A Realistic 3-Day Shanghai Itinerary from a Seasoned Traveler

Pudong skyscrapers shot at night from across the river, with a flag of China flying at the bottom right in the foreground

Shanghai has long been a bucket list destination for me. In the last couple decades, I’ve been to China multiple times (read about my visit to Taishan and Qufu) and even taught English there for a while. Somehow I had never made it to Shanghai, so it was time to change that! In my travels, …

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Using a Holafly eSIM in China: My Honest Experience (2025 Trip)

Some butterfly shaped lanterns between two rows of traditional Chinese buildings lit up at night in Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai

When planning my recent trip to China (with stops in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La, and remote Yubeng village), one of my biggest worries was staying connected. You pretty much cannot survive in China today without a phone and Internet connection. In China travel forums, I saw the same questions over and over: …

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How I Planned an Awesome Day Trip to Hangzhou from Shanghai

A sea of people walking below cherry blossoms beside West Lake in Hangzhou

On my recent three-day stay in Shanghai, I dedicated one of those days to a Hangzhou day-trip. Rather than trying to squeeze in every major attraction Hangzhou has to offer, my day trip was specifically focused on two things: gazing upon West Lake and going to Longjing village to buy some of China’s most famous …

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