Travel Branyik ↠ China Adventure Specialist

A China blogger focusing on travel in China. I write stories and helpful articles that prepare you for a beautiful and memorable time in Asia. 

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5 Ways to Stop Travel Shaming During the Pandemic

5 Ways to Stop Travel Shaming During the Pandemic

If you are a frequent reader of this site, you’ll know that I travel quite a bit, but haven’t been, not since leaving China in May 2020. I think I have gone to one new place since the pandemic, The Denver Selfie Museum. I personally have chosen not to travel during the pandemic, mostly because 55 hours on a plane coming home from China wasn’t exactly fun. What it did was give me a bit of anxiety…

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5 Simple & Authentic Chinese Recipes You Can Cook at Home

5 Simple & Authentic Chinese Recipes You Can Cook at Home

I love Chinese food. If you’re thinking “Girl, same.” Then, you’ve come to the right place. I’ll try and keep this story short, courtesy of my best friend, and everyone like her who hates the lengthy stories that detain you from getting to the recipes. I’m not Chinese at all.  But, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chongqing, China for two years. I have a Chinese family who gave me a Chinese name…

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8 Photos to Inspire You to Visit the Denver Selfie Museum

8 Photos to Inspire You to Visit the Denver Selfie Museum #denverselfiemuseum #denver

When I told my best friend I wanted to escape to the Denver Selfie Museum this weekend, her literal thoughts were:

“I thought we were just going to go around, drink coffee, and look at pictures of selfies other people took.”

What she, and I, got was a pleasant little fun-filled journey to Stout Street in Downtown Denver, where a little colorful secret resides. This trip was very reminiscent of…

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What To Do About The Kiwi.com Refund You Didn't Get During COVID-19

What To Do About The Kiwi.com Refund You Didn’t Get During COVID-19

This morning, I woke to over $900 missing from my bank account. And in my panic, I start scrolling through the activity on my app only to see a very infuriating reversal on a dispute I submitted months ago for a flight I never got on. The dispute was for Kiwi.com, a booking company that I attempted to use when I was traveling back home from China during COVID-19.

About Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com is a…

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9 Reading Adventures to Go On During a Global Pandemic

9 Reading Adventures to Go On Without Leaving Your Home #books #reading #adventures #travel

If you’re anything like me and you can finish reading a book in one day or love escaping into fantasies and other worlds through books, then this is the post for you. I love reading and I love completely immersing myself in a very detailed world away from my own reality. I’m sure many other people can say the same.

While we’re in isolation, or craving adventure, I thought it would be nice to put…

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Glenwood Springs Tiny Home: Staying in a Tiny Getaway

Glenwood Springs Tiny Home: Staying in a Tiny Getaway #glenwoodsprings #tinyhome

The Tiny House movement is, by now, a well-known phenomenon: there are TV shows, books, YouTube videos, and everything in between. Like many, my boyfriend Garve and I are pretty hooked on the idea of having our own tiny house. Neither one of us are the traditional “have a house with a mortgage” types. I don’t like the idea of being tied down and Garve really can’t be bothered with anything…

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9 Ways to Staycation When You're Safer At Home During COVID-19

How to Getaway When It's Safer At Home During COVID-19 #staycation #covid19

In the age of COVID-19, many of us are taking precautions and staying at home to reduce the risks of contracting COVID-19. Many of us are doing our part to prevent the spread and at the same time, we are missing the vacations we planned. I’ve seen countless posts saying “I should be in Cancun today” or “Today, I’m supposed to be in Ouray.”

As a fellow traveler, I’m heartbroken for everyone who…

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An Overdue Update On Me Being in China During COVID-19

It’s been a long while since I have posted anything around China during COVID-19. The topic has been heavy everywhere around the world, and I needed a break from talking about it. To see my last post on my experience, go here.

It has been devastating and depressing and I know everyone is dealing with a variety of complex emotions they aren’t used to feeling. I still am too. The level of homesick…

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How Did the Chinese Communist Party Handle the Coronavirus?

Stop posting memes saying the US is test running socialism during the Coronavirus... it's clear you don't know what socialism is. #socialism #china #coronavirus

I recently wrote a long article about the Coronavirus and how it’s making people idiots back in the US.

Not long after I published it, I saw a meme of the cleaned out shelves during this pandemic relating this entire pandemic to socialism. This is the meme and there are many more out there like this.

This meme is stupid and has nothing to stand on. Naturally, I was annoyed.

Seeing as how most…

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Americans are Acting F*cking Ridiculous About the Coronavirus

Americans are Acting F***ing Ridiculous About the Coronavirus #coronavirus #pandemic #unitedstates

Since the outbreak of the virus and the now increasing number of cases in the US, I’m watching people back home do some of the most moronic things ever in “preparation” for their own confinements, should they choose to have them at some point.

Honestly, and I’m sorry if this is harsh, but most of you are being unbelievably stupid and arrogant around this. Many have been acting so selfishly with…

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Life in China For Foreigners & What It's Like

Life in China For Foreigners & What It's Like #chinalife #lifeinchina #foreigners

China is a truly magnificent place and very often misunderstood by people, especially people who have never visited the country. The news can often be very critical of China and how the country is run, but when you get down on a personal level and become a part of the community, your perspective changes entirely.

Foreigners will flock to China for a bunch of reasons, one of the biggest being…

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Coronavirus Update: Things are Better & I Have a Personal QR Code

Coronavirus Update: I Now Have my Own Personal QR Code #coronavirus #china

As the Coronavirus cases sink to a low, the pollution in the city of Xi’an is making an overwhelming come back and I have to close my windows now. Because Xi’an hasn’t had any new cases of the virus in over a week, people are going back to work, meaning pollution is getting worse by the day and it shows no signs of stopping.

I am unable to speak to the nature of the outbreak in Wuhan since I…

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How to Keep Your Sanity if You Live in China During the CoronaVirus

How to Keep Your Sanity if You Live in China During the CoronaVirus #coronavirus #expat #china

I’ve been “inside” for almost a month tomorrow. Not much has changed since my post a couple of weeks ago when I first talked about what it was like being inside during the coronavirus. But a few things have changed, including how I have been managing my time inside.

Honestly, I can’t believe this is even a topic I’m discussing. It’s so weird to be in a situation like this. My day to day a…

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Alipay & WeChat: Why You Need These Two Apps to Travel in China

Alipay & WeChat: Why You Need These Two Apps to Travel in China #wechat #alipay

China is experiencing a huge mobile payment revolution that the rest of the world really needs to get on board with. Huge companies have harnessed the power of two apps and made then a convenient way for people to pay for literally everything without the hassle and without speaking a single word.

On the off chance locals think you’re one of those foreigners who can speak a little Chinese, they…

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What It's Like Living in China During the CoronaVirus

What It's Like Living in China During the CoronaVirus #coronavirus #china #mystory

This morning, I woke up to the heavy aromas of bleach and chemicals filling my nose.

All my windows were closed, and of course, my front door. The night before we were told to keep our windows closed and not go outside because they would be disinfecting the streets with heavy chemicals. Thinking the smell couldn’t possibly reach me on the 25th floor, I thought maybe someone was cleaning upstairs…

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Easy Scrambled Eggs & Tomatoes Stir Fry - Fanqie Jidan (番茄鸡蛋)

Easy Scrambled Eggs & Tomatoes Stir Fry - Fanqie Jidan (番茄鸡蛋) #stirfry #chinesefood #china #food

Scrambled eggs and tomatoes stir-fry is by far one of my favorite Chinese dishes to eat at restaurants, but it’s even easier to create at home! It is a staple dish in Chinese households so you will also be able to find it in basically any restaurant in China, should you decide to travel her one day. The best part is that in a restaurant, this is like 14 RMB per plate (about $2.02).

Like the other…

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Things Peace Corps China Taught Me About Living in China

Things Peace Corps China Taught Me About Living in China #peacecorps #china #livingabroad

Peace Corps China may be ending, and obviously, I’m not happy about it. But if there is is one thing about that experience that can’t be taken from me, its everything I learned about living and traveling in China.

There is no doubt the Peace Corps does at least one thing when you are in it; it makes you love and appreciate the country you’re in more. Often times, I have noticed ex-pats acting…

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