Travel Blog
Discover China through stories, tips, and insights from our travel experts
Latest Articles
The Ultimate 5100km Prep: Setting the Stage for an Epic 19-Day Challenge Part 1
The blog post details the author's preparations for a solo 19-day self-drive along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway (G318 from Chengdu to Lhasa and return via G317), covering a 5,100km loop completed in September 2024. The author, driven by a long-held dream, overcame past failures like a failed university cycling attempt and limited prior plateau exposure, gaining confidence from a May 2024 flight to Lhasa and previous Western Sichuan drives up to 4,500 meters. For physical preparation, the author, with over 10 plateau visits and mild altitude reactions, emphasized good health maintenance. Financially, the trip cost under 20,000 RMB (~2,800 USD), including a Toyota RAV4 rental and ordinary accommodations. Time-wise, the journey required at least 19 days total (16 from Chengdu), avoiding night driving for safety, with alternatives like one-way trips and rail exits noted (Sichuan-Tibet Railway under construction until ~2032). Equipment included a tow hook and anti-slip snow chains for high-pass conditions (temperature drops of 6–7°C per 1,000m elevation), a folding camping chair for roadside rests, liquid glucose for quick energy, Rhodiola (started one week prior) to mitigate altitude effects, and cold medicine, as colds can escalate to pulmonary edema on the plateau. Mindset focused on accepting initial discomfort without panic, recognizing the well-paved G318/G317 as safe for millions, and committing to the journey despite solo status, as turning back mid-trip is impractical. The author urged thorough guide study for first-timers, highlighting reduced high-altitude risks due to improved facilities.
Why Did I Sell My Lifetime Travel Experience as a “Lifetime Membership”? (Instead of just selling the PDF)
The lifetime membership, priced at a one-time $349 for the first 500 early-bird spots (then $399, increasing every three months to a final $799), offers foreigners a comprehensive package of the author's 15 years of personal travel experiences in China, including over 20 provinces, 100,000 kilometers of road trips, 19 scam incidents, and 3 drone crashes. Benefits include lifetime free updates to content, as China changes rapidly with new high-speed rail lines, ticket price adjustments, drone no-fly zones, and Alipay/WeChat rule changes—ensuring guides remain current unlike static PDFs from 2018 that become 30% obsolete by 2023. Included items are 300+ city guides (current and future), all VIP articles, weekly exclusive blog posts, a drone flying tips and crash recovery guide, a high-altitude driving survival guide (e.g., for Sichuan-Tibet line with emergency kits and 5,000-meter plateau tips), an exclusive Discord community for lifetime members with Q&A (first 500 get one year of free consultations for personalized issues like child travel or aurora photography), content voting rights to decide future trips to 20 new cities (filming the top 5 voted ones), and over 200 commercial-grade 4K aerial photos for unlimited download, usable for Vlogs, social media, or PPTs to preview angles, crowds, and parking. Value for China travelers lies in avoiding "trial and error costs" far exceeding the fee—such as $1,500 for a confiscated drone, $300–800 for scams like tea houses or fake police fines, or 50,000–100,000 RMB for wrong turns and altitude sickness evacuations—saving tens of thousands of RMB and hundreds of hours over 10 years, plus preventing pitfalls from information gaps where even careful foreigners fall victim to familiar local tricks.
Stay Updated
Get the latest travel tips and destination guides delivered to your inbox