractions nearby, larger or themed rooms that accommodate families, or special rates and meals for kids.

Large city or hot tourist destinations, such as Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guilin, Hong Kong, Chengdu, ensure family-cater accommodation. You may also have flexible choices of hotel’s rates, location, amenities, etc. The number of your children is the vital fact for choosing what kind of room to stay. If your families travel with only 1 kid, adding an extra bed is enough. But a relatively large room should be taken. If your family has 2 or

more kids, an interconnecting room which can accommodate 4 to 5 people is recommended. The actual condition may differ, so you’d better contact the hotels in advance to check the availability of interconnecting room or adding extra bed.

Travelers possibly get ill when traveling in different regions of China under different weather condition, especially the children. So it is very necessary to pack the common medicine and the emergent medicine for some spectacular condition, such as high altitude sickness.

Many pharmacy staples that are easily available in your country may be difficult to find in China. And most medicines are only labelled in Chinese. So you’d better pack your own medical kit. These are medicines recommended to pack: oral hydrating salts or electrolyte solution, an anti-colic product, anti-itch cream, hydrocortisone cream, Benadryl syrup, and children’s sunblock, eye drops, bandages, mosquito repellent, anti-fever medicine,

cough and flu medicines and any other medical essentials.

You are suggested take your kids to consult your pediatrician or travel clinic to check if your kids need to shoot extra vaccines, or pack anti-malaria pills. Furthermore, we strongly recommend shots for rabies and hepatitis A before your trip to China. Also remember to let your travel agency get the emergency contracts for major hospitals in the destinations you are going to visit if you travel with a travel agency. If you travel independently, you can search online or guide book to get the contacts for hospitals in advance.

Flight, train and car are major transfers for family travel in China. It depends on the destinations you are going to. Children can’t bear long-time transfer. So comfort and safety are the priority.

Flying with kids

Firstly, book both the international flights and domestic flights in China in advance. The flight schedule shouldn’t be in the late night. Secondly, pack everything you and your kids might need for the duration of your flight in your personal bag. Thirdly, get to the airport about 2 hours ahead of the flight schedule because the check-in may take longer time for family. Fourthly, arrange the pick-up before your arrival. Meeting any troubles in China, contact your travel agency to help with.

Avoid long-distance train or driving

Most destinations in China can be reached by regular train or high speed train. Don’t plan long-distance train journey if you travel with young kids, because the kids may get bored, and the facilities on the train is basic. The high speed train (bullet train) is recommended as a fresh experience, and much faster than regular trains. But you need to check whether the cities on your list can be reached by high speed train or not. So far, many popular destinations are linked by high speed train, such as Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guilin Chengdu, Luoyang, etc.

Also avoid long-distance driving to some remote areas, such as Tibet, Qinghai, Yunnan, etc. A baby seat is recommended during driving.

Safety comes first, next the travel. You should pay a big attention to take care of both the adults and kids.

Travel insurance

You know that traveling has the potential to be both exhilarating and risky. Even if you are fit and healthy, it is still necessary to have travel insurance for your trip. Usually, your travel agency will arrange travel insurance for every member of your family in the trip which covers:

1. Tourists' casualty (injury or death);
2. Related expenses for medical treatment and related transportation fee;
3. Expenses related to the tourists' death and repatriating the body;

4. Expenses that occur when the necessary aid has been provided to tourists.

You can also buy extra international travel insurances on your own in your country.

Don’t visit dangerous places

You should not plan your trip to dangerous places which you may risk from natural disaster, such as landslide, earthquake, and typhoon, etc. Suggestion is to check the weather or safety condition before your trip.

Travel by the safe way

After choosing the safe destinations, you should travel China safely. Don’t arrange too adventurous

activities for your kids, such as rock climbing, hiking snow peaks, drift, etc. Don’t stay outside too late in the evening.

Safe accommodation and dining

Accommodate at hotels which have obtained license from government. 4-star or 5-star hotels are recommended because of safety as well as their family-friendly amenities. Also take meals in the licensed restaurants, and get avoid of street food.

The best time for family travel in China depends on the free days you have, the places you go and other preferences. The holiday schedule of school may differ, but whenever you come to China, there are suitable places for your family to explore. While the Middle Kingdom so vast that the weathers are different in different regions. Some places, such as Jiuzhaigou Valley, Harbin Ice and Snow Amusement World, are recommended to visit in some certain months. Some historical or cultural sites are usually suitable for travel all year around. Some regions, like Tibet, Xinjiang, Gansu, are featured in extreme weather, such as cold, snow, dry or others. You’d better not cover these places on your list if you travel with infants or very young kids.

Famous destinations, such as Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Shanghai, are recommended for visiting in all seasons.

Avoid Chinese school recesses and public holidays

The school summer recess usually occurs during July and August when is also the peak season for travel in China. If possible, don’t plan your trip to China during the summer recess. The school winter recess, usually in January and February, is not the hot season for travel because of the winter weather. You can visit china because this period gathers many traditional festivals.

Public holidays, such as the New Year's Day (Jan 1-3), Labor Day (May 1-3), National Day (Oct 1-7) and Spring Festival are the “Golden Travel Weeks” for domestic travelers when most attractions are crowded by travelers. So avoid traveling during the public holidays.