My first solo trip 13 hours away with no Google went completely wrong | Asia | Travel

Call me crazy, but I just went on my first solo flight, and it was 13 hours away from home (London). Prior to this, in 2023, I went “down the road” to Barcelona, and that was my first and only trip abroad. The world of Journalism takes you to wonderful and unexpected places, and I was fortunate enough to be invited on a business trip to Shenzhen, China, by PR firms CommunicateMore and iMpact to explore emerging products in tech and experience the vastly different culture Shenzhen had to offer.

Despite not being able to bring someone along, I took on this crazy adventure, but even an expert traveller could not have prepared entirely for this trip. I underestimated exactly how far I was going and how different it would be…Shenzhen has no Google, no western social media and the climate was vastly different – here’s everything I did wrong on this city break, but ultimately survived.

Preparing for the immigration border 

The beginning of my adventure saw me spending one night in Hong Kong, a beautiful administrative region of China, where everything is westernised and pretty easy-going. Navigating the airport solo was simple; I had no trouble due to the easy-to-read English signs and friendly staff.

My major anxiety was heading into mainland China. Prior to my arrival, I was told I would be driven across the border; however, plans drastically changed when I was told I could only cross via ferry. I advise researching multiple routes to head into mainland China if you are not taking a direct flight – especially as the ferry stops running at a certain time, which means you could be left stranded in Hong Kong.

Immigration wasn’t as daunting as I expected. However, you have to print off all your documents, including flight tickets and the proof of booking for your hotel. As I was visa-free, the only main concern immigration had was my departure date, but other than that, there was no interrogation as seen in the movies.

VPN 

You need a trusty VPN in China. The country has many restrictions and does not allow Google, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and more. Once I travelled from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, I could no longer contact my friends and family using my data or via WIFI without a VPN.

This is due to the Great Firewall (a legal censorship tool used by the Chinese government), which regulates inbound and outbound Internet traffic between China and the rest of the world. “This censorship tool scans internet traffic for undesirable keywords and blocks users and websites that don’t adhere to the rules,” reported Nord VPN.

Payment 

The biggest culture shock was paying for transport and items in shops with a QR code. Unlike in Western countries, you cannot pay using physical cards, cash or contactless payments such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet.

Residents and tourists in mainland China have to scan the QR code provided by merchants for “fast and convenient payments.” Popular payment apps such as Alipay and WeChat can be used for this purpose.

Despite downloading Alipay, the app kept glitching and would often log me out, so when I went to pay for something, it either took a while or I had to return the item as it would not work. It is important to download more than one payment app, especially as a foreigner and have it set up prior to your trip, as this can take a while.

Most of these apps require your passport information; otherwise, you cannot use them. It is also important to double-check if your bank has a two-step authorisation process, as this extra step often left me unable to make payments despite the apps working.

According to Wise, this is how to use Alipay to make payments.

1. Open your Alipay app, and find “Scan” on the home page menu.
2. After entering the scanning page, scan the QR code of the merchant.
3. When the scanning is successful, the payment information of the merchant will appear; check it carefully.
4. Confirm the amount and pay. Or enter your password to pay.

Jet lag 

I have never experienced jet lag before, and I never want to again. For those who are unaware, jet lag is when your sleep pattern is disturbed after a long flight. It normally improves within a few days as your body adjusts to the new time zone.

According to the NHS, symptoms include tiredness, difficulty staying awake during the day, poor sleep quality, concentration and memory problems. Jet lag can also sometimes cause indigestion, nausea, constipation, changes in appetite and mild anxiety.

Hong Kong and China are eight hours ahead of London. My flight took off at 10:45pm in London and arrived in Hong Kong at 6pm (10am BST). I thought I cracked the code by sleeping at a specific time during my night flight, but to my dismay, I was painfully mistaken.

Once my adrenaline wore off, I experienced the worst nausea and dizziness. The climate was cloudy but 28°C, which made me feel even more tired. I advise anyone visiting to regulate their sleeping in accordance with the place they are visiting, and stay longer than a week to get used to the climate.

Shenzhen has many high-rise buildings, where you are constantly going up and down in an elevator or escalator, which also made me feel nauseous. I advise bringing different medications with you, just in case you might need them – Pepto Bismol may have just saved my life.