Traveling from the US to China during Quarantine

Updated September 23, 2020

The contents of this publication are my unfiltered thoughts with anecdotal advice and should not be considered as an official or authoritative guide for traveling from the US to China. Travel rules change often and the implementation of travel rules varies by date of travel and destination so you should always consult local experts before traveling internationally. The following is my experience traveling from the United States to China in September 2020 with tips and advice on navigating the travel experience and quarantine.

Critical Takeaways

• Be flexible!
• Pack some quarantine food such as oatmeal, granola bars, beef jerky, or MREs.
• Be prepared with a Chinese number of a friend or business partner to put on several forms.
• Have WeChat on your phone and know how to scan QR codes.
• Download a translator app that can work offline. You can test this by putting your phone in airplane mode to make sure it still translates. I like Google translate.
• Bring Chinese cash and a valid credit card (Visa or Master)
• Fellow travelers may be able to help you with translations and navigation but be respectful of the fact that they will likely take the risk of coronavirus very seriously and may not want to get too close or touch your phone.

Getting the Visa

After receiving the coveted PU letter from China, I promptly contacted the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles with a copy of the letter and the documents they had requested to process my visa (this would be an F visa). Within 3 days of digitally sending the documents to the consulate, the consulate authorities requested that I send the documents along with my passport via USPS Priority Mail along with a return envelope. Previously, I had been able to do this from a UPS store, but when I arrived at the UPS store near my home, they informed me that they can no longer process USPS Priority Mail and I would have to instead go to the post office. I went to the local post office and sent my documents on a Wednesday morning and by the following Monday, my passport with the new F visa had arrived.

When searching online for tickets from the US to China, I found that many of the tickets available for sale online did not actually exist. It is important to check directly with the airline to find tickets rather than relying on sites such as Expedia or Travelocity. Although I have had much success with these sites in the past, in the landscape of traveling internationally during a pandemic, there were too many issues. One problem with these sites is they would show me tickets that would not work because they violated layover rules. For example, as of the time of my travel, Taiwan allowed layovers from the US to China as long as the traveler did not stay in Taiwan for more than 8 hours and must arrive and depart Taiwan on the same airline (https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En/Bulletin/Detail/pis3aYhaXkLCDrN8XV-9KQ?typeid=158). The travel sites did not account for this and showed me many tickets that would require lengthy layovers or airline changes in Taiwan.

Flying to China

Luckily, the staff at Sias were able to use a travel agent to find a direct flight from Los Angeles to Xiamen on Xiamen Airlines leaving in just a few days. Once the tickets were purchased, it was time to say goodbye to friends and family and start packing up my life in the US. Before leaving, however, I needed to get a negative covid test. Although documentation of this was not required for direct flights from the US to China, a health declaration form was required for any flights with a layover. Out of an abundance of caution, I opted to complete the test and get the health declaration form certified by the Chinese Consulate. The test results need to be received within 5 days of travel to China. I went to CVS for a free test and when the results came in (exactly 5 days before I left) they did not have a date on them, so I dated the results myself before sending them to the embassy. Within 24 hours of sending my covid test results to the embassy, I received a stamped health declaration form. (https://www.china-embassy.org/eng/notices/t1806039.htm)

At least 25% of the passengers wore full body coverings, face masks, face shields, and carried disinfecting wipes, sprays, and changed their masks regularly.

With travel documents in hand, I began my journey from the US to China on September 4, 2020. I opted to check 3 suitcases which is one over the allowable limit of 2 free checked bags and 1 free carry-on. I ended up paying $75 to Southwest for this extra bag for my domestic flight to Los Angeles and $160 to Xiamen Airlines to check the extra bag for the international flight. (I would also end up paying additional fees in my domestic flight in China in two weeks). I could have avoided the extra baggage fee by using the 3rd bag as a carry-on, but I had just had minor surgery and could not lift more than 10 pounds.

While checking in to my flight to China from LAX, I had my temperature taken multiple times at the airport. I was also given a QR code to scan which had a digital health declaration form. This form included my travel itinerary and asked for a phone number of someone in China who would be responsible for me. I only had the number of one person in China, so I used her phone number. I only have WeChat contact info for everyone else I know in China. This form was in Chinese on my phone, but for some reason is in English from my laptop. Please note: the QR code this form will generate is only valid for 24 hours, so do not complete it until just before boarding the plane. 

https://health.customsapp.com/home/pages/index/index.html

Boarding the plane, I thought I was prepared with my N95 mask and latex gloves, however once I was on board, I realized how grossly underdressed I was. At least 25% of the passengers wore full body coverings, face masks, face shields, and carried disinfecting wipes, sprays, and changed their masks regularly. All passengers were given a food bag with snacks, but nobody appeared to eat during the flight as this would require removal of the mask. Overall, the 14-hour flight was uneventful and quiet.

Arriving in China

When the flight arrived in China, all passengers were instructed to remain seated and would be dismissed to get off one row at a time. The queue leaving the plane first took all passengers to a shuttle bus which took us from the airplane to the customs area of the airport. We waited in line about 10 minutes then had to show the QR code from the health declaration app we filled out before leaving. Next, all passengers waited to go into 1 of 8 booths for a covid test. I had heard that in China they were not gentle with these tests, however my experience was way easier at this covid station in China than at any doctor’s office in the US. They swabbed a single nostril then gave me a form with a QR code.

I took my QR code to the customs agent who asked me several questions about my final destination and the purpose of my visit. They then asked again for the phone number of someone who will be responsible for me in China. I only had a single Chinese phone number of a friend from Shanghai, so I used that again.

After making it through customs, I picked up my three suitcases and waited in another line. In this line, I was asked to scan a QR code using WeChat which brought me to another form in Chinese. This one had more complicated questions, so a fellow passenger filled it out for me using my phone. This app gave me a new QR code which I took a screenshot of because I was told I would need it several times over the next two hours.

Arriving to the Hotel

Leaving this line, I was put into a queue with my luggage to board a shuttle bus. My QR code was scanned, I loaded my bags onto the bus, and was driven to a hotel about 15 minutes away from the airport. After arriving at this hotel, I was asked in English about my final travel destination. After telling them I was going to Zhengzhou in the Henan province, I was sent to room 2 (out of 5) to wait. Here I waited with about 10 others before being ushered onto another shuttle bus. My QR code was scanned again, and I was driven 30 minutes to a hotel in Xiamen near the outside of the city.

I befriended a Chinese student who was returning to China after studying in the US. He explained to me that for quarantine, only 4 and 5-star hotels were selected. We got off the bus and put our luggage in a holding area. We had our temperature taken, were sprayed with a disinfectant, then brought inside to fill out paperwork (which was in Chinese). My new friend helped me complete my paperwork which basically just asked for the address of my final destination and the phone number of an emergency contact in China. I sat through an orientation which lasted about 10 minutes. My new friend explained to me that the orientation only consisted of them telling us that we are not allowed to leave our rooms during quarantine.

While checking in, we were given the option to buy a standard room or a suite. I opted for a standard room at a cost of $831 ($60 per night) for all 14 nights which included 3 meals per day. I was given a keycard for room 607 then picked up my bags and went to the room. This was now around 9:30 AM - 4 hours after the plane landed in China.

Starting Quarantine

I’ve stayed in many hotels in China over the past 5 years and this one is definitely not bad. It is comparable to staying at a La Quinta Inn or a Best Western in the United States.

After arriving to the room, a chair was placed in front of my door to create a barrier between me and the staff when they came to conduct daily temperature checks and served as a place to hold deliveries such as meals.

Meals were delivered each day at 8 AM, 11 AM, and 6 PM. Breakfast always consisted of porridge, fruit, a bun, and a small portion of meat. Lunch and dinner was always white rice, a protein (fish, beef, pork), two cooked vegetables, and a piece of fresh fruit. The food was not amazing but was also not bad at all. I strongly recommend packing snacks in case you don’t like the food or if you get hungry between meals as the portions are somewhat small.

I was told that I would be able to order food using delivery services or using the hotel room service, however both of these options require WeChat Pay. While WeChat pay now works for some services when using an American bank card, it would not work for these delivery services. I was fortunate to have Chinese friends and colleagues who ordered me food and coffee and had it delivered to my room.

I was told that I would be able to order food using delivery services or using the hotel room service, however both of these options require WeChat Pay.

DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER. I was surprised that water was not delivered to my room at all during my stay. Cases of water could be ordered from room service for 60 RMB, but that required WeChat pay. Luckily, my friends from Sias were able to order cases of water for me from room service and have them delivered to my room.

Covid-19 Testing. After the initial nasal swab test at the airport, I received a nasal swab test from the hotel on Day 3, 7, 10, and 14 of quarantine and bloodwork testing on Day 2 and 14.

On Day 7, someone from the hotel called my room to ask about my travel arrangements after leaving Xiamen. Government regulations prohibit travelers from staying in the city after completing quarantine unless the quarantine city is the final destination. The hotel will arrange transportation on the day of checkout from the hotel to the airport and will call the day before checkout to confirm the details.

As of the time of this writing (September 2020), those traveling to Zhengzhou need to complete an additional 7 days of at home quarantine once arriving to Zhengzhou. It is unclear as to whether or not the travel day counts as a day of quarantine.

Maximizing Time in Quarantine

2 weeks (336 hours) seems like an eternity to be locked in a hotel room, but in reality, the time flies by! I made a list of 6 things that I do every day which usually take me about 10 minutes per task, but since I was in quarantine, I extended each of these things to an hour per day. Those tasks include:

• Study Chinese (学习中文)
• Exercise
• Read
• Meditate (I can only do this for about 20 minutes)
• Journal (also about 20 minutes is all I can handle)
• Connect with friends in China and the US

In addition to those 6 daily things, I was also able to fill the time with naps, movies, solo dance parties, writing, and surfing the net.

Tips & Things to Know

Internet - The WiFi at the hotel was not great and my cell phone (T-Mobile) only gives me 2G speeds while in China. I recommend downloading a good VPN before arriving in China. I use ExpressVPN and Astrill. Each cost about $100 per year. I found that when I used the VPN, my network speeds were about half the speed as they were when the VPN is off so to use apps like WeChat and websites that are accessible in China, it was easier to turn off the VPN altogether.

WeChat - If you haven’t done so already, download and set up WeChat before you leave. I needed to scan QR codes using WeChat multiple times during the arrival process to China. This is also the most convenient way to communicate with friends in China.

Melatonin - Jetlag can be awful. I use melatonin when traveling to help me sleep and quickly acclimate to the new time zone. I strictly use this only when traveling and not as a regular sleep supplement.

Cellphone Plan - Although in the past you could get a Chinese SIM card at the airport when arriving to China, that is not possible anymore with the new quarantine rules so it is important to communicate with your cellular carrier to plan accordingly. It has been my experience that Verizon can get very expensive when using your phone abroad, however, T-Mobile offers great international plans for only $5 per month.

Leaving the Quarantine Hotel

The day before I was scheduled to depart, someone from the hotel lobby called me to confirm my flight information and inform me of the shuttle departure time. Although I was free to leave any time on Friday, September 18, I would not be allowed to check out and explore the city. Government regulations mandate that travelers transiting through Xiamen go straight from the hotel to the airport. My flight was scheduled to take off at 5:55 PM so my checkout time was 1:00 PM.

On September 18 after 334 hours of quarantine (it actually ended up being 340 hours total), I packed my stuff and went to the lobby at 1:00 PM sharp. The receptionist asked for my keycard then invited me to sit at a table to fill out a form (I have no idea what was on the form and they didn’t seem to care that I filled it out wrong).

I had to ask for an invoice (单位) which would be needed later by the university. I showed the receptionist a photo that had been provided by Sias, then a few minutes later she gave me the invoice as well as a release paper.

I have no idea what this image above says, but when I showed it to the receptionist she took a photo of it then a few minutes later handed me the invoice (单位) below.

By 1:30 PM, I was loading the shuttle bus with one other hotel guest. Most of the others on my floor had left much earlier in the day. My hotel was the first of 6 stops to pick up other passengers before going to the airport. Before loading the bus, be sure to know what terminal you need at the airport because the shuttle bus stopped at each terminal and announced the terminal name in Chinese. Luckily, I knew I was heading for terminal 三 (3).

Arriving at the Airport (domestic flight)

When we arrived at my terminal, the entire group from my shuttle was greeted by a representative from the airline who took us to a check-in counter. Check-in was pretty simple, but since my suitcases were the exact same weight as when I flew internationally 15 days prior, they were all over the weight limit for domestic travel. I ended up paying 860 RMB ($128) for the extra weight and third bag. My bags were 49 lbs (22.2 kg), 48 lbs (21.7), and 30 lbs (13 kg). I’m pretty sure it would have just been cheaper to upgrade to a first-class ticket which has different baggage allowances, but this seemed to be a bit complicated, so I let it go. 

They tried to have me pay for the extra weight with WeChat pay, but as I expected, my WeChat pay barcode did not work since it is linked to an American bank account. The entire shuttle group waited for me while I went to a customer service counter to pay the fee. I tried paying with a Mastercard from HSBC Bank, but they would not accept that. Luckily, I also had a Visa card with me from a local US credit union. I would imagine cash (RMB) would have also been acceptable.

After paying the luggage fee, the entire shuttle group was ushered to a security line and we went through security, which was very similar to the process in the US.

Waiting at the Airport (domestic flight)

Once I made it to the other side of security, I ate my Victory Snickers (I was saving a Snickers Bar for when I made it through quarantine without losing my mind). Next, I checked the status of my flight which had been delayed by 2 hours (also, an hour before the flight would take off, the gate was changed from gate 18 to 9).

I was hungry and thirsty, so I went on the search for food and water. Unfortunately, I could not find a single store or restaurant that would take a credit card, not even McDonalds. Then I saw the glorious green Starbucks logo. I ordered a Vanilla Cold Brew and Blueberry Muffin as well as a bottle of water from Starbucks and payed with my Mastercard. I did not attempt to use cash (RMB), but I am told that many places still accept cash even if they don’t accept card.

I could not find a single store or restaurant that would take a credit card, not even McDonalds.

While sitting at Starbucks, I tried logging into the Airport WiFi, however, it would not let me log in without a Chinese phone number. I called my friend in Shanghai and used her number. She gave me the verification code and I was able to easily log in. When I closed my laptop and tried to use the WiFi about an hour later, I had been logged off and needed a verification code again.

Bathrooms. The men’s bathroom had normal urinals and “Western style” stalls with toilet paper, however, I have been to some Chinese airports that only have squatty potty stalls and do not provide toilet paper, so be prepared. 

After boarding the plane (which had been delayed two hours), we sat on the runway for about an hour before taking off. The 2.5-hour flight was relatively uneventful, but they did serve a delicious meal early in the flight.

Arriving in Zhengzhou & Sias University

Once the plane finally touched down, everyone jumped up to begin getting off of the plane. This is why I generally prefer to sit towards the back of the plane when I’m in China… the front is too competitive to see who can get off first. Leaving the plane, the flow of people leads directly to baggage claim.

As I approached baggage claim there were QR codes everywhere to fill out a declaration form (using WeChat). I was able to scan the code and select English (EN) at the top right corner and most of the form turned to English. The only part I had trouble with was at the very bottom, it asked what city I was coming from and that was in Chinese. I simply walked up to someone who looked friendly and said, “Can you help me select Xiamen” then held up my phone. The person I approached evidently did not understand English very well but did understand Xiamen and (hopefully) selected that on my app when I handed them my phone. VERY IMPORTANT TIP: Do NOT select that you are coming from out of the country or that you are flying internationally. This will trigger another 14-day quarantine.

Pro Tip: I wanted to continue to use WeChat while waiting for my bags but did not want to risk losing the green pass on my phone from completing the declaration form. I did two things here to protect that clearance screen. First, I took a screenshot of the pass. Then, I used the floating tools in WeChat to minimize that screen within WeChat so I could come back to it later (see screenshot above).

After about 20 minutes, the bags started coming off the conveyer belt. Once I had my bags, I went through the baggage claim exit by showing them my green pass (it was not scanned or anything – they just looked at it). I met the amazing 李土豆君 from Sias and together we navigated through the airport downstairs to the parking garage. Here we met a driver from Sias who took us to Peter Hall about 20 minutes away.

We arrived at Sias just before midnight. Someone was waiting for us in the lobby of Peter Hall where they scanned my passport and gave me a key to my room. The accommodations at Peter Hall are, by far, the best I have ever stayed at in China.

Packing Tips

In addition to everything you would normally pack for a domestic or international trip, below are some items I always bring with me when traveling internationally.

• Laundry Sheets 
• Luggage Scale   
• Pen to fill out forms
• Wipes   
• Compression Socks
• Vacuum Seal Bags (size SMALL)
• Power Bank (do not put this in checked bag)
• Local Currency (about $100)   I have found the best exchange rates are at the airport (in either the departing country or the arriving country. When I arrived in China, there was no opportunity to exchange money at the airport.

Let’s Connect

If you have any questions about my experiences getting to China and living through quarantine, please feel free to connect with me on WeChat or WhatsApp. I have included my QR codes below.

If you are coming to China to work at Sias University, please know that you will have a team of experts ready to support you every step of the way. From getting your visa to booking the flight to navigating quarantine, someone from Sias will be available 24/7 to answer your questions, guide you through the travel process, and get you to Sias with minimal disruption. If you are not planning on coming to Sias, why not? Send me a message and let’s talk about your future career at Sias University!