AIBU to go on two week work trip to far east on my own.

[Misssssssfoxx]

I work in the uk for a company with premises internationally. Some foreign travel is expected as part of my job requirement (Fine.)
However I have found out that I am expected to undertake a two week posting to a country in the far east on my own. This will be the first time I have visited this location or continent.
For context travel will involve multiple locations on the county (some more provincial, some city), so internal flights also, and I willlhave to spend a weekend in a city there.
usually the type of work is do is done by a team and the company has budget to send two people. For context , country not member of Hague convention and had a poor human right record, country also does not have western internet interfaces- google , also no western payment methods available. etc.
I am concerned about travelling l on my own.
AIBU ? Responses appreciated so that I can navigate this appropriately. Thanks.

Dh goes to China, has been five times now different locations and is blown away by the people, the safety there (obviously there’s a reason for this but he says at night elderly people are out practicing yoga, young people playing basketball, people out dancing and celebrating), the scenery. Yes you can’t use a lot of apps there and internet is something you have to look into. Travel is AMAZING! High speed trains etc. Food amazing but also a lot westerners would feel sick talking about (he’s turned down rodents, insects, he ate pidgeon soup by mistake!) Beds hard (good for your back lol!) and he brings a pillow and toilet roll which may or may not be there. He says the west have it right on the government etc but are missing out on the experience

China will be totally fine - I'll echo pp and say DH goes there a lot for work, by himself. Don't go shouting about the end of the CPC at the border and you'll be fine.

Be adventurous with the food as well, 75% of it is amazing.

I know a lot of people who have gone to China to live and work and apart from the usual frustrations that can happen in a lot of places they've managed pretty happily. Like anywhere, just remember that it isn't the UK, that a lot of things will be very different but your colleagues will be able to advise of the cultural norms.
@anikarice I recently spent 2 years in Iraq, wish I'd been able to see so much more than I did.

How senior are you? Where I work, I would prefer to send two people on a trip like this if they were relatively junior but someone more senior would be fine going alone, per our risk assessment. But I work somewhere where we do far more risky travel and it’s not unusual to travel to China so it doesn’t flag as particularly high risk.

I've travelled solo (and female) in China; no issues with internal flights and was able to access what I needed on the internet using my company's private vpn. Withdrawing money and using credit/debit cards can be a challenge but usually possible at least in urban areas. While it's not impossible to survive without it, it's good to have a UnionPay-enabled card (some companies provide these for employees travelling to China). Linking your own or corporate card to Alipay or WeChatPay can also help, but can be unreliable. Also, it is a Hague Convention signatory country, although that's probably not directly relevant. There are a lot of foreigners in China and foreign travel is overall encouraged. While the human rights record is dismal it generally won't impact a European business traveller if you're prepared and follow the "rules".

I would first check the UK Gov travel information on China if you haven't already and sign up for updates, but also your company should offer you some prep and support and answer any questions before you go, whether that's by providing formal resources or setting you up with someone who's been there recently, or both. Definitely ask them about payment methods as what works changes over time and they probably have a preferred or suggested method based on recent travel experience.

Will the company send a driver to meet you at each airport and generally look after you? Make sure you have a vpn and a translation app on your phone.

My main problem with China would be the pollution in the biggest cities. Some get so bad, people are advised to stay indoors for weeks at a time, at least Western foreigners.

If only for a couple of weeks and with a good itinerary, what a brilliant experience.

If you are really scared of missing a flight, just check the times of the next ones and grab the address of a couple of hotels before you head to the airport, no big deal.

It wouldn't even occur to me to worry about travelling in China.

I thought you were going to say Turkemenistan or something!

oh wow really? i’m in the northern area of kurdistan in erbil. i’ve been here 13 years. Absolutely love living here. It’s nice to hear someone enjoyed also because people are always thinking it’s a hell hole lol

I’d be fine with this. I seriously don’t see the issue. Thousands of westerners live and work in China without incident. I thought you were going to say Saudi or Korea (I’d probably be fine with South Korea too).

Right, China. As many PP have said it is absolutely safe, maybe some issues with payment methods but a lot of people will speak English and even those who don’t are happy to try to help. But presumably as you are going on behalf of your company, they will help sort these issues (and vpn etc) out for you? Are you working in your own company offices or a clients? Presumably people there (and at your hotels) will be happy to help with organising transport etc? I’ve never worked in any country where that wouldn’t have been the case. And depending on where you are, a lot of hotels will have specific bus travel to and from the airport. I lived and worked in Nanjing for a couple years in my late twenties. It was an amazing experience and one of the safest places I was sent tbh (compared to the weeks spent in Beirut and SA for example). And my friend’s DC has just returned from a three month solo trip there (they’re 19). If you’re worried about falling ill, all I can say is, after becoming dramatically and suddenly ill on returning to Nanjing once I was whisked straight to the military hospital and triaged, diagnosed and treated all within a matter of hours. Sent home and given good follow up. In the UK I probably would have collapsed before I’d even got to see a Dr. You’ll be fine, enjoy it, it’s an amazing country.

Are you a nervous traveller generally? Or not travelled much? I know plenty of people (including my DH, DB and DBIL) who have taken work trips to China and apart from a few funny anecdotes, nothing remarkable has happened to them. Same with the many people I know who have visited as tourists.

Unless you’re operating for MI5 or are a journalist who has criticised the Chinese government on the record, you have nothing to worry about.

As a PP mentioned, make sure you have WeChat Pay and Alipay. Cash and international credit cards aren’t to be relied on.

China is quite a modern place actually, and it depends on what 'provincial' means. You can travel to a 'provincial' city that has a population of multiple millions. Yes, it's very different but in my experience travelling there for business it's also quite safe for a woman on her own. Would you have access to an interpreter? My concern would be that most people really don't speak English outside of major cities. If you have an interpreter on hand or Mandarin speaking local colleague, you'll be totally fine. I'd also favour highspeed trains over domestic flights.
And agree with PP saying people are generally quite happy to help

Agree with PP about air pollution - take a vogmask or similar. I am also v careful about drinking water when I travel there. I only drink bottled water from western brands. Take a decent medical kit with some antibiotics for traveler's diarrhea (get a private prescription) and dont discuss anything remotely political or negative about anything to do with the country. I found my credit cards worked, but I was in major cities. I would also get google translate and pre download the mandarin dictionary so it can work off line

Ah - okay. I have a colleague who was responsible for China within a division at work and he told me it was nothing like he'd imagined in the cities, i.e. much better, clean, modern with great transport links. They did have a thing about only eating at the hotel or McDonald's so they knew what they were getting though 🤨

That's a shame for them - they missed out on great food!

I don't disagree!

What a fantastic opportunity to travel somewhere a bit more difficult but with support and to learn more about a country that is going to shape the world of the next generation. I've a friend who works in China and has traveled all over the country, finding mostly a friendly attitude to westerners. In many areas they seem more technically advanced than the West. I suspect cultural differences rather than safety will be the main challenge. My impression is that plans can change more at the last minute with everyone being expected to fit in and tolerate more uncertainty. It seems a more paternalistic society though, with a sense of being looked after, so long as you aren't seen as causing problems. The rural areas sound very different from the cities & prepare for squat toilets even in cities. Apparently the Western toilets are sometimes just labeled 'disabled' 😅. This is all hearsay but over several years. Going there will probably give you a usefully different perspective on the West.

This is obviously China, go and enjoy it OP, don't take your personal phone with you. Ask for a clean phone to take, other than that .... go an enjoy your trip.

I've been several times. It's fab and you'll be absolutely fine 😘

It depends entirely whether you have any support while there or are you expected to sort it all out yourself? Arrange all flights, travel, hotel etc yourself without local support. Most businesses would set you up with someone local to make all the local arrangements for you (this is what happened for me). To do it yourself while also trying to do your actual job would be very stressful. The country itself is great but you won’t have time to enjoy it if your are stressing trying to work through the cultural barriers and make all the arrangements.

@anikarice only went to Erbil for a weekend but loved it. Unfortunately we didn't exactly get a great deal of freedom in Baghdad but loved the people I met and the food....
I'm in a city in North of England for now and lots of Kurds here.... they're very impressed when I say I've been there.

I am so envious. My company has "banned" most international travel - because we have Zoom etc.
I miss my international trips.
China is daunting, only ever been as a tourist (which I organised on my own - including DPRK, 2019), but fabulous. I am sure the people you are meeting will treat you very well and be excited to show off their culture.
Have a wonderful time.