Even for those of you well past needing permission notes from Mother, it's ALWAYS a good idea to let non-traveling family and/or friends know what your plans are, and [U]especially if travelling in the more rural areas of China and hiking, trekking, climbing, rafting, or camping. I'm by no means an alarmist, but in the past decade there have been a surprising number of missing Westerners--not all American--that simply vanished off the face of the earth while traveling in China and not seen since. Google "David Sneddon" or "Ada Gershovich." For some reason, rural SW China--Sichuan and Yunnan--seems to be the Bermuda Triangle.

And as these people were not the type nor in situations to want to purposely vanish or run away from there regular life, the only conclusion one can come to is that they either met with foul play, they got lost, or Mother Nature dealt them a bad hand. I tend to discount fanciful theories about being clapped into a Chinese prison, or abduction by aliens/North Koreans, etc. At least if one disappears after regular contacts with home, people will know where to start looking.

While registration with your home country Embassy sounds all warm and fuzzy, it doesn't really do squat in a practical sense for short-term travelers on the go. It's more useful if you live in a city, in case of civil disturbance or natural disaster, so you can get SMS or email "heads up". Certainly do it if it makes you feel better, but it's not a substitute for family and friends that have your back from afar.