My Story

Hi there! My name’s Tash and seeing the world is my passion. I was born in New Zealand, grew up in Australia with parents that grew up in the USSR.
My China story began with a backpack and no idea what to expect, and ended after four years of residency in two different cities.

In July of 2016, myself and a good friend decided to backpack this country that was so rarely mentioned by other travellers. I fell in love with the safety (particularly for a female traveller), the lack of scams and inflated prices for foreigners, the endless, delicious food options even for a vegetarian, and the ancient history. The country seemed so unlike any other I’d been to – and so closed off to the rest of the world. I loved it!

Fast-forward a couple years, the country has a huge foreign expat community and has expanded its international tourism significantly.

So, I graduated University and moved to Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. I spent a year adjusting to the cultural and language differences, making Chinese friends along the way. After that, I lived in Shanghai from 2019-2022 and will likely forever say that it is one of my favourite cities in the whole world. What a magical place to live! I have now ticked off 23 provinces/regions in China.

But what about the travels?

Okay, enough about me – you’re here to know more about traveling in China. Now let me tell you – in 2016, without knowing a word of Chinese and having zero awareness of the local apps, we had a hard time navigating the country.

I now have the language skills, most of the local apps and years of experience to confidently say this,

Traveling in China can be complicated, confusing and infuriating. Not a lot is straight forward, and if you’re going to rural places, you rarely find your language spoken. BUT, it is one of the most rewarding countries to visit, with snow and mountains and deserts and beaches. The culture and history is fascinating, and the customs and beliefs of the people are forever intriguing. You can navigate China on your own, but come prepared with patience and an open mind.

Finally, BEFORE you arrive, I strongly suggest having a VPN, and making sure you have a translation app like Baidu! Most locals cannot read English letters, only characters.