planning a trip

family gap year map

How do you plan an 8.5 month trip across the world?

Hello, everyone! It’s AJ here, offering some thoughts on what goes into the planning of an eight-and-a-half-month trip. You may be wondering why I’m flying solo on this one, and the short answer is that I handled 99 percent of the planning for our family’s sabbatical. But don’t worry: Natasha will be writing a first-person post of her own, and it’s bound to be interesting!

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One of our favorite pictures from the boat tour in Jinze Water Town with the family and our tour guide

Preparing For A Trip To China With Kids

As one of our top three places in the world, we find China to be one most unique cultural experiences we’ve had as well as an incredible food experience. The Chinese love children and are extremely family-friendly, and at every turn, you will be surrounded by ancient history. We just cannot stress enough that your should visit China with kids.

But before you visit, you will need to prepare. While China is technologically advanced, it can feel as if you are in a time warp — very few people speak English, you cannot just call a taxi, and all the social media tools, apps and email you typically use, including Uber, are not available to you in China.

From the basics you’ll need to enter the country, which has stricter visa requirements, to some things may be unusual for your family to encounter, here’s how you can prepare for your trip to China with kids.

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