I'm going to Shanghai, China this November and am thinking of doing a solo train ride / hiking trip to Zhangjianie National Park after. Even been? Any suggestions for travel in China for a lone female traveler?
Unfortunately, no, I’ve never been to China! (I’m hoping to see more of Asia someday soon.) However, I asked my sister (who was in Beijing for a couple days) if she had any thoughts - so then she got in touch with a couple people she thought might be a little more informed!
A female friend who has traveled quite a bit in China said:
It might be stressful just due to language barrier, but not too much due to being a woman.
A girl she knows from Shanghai said:
I’ve been to the Zhangjiajie National Park. It was very nice, but I’m afraid it is not easy for your friend do a solo trip there, just bcz she can’t speak Chinese. It will be difficult to communicate. Most people don’t understand English in the national park. But if she goes to big cities like Shanghai and Beijing, it should be fine. I have asked a friend’s friend. He is Italian. He does travel consulting and can arrange a really cool trip for your friend… His company specializes in maximizing the China experience for foreigners. Here is his web page: www.awesomechinaexperience.com.
So it sounds like language is going to be your main concern, while being a solitary female traveler won’t, in and of itself, be something you need to worry about. I have some tips on dealing with language barriers here - hopefully you’ll find them useful! Writing out your destinations on notecards might be particularly handy for you.
Also, if you’re planning on doing hiking, I really recommend having a good guidebook with current trail maps and directions - especially if you might be coming up against a language barrier. If you’re concerned about the expense, try and find a good guidebook at your local library, then make copies of the relevant pages. I have further general hiking tips here.
Whether or not you check out the travel consultant in Shanghai is up to you, of course, and will no doubt have a lot to do with your budget and amount of available travel time. If you have the money and the time, however, it might be a good way to make sure your trip goes smoothly.
Note: If any readers have had experience traveling in China and have advice for jetsformeetings, please let me know!