Travel to China with Children - Help! Am I Crazy?

What a wonderful opportunity for your family! Definitely take it.

I did a quick search for Shanghai and found a state department site that gives practical info for Americans traveling - ttp://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1089.html

and another that just talked about what to do in Shanghai (there are lots of these) - http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai.htm

Your husband's business associates should also be able to give him ideas of fun and safe things for your and your daughters to do while he is at work. You may also want to see if the hotel can recommend a guide for you while you are there.

The airline may have some information on long flights and traveling with children. Don't forget to check the TSA list of banned items, since it changes daily, to ensure you pack your carry on bags correctly.

Since it is a 20 hour flight you have to assume they will sleep part of that time. Your pediatrician should also have some insight about traveling this long with your girls and what things you should take with you.

I think with enough pre-planning you all should have a wonderful trip.

Have fun and go get your passports!!!!!

I say go for it. We took my son to Beijing when he was 2 1/2 and he still remembers the Great Wall. With that said, however, here are a few thoughts:

1. The plane ride isn't all that bad. Yes, it is long, but you sort of settle in and you are fine. For me, the hardest part of traveling with kids on planes is getting on and off the plane, not actually being on the plane. Observe your kids and see what they spend a lot of time doing when they are sititng still and get new items of those activities.

2. It is easy to set up tours with English speaking tour guides. You can get a private tour where you have a driver and a tour guide for a few days that take you around in a car. This is easy as they can just keep the car seats in the car for you. In general, it is pretty easy to get around speaking English in Shanghai - people always are willing to help.

3. The time difference can be very hard. It takes a good 4 days or so for the little ones to get adjusted, so this might be difficult since you only are going to be there for a week. It is much harder for little kids to adjust to the time difference because you cannot force them to stay awake like you can yourself.

4. Get passports now for the kids. Even if you don't end up using them you won't have to scramble at the last minute. Kid's passports are good for 5 years.

5. You might need to get some vaccines depending on what you have already. Check on government travel web sites. Again, do now because some vaccines require 2 shots.

Have fun!

Yes-you are crazy-but it is the season of eternal hope.

Hi! I'm jealous for your opportunity:)

I don't have anything to offer as far as traveling and getting around in China, but I do have a couple of thoughts about the trip itself. I think the age of your kids is fine for the trip. Once my older son passed 2-1/2, flying is soooo much easier with him.

With such a big time difference, you might want to reconsider unless you're planning on extending your trip to at least 2 weeks. We took our boys to Hawaii and had a hard time waking them up from 3-hr naps just to keep them on track. Overall, they adjusted to the time change well, but I have heard others say that when the kids can't adjust to the time change it really makes traveling and sightseeing very difficult. It will probably take several days for your kids to adjust to the time difference, so it would be unfortunate to be turning around for your return trip home right when they're getting acclimated.

Don't underestimate your 3-yr old!! She'll remember more than you can imagine and will surprise you in the future with comments about the trip to China.

What an amazing opportunity you have! Go for it! I haven't traveled overseas with my kids so I can't be too much help but I wanted to let you know I saw a special on TV recently. They were in China and they said they teach English in schools. I think starting in elementary so you would be able to find people who speaks English probably pretty easily. I hope you decide to go! Good luck with your research!

Go for it! I took my twins at 3 months on a 17 hour drive to Colorado and they did amazing when EVERYONE told me not to. And at four months we took them to Mexico to my husbands grandparents beach house. Witch was an 8 hour drive. Good luck hope you have fun...I would go if I had the chance!

Good morning - My mom moved to Shanghai five years ago and loves it (she dedicated a year prior to learn the language). I have visited a couple of times and it was very difficult for me to navigate without my mother translating, I did not use a tour company obviously. I have had no problems traveling through Europe but China was very difficult with the language barrier. Everywhere I turned, someone was trying to take advantage of me because they thought I was a wealthy American, I didn't find them friendly at all. Although my mom lives there, I bought the Frommers Shanghai tour book and I liked that. I felt pretty safe there although my mom has been robbed a couple of times. I guess I don't have an outstanding review but feel free to contact me if I can be of help.

DO IT! What an awesome opportunity! Your 7 year old should be fine. One of my best friends just adopted from China, and they took their 7 year old with him for the trip and procedure last summer. They also flew home with their new, 2 year old son, and it was all fine! My parents also traveled to China for a few weeks years ago and had a great time. Things were more "closed" and strict in China then, but they still spoke highly of the authorities and people.

I don't know your finances, but it is very expensive. Since your lodging will be taken care of, this would be a great opportunity though. Perhaps you could use some type of rewards card to purchase the tickets with so you would get a lot of points or miles or something! Once there, it's not terribly expensive to eat, sightsee, etc. Your main issue will be airfare.

The Chinese people and the authorities are very nice. Unless you go out of your way to be disrespectful or do something wrong, you'll be fine. At tourist spots most directions and instructions are also printed in English and many people speak English -although you shouldn't expect it everywhere. Generally if you are at a tourist destination, you'll be able to see or hear English. I would recommend getting a reputable travel guide for the area of China you'll be visiting. I'm sure plenty exists on the web and in print for traveling China with children as well.

Be prepared for your children to be treated like celebrities! My friend's son had people constantly wanting their picture taken with him and the Chinese people were really excited and happy to see and talk to an American child. It sounds a bit strange, but when you think about it, most westerners traveling to China are adults. Not many children visit, so when they see one in the flesh, it's different and exciting!

There are lots of great sites around Shanghai, but even street markets and grocery stores will be different and exciting adventures. My friend and her family went in a Chinese version of something like a Costco. She said it was about 4 times the size of one though! It was like a cavernous conference center with literally miles of aisles full of Chinese food and beverage products! That was in Shanghai.

You can do this! I would jump on it and I have a 4 year old and 2 year old.The flight is the most daunting aspect. I highly suggest portable DVD players. It will be worth it! Also -get some handheld video type game systems or maybe one of those for the 7 year old and a VTech learning laptop for the 3 year old. Play doh, crayons, markers and lots of paper help too! Of course they will sleep for part of the flight as well. Bring TONS of snacks -all of their favorites! Good luck and have fun!

I lived in China on a government posting for a couple years. Although I lived in Guangzhou, I did visit Shanghai. I think if China is one of your dream trips, you should by all means go! I wish I could go everywhere my husband traveled for work. A couple of tips though:

Definitely hire an English speaking tour guide. True, English is taught starting in elementary schools, but the teachers are not that knowledgeable, so sadly what happens is the blind leading the blind. Outside of the major western hotels, I would not expect people to be able to help you in English. It would be very hard to get around on your own.

Hire a driver as well. Again, taxi drivers may or may not speak English, and they are notorious in China for ripping off foreigners. If you have a driver, he can take you, your kids, and your guide anywhere you want to go. Perhaps someone local with your husband's company can suggest people. It should not be expensive. I would say 100-150rmb/day each. If not, another option is a private tour I wouldn't recommend joining a group tour with kids. It's better to be able to do things on your own schedule. Also, group tours are notorious for taking foreign tourists to shop at expensive places. From my calculation, these places sold things for 10x what I could buy them locally.

I didn't have kids at the time, but I'm not sure how much fun Shanghai would be for children. You won't see many Chinese kids on the street. It always puzzled me, and I never did figure where they were when not in school. I don't think I ever saw a playground either.

China is very friendly to white foreigners [you didn't mention your ethnicity, so I'm just assuming]. This is not a racial remark. They put these foreigners on a pedestal and you will be treated like a celebrity. Strangers will want to take pictures of you and with you. On the flip side, vendors, and everyone really, will want to rip you off because you are wealthy [my maid was considered well-paid at $15/day]. Unless you are a spy or your husband is a spy or the authorities have reason to believe you are or know of some who is a spy, I wouldn't worry about them harrassing you.

Final advice for travel with kids, take it easy. Don't try to do too much. Best of luck! You are braver than me!

I can't answer specific things about China, but I travel back and forth to South America with my kids (now 6 and 9) about every year. So, I can give some ideas.
1. Break up the trip. When we go to South America, we can usually find cheaper flight packages with an overnight stay in Miami. I try to schedule it so I get a hotel on the beach, rent a car, go to the beach for a few hours and then get on the long flight in evening. After playing in sand and sun, the kids zonk out on the plane.
2. The worst thing about a trip to China with kids, I would think, would be the jet lag. Kids won't adjust as well as adults and it's hard for adults. I have heard that there are really cool kids' night tours in other tourist destinations in the far east. I would talk to some travel agents about options.
3. I traveled to Prague once in the middle of the cold war. It was a little tense off and on, but you stick to tourist places and people are fine. China is far more open now than the Czech Republic and it is a popular tourist attraction. You should have a great time -- we find that when we travel, the little extra $ for an English-speaking tour guide makes a big difference. I'm sure China has plenty of people who speak English, but it is probably not "commonplace" as it would be in Costa Rica or Germany. In short, if I was going to sightsee alone in Shanghai without knowing any Chinese, I would set up day tours with a travel agent that feature English speaking guides. Then you have a schedule, you will not have to flounder wasting your time in a hotel room trying to figure things out and you will have the security of knowing that you won't inadvertently wander into the wrong part of town, etc. It will cost a little more upfront, but is often more cost effective in the long run. Also, if you are worried about political tensions in China, check out the State Department webpage on China and sign your trip up, so you can get any possible warnings coming from the State Department while you are there (assuming your hotel will have wifi and/or a business center).
4. See what the hotel has as far as amenities. Kids that age aren't going to put up with nonstop touring. Make the trip kid-family. If you do one tour and a restaurant a day and spend the rest of the day in the hotel pool, I think everyone will have a great time. The best vacation we ever took was to Cancun and my daughter was 1. We did some really memorable things -- swam with dolphins and rented a car and drove to Chichen Itza, but we also just spent lots of time on the beach. My son continually asks when we will go back.
5. Go to your local borders and get one of those tour books for China -- or Shanghai specifically if they have it. Maybe get a couple of them. Then read the sections on Shanghai -- lots of times those books will have attractions that you have never thought of. Before you talk to a travel agent about tours, choose which ones you want to see and plan it out. Also, those books will recommend restaurants, etc. and will have guides for traveling with kids. I never travel to a new place without one of those guides. Two years, we went with my kids to Buenos Aires. Without those books, I probably would never have ended up at the zoo (a few times) where kids can feed the animals or to the Middle Eastern restaurant that had a play room with a staff member babysitting and wonderful food. You will find gems in those books that otherwise you would have missed.
6. You can definitely do it. You will have some tough moments on the plane or at the airport with the kids, but as long as you keep a sense of humor and remain flexible, you will have the trip of a lifetime.

I think travelling with your children is a fantastic idea!
Never let opportunities like this go. This past summer me and my 10 month old daughter went to Sudan without my husband for a month and a half to visit his family. It was the most amazing and awful experience. I would do it all over again! You just really need to get in contact with someone who has travelled to that specific destination with children.
Don't take any impressions that you get from the media about your destination seriously, only get info from first hand travellers! I think you'll find that the people of China are wonderful!

My first thought is that one week is not nearly enough time to really get much out of a trip to China. A flight that long takes a big toll on you, and it generally takes a day or two just to get used to the time change. We took our kids to Ireland when they were 4 and 8 - they traveled pretty well, and slept most of the way since it was an evening flight. My husband and I were exhausted though by the time we got there, and of course the kids were raring to go! lol Be prepared for your kids NOT to like airplane food, so bring lots of your own if you decide to go (and don't forget the return trip, too). My son, who was 4 at the time, remembers most of the highlights of the vacation, so chances are your little one will, too. However, if you envision long days of sightseeing with enthusiastic kids, you may be disappointed. They probably will not have the stamina to see and do all you would like in such a short time. That being said, if this is truly a dream trip for you and you don't foresee having another opportunity to make it sometime in the future when your children are older, then go for it! Have fun.

Hi,

Been to China a few times. Last time took my almost 4 year old with me to get her sister. Am planning on going back next summer with my then 8 and 10 year olds. Don't worry too much about the political situation despite having a Communist government the people are very nice!

Advice: flights are long. Aren't many options for breaking them up into smaller pieces. Also prices are extremely high right now. So be prepared. If your kids can't sit for hours at a time, you may not want to go. Planes are very crowded and there aren't really opportunities to run up and down the aisles. There are generally spots where you can stand a bit but not a lot of play space. Pack lots of small things to do and eat. DVD player a must! I'm going to try and play with my kids' sleep schedule in the week before we leave so that they sleep at least some what on the plane. As they are older now, I'm hoping the flight will be easier but my youngest hates sitting still so I'm not counting on it.

Shanghai is interesting-a mix of Europe/China, at least architecturally. You can arrange for an English speaking guide at the hotel. You will likely want one as you can't count of people speaking english. Some signs are in English but not all. Plus, they can navigate getting you from place to place which is a great thing!

Because Shanghai is pretty cosmopolitan you may not get too many stares. I never had a problem with anyone; they usually just wanted a picture with me but that was usually in the more rural areas.

Jet lag can be brutal. I used melatonin to help me get over it. With my daughter, I set a time for her stay in bed until then turned on the DVD so I could try to sleep a bit longer. We did take it easy the first few days which worked really well.

Just walking the streets can be an adventure. There is a huge tea pavillon which is really cool. The Buddist (?) temple is also a must see, lots of incense and colors. I loved the Yue Yuan (?) gardens but they aren't what we'd consider child friendly. There are probably parks that you could go and play in that the kids would love.

You can definitely do it and China is an amazing place. I'm really looking forward to going back!

Sue

I can't answer any of your questions - but do have a friend who has traveled to Australia and is currently in Sri Lanka with her 3 kids. The Australia trip her kids were 2 and 4, and now she has 3 in Sri Lanka with her and they are 6, 4, and 2.

She says the flights are brutal, but the end result is totally worth it. She traveled both trips to visit family, so that changes her experience once she arrives, but the flights were managed with snacks, special toys, and movies.

Good LUck!