I had the opportunity to take an international flight from the Beijing International Capital Airport (PEK) back to my home country for the Chinese New Year holidays.

The last time we traveled internationally was in the summer of 2022, from Beijing to the States, and that process was arduous to say the least. With China’s loosening of the covid restrictions, we wondered what the situation would be like at the airport and if you are as well, we are here to share what we experienced. Remember, things are changing constantly so your experience could vary, but here’s what we learned from going through PEK airport on Jan 20, 2023.

1. If you plan to eat, do it in the main terminal before proceeding through customs to the departure gates. Restaurants such as Hua’s Kitchen, cafes like Lavazza and Starbucks, fast food stores like KFC and Burger King are all open in the main terminal before you take the shuttle to the departure gates. The only stores we saw open in Terminal 3E while waiting to board were a duty-free liquor store and Hermes. Not the best of shopping options. And definitely no food choices at all! We were so grateful we had packed snacks just in case. 

2. Empty that water bottle. The refill stations in the terminal are usable again, hurrah! And customs is being strict on confiscating liquids in carry-ones, even when you say it’s for the kids. If you’re lucky, you get that nice customs officer who allows you to get away with it if you take a drink of the water (supposedly to prove that it’s for drinking and not some other nefarious purpose). 

3. Don’t bother with alcoholic hand sanitizers, unless you enjoy handing them over to customs. Also, if you have any spray bottles with you, be prepared to explain their purpose and perhaps demonstrate to the customs officer; I had to spray my homemade hydrosol solution (which I use for a quick mood-lifting spritz) for the officer to sniff. Luckily, it passed the test. 

4. Covid travel requirements differ from country to country, but for us heading to Singapore, we had been prepared with an electronic 24-hour NAT result. At check-in, the ground staff allowed us the option of showing our complete vaccination records on our phone in lieu of the 24-hour NAT result. It seemed that airport staff were being understanding of the changing covid travel requirements and trying their best to accommodate travellers. 

5. Mask up. Masks are still a requirement in the airport and on the plane, even if your destination country doesn’t mandate it.  

PS: On a side and hilarious note, remember NOT to pack your crystal balls with you…

Have a safe journey!

Images: Pexels, Vivienne Tseng-Rush

We made it!

After a 19-hour flight from San Francisco to Shanghai, plus a four-hour wait in the airport, followed by another hour of traveling, and then another two hours of waiting at the quarantine hotel to be registered, our family made it to the room where we would exist for the next ten days. Why ten and not seven? I’ll explain later.

As you go on to read my true quarantine story, do keep in mind how everyone’s quarantine experience can vary a lot. This is due to an odd top-down administrative choice to randomly assign quarantine hotels to travelers flying into China, which applies to both locals and foreigners from what I’ve seen. This air of mystery is probably what confounds the entire experience and makes it so frustrating, especially for families.

5 Things I Learned About Centralized Quarantine in 2022’s China

1. Paperwork, Schmaperwork

Seven days before even setting foot in China, we were told to opt for self-quarantine in the city of our departing flight. Full disclosure: We didn’t. We didn’t go partying around town, but we certainly made the most of our remaining days of freedom. And then 48 hours before our flight, we proceeded to a designated facility to perform a NAT or PCR test. *Warning: This is a nose swab variety and deeply unpleasant. This test was repeated at the same facility 24 hours later, and the results were sent to our email later that day. We printed this out, as well as our vaccination certificates (from China) and Health Declaration and Travel Declaration Forms detailing every city we visited while on vacation.

As Linkin Park put it so eloquently, in the end, it doesn’t even matter.

After we arrived in Shanghai, we scanned at least three QR codes, which led to a different form each time that we had to fill out to generate yet another QR code, which was required to pass each checkpoint in the airport. No one asked to see our small mountain of paperwork at all. What a waste of trees.

One of many QR codes you’ll have to scan

2. NAT NAT NAT

We did a NAT (Nucleic Acid Test) on-site at the airport. This was of the throat swab variety, which I had always preferred, until this deep-throat version that made all of us gag. Later, we would do another NAT on-site at the designated quarantine hotel. And then every other day during quarantine.

3. The Waiting Place

I had over three hours for Dr. Seuss’ words to echo in my head as we stood in line that night. One of the longer waits was the usual airport customs clearance line. Fun discovery: As we stood in the line for foreign passports, a customs officer tempted me with a shorter queue when he found out that I bore a non-US foreign passport (Singapore).

No more pee places for a while after this point

Make sure you pee in the airport before you claim your baggage, because after that there isn’t an easily-accessible toilet until after you get assigned your mystery quarantine hotel, and that wait was over three hours long for us. Some details to this vague process: You will get grouped into different sections following a letter of the alphabet – our family ended up in section F. I would like to emphasize that it doesn’t matter whether you stand at the front of the queue here, as every person in the group will need to be registered before we can all move on to, you guessed it, yet another waiting place – this time for the shuttle bus to bring us to the hotel.

4. Answering the Million Dollar Question: Do They Split Up Families?

In our case, yes. Once we got to the hotel, we were told that each adult gets a room. This meant that even if you are a family of two adults + one kid, they would want to split the family up into one adult + one kid in one room, and the other adult in another room. Now pay attention: This can be avoided if one of the adults has a medical condition that requires medical attention. This can be proven by prescription medication in your possession (Excedrin doesn’t count) or a doctor’s note or prescription. Be courteous as you make your request, no matter how exhausted you are and how justified you feel about your right to stay together as a family because that really helps your case.

5. What’s it really like? 

We were intensely relieved when our shuttle bus pulled up to a JW Marriott hotel, even as I noticed that it was fenced off entirely, and as we were processed for registration inside a shipping container-turned makeshift office at the service entrance of the building. This wait was hours long again and resembled that scene in movies where people are shoving to go first to escape the zombie virus outbreak, except this time they all brought their luggage with them.

As I stood at the back of the line and watched one boy, close to my own child’s age, perched unsteadily on top of his father’s luggage, his eyes heavy with sleep and fatigue, I wished they would have prioritized those of us with young children. But we were lucky that a couple of the 大白 running around in hazmat suits did try to help process us faster, and some even helped us with our luggage. I can’t promise the same of everyone you will encounter through this process, but I thank the universe for sending me little acts of kindness that kept my faith in humanity alive.

After I managed to convince the registration staff that my migraines were debilitating enough to require my family to stay together in one room, we were subjected to another NAT before finally heading to our room. We secured a luggage trolley for our 10+ pieces of luggage and were again kindly assisted by the 大白 who saw us to our room. The hotel was eerily quiet, but it was after midnight at this point. A short coffee table sat outside each room door – the landing pad for our meals and any other things we might need during our “stay.”

The room itself was dusty and the linoleum they had hastily installed over the carpet kept wrinkling no matter which direction we pulled it in. There was dirt and hair in the shower, and even though we had been thrilled to see a bathtub in the bathroom at first, we quickly discovered it did not have a plug to stop the water from flowing. Our hopes of enjoying a bath went down the drain, literally. After I begged for a vacuum cleaner and rigorously performed the housekeeping the room sorely needed, it began to shape up into a pretty nice place.

Ah yes, why ten days instead of seven? Well, the rule is for seven days in centralized quarantine, with an additional three in your own domicile in the arriving city. But since our domicile is in Beijing, we had to stay all ten days in this quarantine hotel (especially since they told us that nobody else would take us for the last three days). Truth be told, we had been ready for 21 days of quarantine when we first left the country, so ten days is totally doable, right?

Stay tuned to see if I maintain my sanity over the next few days in quarantine!

KEEP READING: Quarantined One Day After Giving Birth To Baby; New Mom Tells It All

Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush

Ready, set, vaccine…. appointment. Good news is, sort of, in store for hopeful COVID-19 vaccine seekers. On Oct 12, state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) launched an online vaccine reservation system. The system is designed to accept COVID-19 vaccine appointments for Chinese students and essential workers living in Beijing and Wuhan. Here’s what you need to know:

Can I get one?

At the moment, it appears that you can’t, or at least, not easily. At present, this unapproved vaccine is intended for Chinese students who will travel abroad and for essential workers. Posts on Chinese social media on Monday indicate Chinese students who are planning to travel abroad from November to January 2021 will be eligible to receive the shot. More than 70,000 people in these categories have reportedly already rushed to make reservations for the COVID-19 vaccine.

But don’t count yourself out just yet, as residents of Beijing, along with Wuhan, will reportedly be among the first recipients of the vaccine.

Does it work?

The vaccine is still experimental. Sinopharm has two vaccine products that have entered Phase III trials in 125 countries, the company reports. Phase III is the final stage before a vaccine can be mass distributed. The company is allowed to distribute the vaccine prior to final approval due to an emergency use clause within Chinese law issued on Jul 22.

What’s the deal with these vaccines anyway?

There are currently about a dozen COVID-19 vaccines in the final phases of development. Chinese vaccine producers have developed four of these options, but Phase III trials are intended as a thorough screening process, establishing vaccine safety and efficacy across populations. Chinese vaccine makers have also reached agreements with countries where the vaccines are being tested. Sinovac, for example, has agreed to provide 60 million doses to São Paolo, Brazil, and 40 million doses to Indonesia by March.

Do other countries have these?

Yes, but most are still trialing these vaccines. Some, like Russia, have claimed that their vaccines are approved, but only for small scale use at present.

How much will it cost?

Both of Sinopharm’s vaccine products reportedly cost 2,600 RMB, but pricing is likely to change as the approval process progresses.

When will people start getting it?

There is no clear timetable for reservations, it appears to be more of a list than a clear appointment system. Chinese companies have reported that the vaccines could be available as early as November.

KEEP READING: Weaning Kids Off Screen Time Post-COVID

Photo: Unsplash

This article originally appeared on our sister site The beijinger.

“All my bags are packed and I’m ready to go…” That thought always crosses my mind before I travel. After all, there’s so much to prepare before a trip that packing can feel like a journey in and of itself. That’s even truer for parents ahead of family vacations, and all the more so when Moms and Dads send their kids overseas for a short summer trip or camp — alone.

Camps complement children’s academic studies. Their social skills and life experience are also greatly enhanced at camps, with child development experts saying that they bring the best out of the kids during their childhood and teenage years.

Experiencing the beauty of nature at camps. (Photo courtesy of Camp Eden)

But when is the right time to send girls and boys to camps, let alone overseas? Many educational institutions and professionals around the globe have debated how young is too young. It’s a tricky subject, but as your child gets older, the list of questions and considerations shortens. Sunshine Parenting online magazine gives an overview for children of different ages.

Singapore’s Association for Early Childhood Educators says sending pre-schoolers and students of early grades to camp abroad is beneficial to their experiential learning. Emily Bazelon, a writer at the New York Times, writes that 6-year-olds can be sent to overnight camps, but the reason not many go at this age is “parents, not the kids [themselves], are not ready.” While parents’ main consideration is always their children’s safety, Michael G. Thompson argues in his Homesick and Happy book that such instincts “deprive children of the major developmental milestones that occur through letting them go—and watching them come back transformed.”

Camps, of course, will ensure everything to keep your children safe. But why not give them an extra safety net by buying travel insurance? Nomadic Matt, a travel website, says travel insurance can be a confusing topic, but it is a safeguard for the unexpected. It says travel insurance is “not a substitute or a replacement for health insurance and shouldn’t be treated as such … as it is there for unexpected emergencies” such as breaking your leg, popping your eardrums, getting food poisoning or falling ill with dengue. It can also cover lost luggage.

While joining camps can be a fun and enjoyable activity for children, remember that not everything falls into place and they will face occasional issues. As there will be kids from other countries, different cultural norms and personalities will certainly have an effect on a camper’s adventure. It is important to gear them up with knowledge about norms and mores and tell them to resist peer pressure like drinking alcohol, especially if there are campers who manage to sneak bottles inside the camp.

One major point that kid campers need to be aware of is that they’re there to grow and learn. Culture shock and language barriers, as well as differences in food and daily routine may take their toll, but they can also be an eye-opening and memorable experience that will boost children’s awareness.

Campers should expect that other children might have attitudes different to what is normal in their home countries. Some participants may have ADHD, others can be aggressive or even be bullies. Another main issue is sexual harassment and sexism. Camping websites see these as some reasons for miscommunication and uneasiness, which, if left unresolved, will result in the expulsion or quitting of a camper.

InterExchange.org say that camps cover most of the issues stated above in pre-camping orientations. It also advises campers and parents alike to be prepared, and seek help from counselors during any untoward situations.

Like many parents, AJ Warner, whose kids went to a camp in Pennsylvania, said he was amazed by how his children changed and matured after their camp experience. Remember, camping isn’t only about fun activities and checking items off itineraries and lists. It’s there to help prepare children for life situations not covered or discussed in academic lessons or activities. The wisdom of other people like professional camping guides, instructors, and even grandparents brings invaluable experience to children, making them better prepared to become world citizens.

Featured photo courtesy of Camp Eden.