Recently I was talking to one of the soon-to-be-recent-graduates-heading-to-China and they asked what to bring for their trip to China. Instantly I thought of this post, that has been sitting in the draft section of my WordPress dashboard since May, and that now is the time to post such a blog!
Stuff I wish I had brought to China
– liquid hand soap in a spill proof container and a small washcloth sized hand towel
– a phrase book
– some Chinese language podcasts
– more hand wipes
Stuff that I was glad to have brought
– tissues you can buy them in China but it’s good to have some until you can attempt your way to the grocery store.
-hand sanitizer
– hand wipes
– snacks: nuts, dried fruit, oatmeal for the days that you just can’t bear another Chinese buffet breakfast or your stomach just won’t tolerate it.
– my laptop
– stuff to read on the plane and on long drives there are a few of them
– instant coffee -it is very familiar and it also makes a great gift if you don’t want to take it back home with you
– shampoo and conditioner that you enjoy using -5 weeks of using hotel shampoo and conditioner does bad things to your hair.
Stuff you should bring
– anything on the above lists
– anything you absolutely can’t live without be it medication, or supplement, or teddy bear
– stuff that is small that you will miss terribly ipod, journal, camera, plug adapters for your computer etc.
– activated charcoal
– Over the counter first aid type stuff
– benadryl can be used for allergies and doubles as a mild sleep aid for all those late night Chinese wedding fireworks displays , anti-diarrheals, mild laxatives, band aids (even if you never need any of this stuff, you will be the hero of the day if someone you are traveling with needs it and you have it). It’s not that some of this stuff can’t be found but, if you need it you don’t want to have to look for it.
Stuff that will give you hero of the day status. If you have any item from the first aid list. Trading a book that you have finished reading, sharing your instant oatmeal or instant coffee helps make friends and influence people.
Wanderer's Lust 