How much should I expect to shell out on a 2 week visit.

[Folsom Mike]

Hello,
I am new to this site, new to online dating and have never been to China. I am greatful to have found this site, the threads are informative as well as very entertaining to read and I thank you. I have been writing a sweet girl I met about two weeks ago through Chnlove and I can't believe how well it's been going thus far. I know we are communicating with each other through a translator and many things written may not be coming out to both of us exactly the way we meant but all in all it works great. We have just started text messaging each other. The translator application I downloaded to my iPhone works great! I have a question or two that I'm hoping the fine members of this site can help me with. As I said I have never been to China but would like to visit soon, perhaps the earliest would be this summer. I would like to stay for 2 weeks and we will most likely do the site seeing thing in and around Beijing and the city she lives in, Handan. Can someone please give me an idea of what I might expect to pay for that period of time? I'm good with the round trip airfare and hotel stay while I'm there. I'm referring to travel once there, food, any customary gifts for her and family(how much to spend on a gift without insulting someone),tipping for cab fare, 4 hr train ride from Beijing to Handan. The one I'm really worried about are the gifts to the family, no clue. This especially because I will probably marry the sweet lady. I did say I had two questions didn't I? Thanks in advance for any help.

[Josh Markley]

Welcome to the brotherhood Mike.

In my experience I spent less than 1000 dollars.

Tipping was a no no.  Not the taxi drivers or your servers in the restaurants.  My girl wouldn't allow it and if you tried they usually denied it.  I got away with tipping the bell hop and that was it.

As far as gifts for the family my girl would not let me buy them anything while I was in the country, I wasn't even allowed to pay for any meals when I was with her family at all.  

Gifts for your girl is another story she will allow you to take her shopping for her and yourself.  In this case I would take more then what i took.  I could have easily spent over what I budgeted for my trip.  buying her gifts made her eyes light up, and it made me happy.

The train ride to Handan will be roughly 25-40 RMB per seat.  A trip to the great wall, to the Olympic plaza buy subway, Tiananman Square.  Mostly by taxi a few bus rides.  

Sorry I am unable to give you an exact layout of where my money went my girl did most of the money handling.  

I was there 10 days, 6 days in Beijing and 4 days in Baoding.  Also out of that 1000 dollars i payed for my hotel about 250 dollars.  Hope this helps a liitle and there are more guys who have spent more time in Beijing than I have they will have a different take.

[Folsom Mike]

Very helpful Josh! Thank you!

[Josh Markley]

No problem brother, and I went in July its was like the midwest summer 1000% humidity.  haha

[odysseus007]

Hello,
I am new to this site, new to online dating and have never been to China. I am greatful to have found this site, the threads are informative as well as very entertaining to read and I thank you. I have been writing a sweet girl I met about two weeks ago through Chnlove and I can't believe how well it's been going thus far. I know we are communicating with each other through a translator and many things written may not be coming out to both of us exactly the way we meant but all in all it works great. We have just started text messaging each other. The translator application I downloaded to my iPhone works great! I have a question or two that I'm hoping the fine members of this site can help me with. As I said I have never been to China but would like to visit soon, perhaps the earliest would be this summer. I would like to stay for 2 weeks and we will most likely do the site seeing thing in and around Beijing and the city she lives in, Handan. Can someone please give me an idea of what I might expect to pay for that period of time? I'm good with the round trip airfare and hotel stay while I'm there. I'm referring to travel once there, food, any customary gifts for her and family(how much to spend on a gift without insulting someone),tipping for cab fare, 4 hr train ride from Beijing to Handan. The one I'm really worried about are the gifts to the family, no clue. This especially because I will probably marry the sweet lady. I did say I had two questions didn't I? Thanks in advance for any help.

Usually I spend SGD2000 or about USD1400 for 2 weeks in Tianjin, excluding airfares but including all the rest, and we ate & shopped well. If in Beijing USD2k should be enough if you go backpacker style. Hotel would take up some 40-50% of the money. I usually take 1.5x what I expect to use in cash (RMB). Credit cards are rarely usable in shops, but bigger hotels often do accept them. You can draw extra cash at ATMs using your credit card. Smaller cities should be cheaper, not sure if the case with Handan.

[RegnisTheGreat]

It all depends on how much you want to spend. What kind of restaurant you want to go and what kind of tours. I've spend anywhere between 5K to 15K in two weeks in China.

[David5o]

RegnisTheGreat,

Jeez, ....What the hell did you spend 15 thousand dollars on? You must have been giving it away !!!   haha!!!

David.......

[Folsom Mike]

Great advice guys, much appreciated.

[Willy The Londoner]

RegnisTheGreat,

Jeez, ....What the hell did you spend 15 thousand dollars on? You must have been giving it away !!!   haha!!!

David.......

Perhaps he will leave the car he bought with me.LOL:icon_cheesygrin:
Willy

[David5o]

Folsom Mike,

Always bring a little more than you intend to actually spend, but lock it up in the hotel safe and don't change it up for RMB. Just treat it as emergency money. One more thing, don't change more than you will need for the first day in China in your country, you will always get a far better exchange rate in China. As this is your first time in China, then your best bet is to change your dollars at the Bank of China. There absolutly everywhere!!  Never change your money up at the hotel, unless you absolutly have too, and then only as little as possible.

As others have stated you can use your card at the ATMs too. The Extra cash mentioned above is just in case you lose your wallet, or your wallet gets stolen. ...Yes it happens in China too!!! ...hahaha!!  Depending on how well you get on with your lady, it can be a good idea to give your wallet to her for safe keeping, while your out and about. Believe me, they never lose anything ...lol!!!

Hope that helps you a little.....

David....

[brett]

I didn't spend too much in China, but it depends if your lady is a Shanghai Princess ha ha ha.

It's worth taking plenty of RMB if you're not going to a major city, as exchanging foreign currency in smaller cities is a hassle, even with your lady to help you out.

I'm pretty sure I got a better exchange rate in the UK, but it's small change on the amount of RMB I actually spent.

[odysseus007]

I didn't spend too much in China, but it depends if your lady is a Shanghai Princess ha ha ha.

It's worth taking plenty of RMB if you're not going to a major city, as exchanging foreign currency in smaller cities is a hassle, even with your lady to help you out.

I'm pretty sure I got a better exchange rate in the UK, but it's small change on the amount of RMB I actually spent.

Here in Singapore it is not much different from doin it in China, but can be a hassle there, depends where u are. Exchange rates here are ok, so I usually change mine here.

[Folsom Mike]

This really is a brotherhood, man you guys are awesome! Thanks to all.

[David5o]

Brett,

That is the craziest advise i've seen on this site, not only are you wrong in what your advising a brother to do, your TOTALLY wrong on the exchange rate in the UK for RMB. The difference is not small change by anyone's standards. If you are prepared to lose an amount of cash by changing all your money in the UK, by all means, ...but don't advise others to do such a stupid thing.

Wuhan is not small, I don't know where you get this idea from, and there are plenty of Banks of China in that city. Yes it can sometimes be a bit of a hassle, but not that much of one. I can only surmise that you must of confused the matter, when you went to exchange your cash in China!!

007,

You are in Singapore, Folsom Mike is in the USA, Big difference!! Asian rates among Asian currencies, (in Asian countries) tend to be better (follow much closer exchange rates) than those outside of that area. Been a long time since my time in Singapore, so i'm taking what you have posted to still be correct and that there is very little difference between your rates and China rates for your currency. But please be aware that this could be confusing to Folsom Mike, and anyone else outside of Asia, because there can be big differences between US/European and Chinese exchange rates.....


David.....

[Andy]

I took 1000USD (cash) with me and got exchanged in Bank of China. No hassle at all. When I run out I used my ATM card to get money out of an ATM machine, the machine was chinese and english. Zero problem. One thing though, call your bank and tell them that you will be traveling to china and using your card there, otherwise you card might not work.