OK OK I have been a longtime poster on fodors so I <b>know</b> I'm supposed to do a search etc. etc. but this seems like a very broad question, given that China experiences all 4 seasons and Hawaii doesn't have many. AND, the question isn't for me!

My 16 year old niece leaves for Beijing in 2 weeks. She's never been ANYWHERE, and here she is, going on a study abroad program for 9 months! She'll be staying with a host family, but do you have any tips on what to bring, what to wear, essentials to pack, etc?

Oh, also: she wanted to know where to know where to find insect repellant, non-pressurized, with 40% DEET.

I told her to post on her own, so you may see a post from Monka pop up. thanks in advance for your help!

Hi, Melissa!

Your niece will have a blast!

It's so great for young people to travel and get to know another culture! One of my nieces returned last year from a study program in China, she was a bit older than your niece. However, when she was your niece's age, she spent a summer in Italy studying Latin and she is still talking about all the adventures they had going to places like Pompeii, then privately to Greece to visit vestiges of ancient Greek civilization. I hope your niece's program includes side trips in and around Beijing!

As for the practical questions: try a sporting goods store like REI for the DEET. REI makes something called &quot;Jungle Juice&quot; which might meet your needs.

What to bring: some gifts from Hawaii, like macadamia nuts, would probably be greatly appreciated by her host family.

What to wear: Beijing can get very COLD, especially for someone from Hawaii. She should get warm socks and some waterproof shoes/boots. A long coat (going below the knees) would help. Then she should layer, thermal underwear, etc. It's difficult to say what clothes she should bring because it just depends on how well heated/cooled her host family's home is. Fortunately, Beijing has lots of clothing outlets and she can always buy what she needs at a relatively inexpensive price. Hat, gloves, etc, she can get over there.

The real essentials are health and beauty aids, like medication that she takes all the time or her favorite face cream. You can always mail her additional supplies, but it's best she carry an adequate amount of those essentials with her when she goes.

The cell phone technology in China is equal to/better than the US, so she should get a phone when she goes over there. Her host family can help. Email may get difficult - sometimes she may not be access the US - again this depends on what the program supplies.

Lastly, bring an open mind and as much money as she is allowed! Is she a shopper?

Tell her, I wish her bon voyage as she sets out on what will hopefully be a lifetime of international adventures!

Can I recommend a book I enjoyed a lot? It is not about China but Thailand but the personal &quot;memoir&quot; of a exchange student there is very compelling, both what she found hard and what she found great. Dream of a Thousand Lives by Karen Connelley. It is available on Amazon. You could also look there for more non-fiction type books about preparing and being an exchange student.

Thanks for the advice! I'm not sure what heating capabilities my family will have, although the information sheet mentioned that most families don't turn heaters on until November 1. I'm going to have semi-regular access to e-mail as well.

The cold is something I'm worried about, because I don't own any winter clothes. I'm getting some from my sister and buying some here, but I'm waiting on a lot of it until I get there and see what they have. Is that a good idea? I'm sure it won't be snowing from the moment I step off the plane.

&quot;...but I'm waiting on a lot of it [clothing] until I get there and see what they have. Is that a good idea?&quot;

Hi, monka! - Absolutely! You can get a North Face jacket for 1/5 the price you pay here and that would be too much! Some of these &quot;brand name&quot; jackets are rip offs; but a lot of them were rejects for one reason or another. Look over the item very carefully before you buy. If you are hesitant about bargaining, ask your host family to help.

There is also silk underwear available that is very warm and light. Silk filling for jackets will give you warm and extremely lightweight jackets. The Chinese word for silk filling is &quot;ssu-mien&quot;. Guess what I'm trying to say here is to &quot;go native&quot;. The Chinese in Beijing have to protect themselves from the cold too. They have some local and very effective cold shielding clothing.

Get a nice warm long wool scarf over there. Also get some warm gloves - preferably leather with fur or wool lining inside. The cold will blow right through knit gloves. Get a ski cap and, if you have a hood to your jacket, then your head is well protected. 90% of heat loss is through the head.

You can get almost anything you need over there. Just not in the brand that you prefer.

They also don't have many clothes dryers, so, take lots of underwear - LOL!

Lastly, take some Imodium (for running tummy) and some Alka Seltzer - pop, pop, fizz, fizz. Alka Seltzer, once diluted in water, tends to act very fast. I use it for aspirin substitute. The Alka Seltzer Cold Pills are great because they, too, dissolve and act fast. Take a bottle of Listerine - it's an antiseptic as well as a mouthwash. Don't take some other kind of mouthwash, it may just be blue water. Take some bandaids and some neosporin.

As I've said, you can get almost anything you need over there. Last time I got some kleenex with the &quot;Hello Kitty&quot; characters on the packages - really cute!

Really the last item to mention: Don't drink just any water, always drink bottled water. They have lots of kinds of bottled water over there and, so far, I've found them all safe for drinking. When you brush your teeth, use bottled water. If you shower, don't open your mouth in the shower. Always eat cooked food - no raw salads and the like.

If you have other questions, Monka, just keep asking. I'm certain the other Fodorites will have lots of excellent suggestions and ideas as well.

Have a safe trip!

thermal underwear, top and bottom, saved me last winter in northern china. I'd wear them to bed because the facilities in my university apartment weren't exactly up to par with US standards...

You can find just about everything there, especially in Beijing, but one of the problems I ran across consistently is how to find them. Even if the people that will be around your daughter speak English, there will still be communication problems, trust me. Everything will be fine, it's just that there are misunderstandings along the way.

Some cool gifts might be t-shirts (even those really cheap tourist ones), pens and pencils, stickers, anything with logos from America (her school, Hawaii, USA...) I brought some US postage stamps like John Wayne, Dr. Suess, Disney, etc.

Hey, thanks everyone! I learned that I take a lot for granted. After you guys started posting answers, Monka emailed me to ask what thermal underwear was. (Sorry Monka, I had to share, that was cute!) Also I haven't been to Beijing since I was her age, myself, so I have no idea where to start as far as advice.

She speaks the language, as far as I know, so hopefully this won't be as much of a challenge for her.

Monka, let's go to Sears this weekend to get you some thermal undies.

The Sears in Hawaii carries thermal underwear!!!????? Whatever for?

I swear, it must be the only store in all of Hawaii with thermals. I guess <b>someone's</b> gotta have it, for the travelers who venture out to the cold yonder!

Hi, M &amp; M (Melissa and Monka)!

How was the thermal underwear hunt? Did you find anything you liked?

Just thought of one more item: Purell. Get a few small bottles. Put one in your purse, pocket - you will find it's really wonderful to be able to &quot;wash&quot; your hands with just a few drops. It can get really dusty in Beijing.

My 13 yr. old son went to China this summer and really enjoyed it. For money, your niece should get a VISA Buxx card. It is the only atm like card kids under 18 are allowed from American banks (unless they use their parents) go to visa buxx website (can't remember exact address but do a google search). We ordered ours from wachovia bank because it had the best rates. My son used the card as both an atm and a credit card. Plus I would get an email when he used it so I could monitor his spending and replenish it if need be. My son said it was very easy to use in China.

Like others, I suggest toiletries (wipes, tampons, some antibiotic prescriptions, contact solution etc.) My son said that china was much more modern than he thought it would be and that they had wal-marts, starbucks etc.

For host families, be sure items are not made in China. My son took a photo book on San Diego (our home) star wars legos for the son and a seat belt bag in pink for the mom. the mom loved it because it was american made and something she could not get in China. My son also said it was important to know about colors and their meaning in China. He said his family was happy that he was culturally sensitive to the colors of the gifts given. We learned about them through a class he took.

Also if she takes her camera, make sure to have a memory card that is large (son took over 600 pictures on a 3 week trip.)

For reppellant, I got non-pressurzed from our local Target and Savon Drugs. Cutter makes these Deet wipes at 30% which my son said were easy to use. Our dr. said son should not go above 30% Deet based on his age and size so be sure your niece checks with her dr. about percetages.

hope this info is helpful, vfromsd

Thanks again to all of you for advice! My niece has been living in Beijing for almost 2 months now, rides a bike every day and has only hit one person!


From what I can tell, she's enjoying herself and is busy with school. Her mom will be sending a box o'goodies next week so I'm hunting for items to send.

Well, The Eagle Has Landed. My niece is finally home from China and has grown in many ways that would not have been possible if she did not venture away from the USA for an extended period. She's got heightened sensitivity to global issues, she can speak more Chinese, gained new friends, and more. Thank you all for your help! I'll see if I can get her to post a trip report here.

Monka - welcome home. We'd love to hear about your experiences.

Yes, Monka, welcome home!

Tell us all about your trip to China - specifically, how many people did you end up hitting with your bicycle?

Melissa:

Bet your family is so happy to see Monka back, and glad she had such a positive experience.