Okay so I have finally found a forum where it seems everyone is very intelligent and that people reply with such great reliable information. Thanks to everyone on FlyerTalk.

Anyways, I had a couple of questions, if its okay to ask the flyertalk community. Im sure you have done this before or knew someone who did. I have found many forums and tried asking the same questions and really got nowhere.

Any information is greatly appreciated.


Pre-Details: As stated in a previous post I am going to Beijing, China in mid-June this year. I am going for 1 year minimum. I am going for Business for a company here in the United States.

1.) For someone going for a year, to the city of Beijing, are any immunization shots REQUIRED or RECOMMENDED?

2.) I understand that certain things are unavailable or hard to find in China. Such as deodorant. What items are essential to bring or maintain?

3.) On such an international flight as United 747-400 (Flight #??? not sure) is it advisable to carry:

My laptop carry on bag, with a bag full of food
1 Free Checked Bag (up to 50 pounds) with clothes and essentials
1 $100 bag (up to 50 pounds) with extra stuff like camera, electronics, things I should bring?

3a.) What is the optimal way to travel in such a scenario?

4.) Obviously I am in coach, and proud of it What is really the best seat? I have read from seatguru that the two seats in the very far rear on both sides are good, and that the ones with space are bad because of limited recline.

4a.) Should I upgrade to economy plus.

5.) If you have any information that would be helpful, please share it. I love hearing peoples ideas, and definitely take them into consideration.

I am a little worried about making it through the flight. I have had bad experiences where the entire plane used the bathroom like 2 times a piece when flying from PHX to FLL. or Screaming kids. (I know its hard for them but what to do - Do the bose noise cancelling really work that well? lol)

Thanks in advance everyone!

Jim

Jim, the only way most of us survive a transpac in economy on united is ambien. Much cheaper than the extra 3" in E+.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

Jim, how much is the one-way flight in Coach, plus the extra checked bag, costing your company? If you can find award seats in Business Class on a oneworld carrier, you might find it economical to purchase miles from AA (there is currently a sale on), and redeem for a Business Class award seat, if your company will reimburse for such an expenditure.

1) cdc.gov
also, read the travel advisories (with a grain of salt) on travel.state.gov
You'll also want to do a lot of legwork reading on your own - people won't spoonfeed enough information to make you well-prepared, it's up to you. Not saying you're being lazy or anything, just an fyi.

There is deodorant available. Just a little different than what we are used to. Nivea was a popular deodorant brand for men when I was there. I also saw axe and old spice.

Having lived in china too, I would recommend tetanus booster, mmr booster, and hep a and b. hep b is a three shot series. These are all precautionary though, in the big cities you shouldn't have a problem. Regarding the flight... I've flown united 889/888 a ton of times. What can I say, it's united and not the best product. Bring your own entertainment...there is no avod or seatback screens. Also bring food as I never find their food to be enough. Next time, try to fly OZ via ICN...

You can get anything, including deodorant off taobao, the Chinese ebay. Don't bring too much stuff, especially food. China has everything you need, and if you need help just ask the China forum here.

Yes, by all means, if biz is not an option. I don't know how tall or wide you are, but IME coach in UA 747-400 international flight........I'm traumatized by the memory.

The BOSE are really good.
Like someone said, take your own entertainment,see if you can round up a few extra cushions for a bit more padding in the cracks and corners in the seat and you're all good. (kinda)

Safe Travels !

1) 747 flights are survivable, and it's less than 12 hours. Check the thread in the United forum for "best" seats. E+ is not that much of an upgrade on the 747, although it does provide for some decent seats (e.g., row 45).
2) I would not check a bag full of electronics. I would either get your company to pay to ship that stuff, or put as much as you can in your carry-on (especially a camera etc.; you can always put chargers in checked luggage).
3) Bose headphones are really nice and do help

I won't get into the flight arrangements since you've already had advice on that, and it is what it is. You'll survive however you get there. I have abandoned TPACS on UA for the most part, and prefer Asiana via ICN as one poster mentioned above, especially in economy class. Focusing more on the destination and your first two questions:

1) Nothing is required. As for recommended: Assuming you had your childhood shots, you should make sure your tetanus booster is up to date. Hepatitis A is a must, and usually it takes two shots to do the full series, but even the first shot is going to give some protection. I would also advocate for Hepatitis B for long-stayers due to prevalence of a huge part of the Chinese population being carriers. A and B can be given as a combination shot. If in the USA contact your local health department, who is likely to be cheaper for these than a private doctor or travel clinic. If in a country with socialized health scheme, that would be your likely first stop. I wouldn't worry about anything else such as Rabies or Japanese encephalitis. Typhoid is one that's on the bubble--it's not common in Beijing or northern China and I let mine lapse years ago. But if traveling a lot to SE Asia, India, etc during the next couple of years, might be one to get.

2) I would pack into your checked luggage, enough clothes to get you started at least through the warmer months, especially if you are a larger size or not built like an Asian guy. Also shoes and socks (don't laugh, IMO Chinese socks suck). No need to go overboard though. There are plenty of crap markets that sell crap T-shirts and casual stuff so I wouldn't worry about that, but bring your business clothes and accessories. While you may hear people here talk about tailors and that's true, for a new job in a new place, you're likely not going to want to deal with this sort of stuff nor have time for tons of shopping, at least for the first three months.

Toiletries. Bring a 2-3 months' supply of your favorite stuff of the following items:
--Antiperspirant. Deodorant is available but brand choice is slim. Antiperspirant is not as available and very limited on choice, and expensive. Bring some.
--Sterile Saline. If you wear contact lens and use pure sterile saline for any reason, bring several bottles--in all my years here, this has never been available in the PRC. (Name brand disinfectant solutions and all-in-one solutions, yes are available).
--Specialty toothpaste if you use, such as Sensodyne. It is available but costs a fortune. Standard toothpaste and care stuff is available, as are Sonicare electrics.
--Sunscreen. Bring a bottle for the summer. Limited choice and expensive in Beijing, at least for reliably-formulated products.
--Insect Repellent, DEET-based. Ditto. Do not bring an aerosol can (goes for all other products as well). Get a pump spray, tape the top to avoid wiggling open in transit, and double-bag in plastic or a tupperware container for travel.
--Aftershave only if you have a strong favorite, until you find something locally-available that you like. If you bring, make it a small non-glass bottle.
--Specialty and medicated shampoos only if you use. Normal stuff available in China, and when you see what Beijing's hard water does to hair and skin, likely you'll need to experiment with new products anyway.
--Q-tips. Chinese cotton swabs suck. Big time. No country can ever have aspirations of taking over the planet if it can't produce decent swabs. But I digress....
--Basic medical kit with OTC products acetomenaphen (tylenol, panadol), aspirin and baby aspirin, stomach acid reducers such as Zantac, pepto bismol tablets, triple antibiotic cream, hydrocortisone or benadryl cream, good quality bandaids. These things are a pain to source locally. There might be local alternatives but it's really just easier to visit a familiar store in your current location and pick up a few things--they don't take up much room and when you need them in everyday China life, it's nice not to have to go on a fishing expedition in a Chinese pharmacy.
--A supply of any ongoing prescription medicines you take, get your doctor to write for 90-day supply if you need to stock up before leaving. After you arrive and get settled, you'll have to establish a personal supply/logistics chain to get refills from home to China, preferably a friend or colleague coming over. Do not have this kind of stuff mailed to China. All prescription meds need to stay with you in the carry-on luggage during the trip over. Some Western medicines are available in China, of which some are genuine and some are fake or questionably safe versions.
--Any professional books that are absolutely essential to your work. If not numerous, these might fit in your travel bags. If weighty or numerous, have the company pay for shipping them separately or possibly pay for another additional bag to accompany you. While additional bag fees seem expensive, in fact they are a good deal when you look at the cost/hassle of shipping packages to China and having to deal with inbound Customs Clearance.

Travel:
--No electronics (except chargers) in checked bags. No exceptions if you ever want to see them again. Your personal stuff like laptop, tablet, phones, Ipods, camera, etc. need to stay with you in your carry-on. If the company is requiring the transport of a lot of business stuff, have them ship it corporate by Intl FedEx and let them take responsibility for insuring, customs clearance, etc.

--Don't waste carry-on space carrying food. Put anything you feel you need in your checked bags but personally, I'd eliminate this category entirely. Also eliminate if you're from a 110v electric country like USA or Canada: household electrics like hair dryers, kitchen appliances etc. Best obtained locally.

A year is not a long time....try to do without as much as you can and find substitutes for the rest.

And...Welcome to FlyerTalk and the China Forum!

UA-747-400

Best seats economy

1.E+ bulkhead aisle
2.E+ exit row window
3. E+ exit row aisle
4. E+ aisle

Double edge sword...survivable with free beer and wine UA TPAC Y, but hangover will offset. Best to become comatose on prescription sedatives.

nice! where is your company going to let you stay? and is this your first time?

I think jiejie did a superb job outlining the essentials.

I would say it is essential to get Hep A and Hep B immunisations. For the latter, the standard course takes 6 months -- which you may not have. You can either opt for an 'accelerated schedule' (takes 2 months) -- offers very slightly less protection, but not massively so. Alternatively, start the course (first two shots, takes one month) and then take the last one in China -- will cost pennies, and will be safe, don't worry.

If you are staying in BJ or major cities, Japanese encephalitis not necessary. Rabies is present in BJ, but since one is in a major city one can access post-exposure care if necessary (our daughter has JEV, but we don't, and none of us have rabies). I would personally opt for typhoid (live) if possible -- protection is at least for 5 years and possibly longer, and typhoid is really nasty (although treatable), but agree it's not too common in BJ.

Although a year is not too long, I would definitely take two suitcases with me (and hand baggage). If you don't plan trips back to US before winter, packing some decent winter clothes is essential. You can buy a down jacket
here (pricey) if absolutely necessary though.

Once here, do join in with the random musings of the vibrant China board!

tb

Jiejie, as usual, is spot on with her advice.

As i am wide bodied, tall person:

Seats: I choose an aisle E+ seat for the extra knee space. I do NOT choose bulkhead or exit row seats because the food tray is in the arm rest which makes the arm rest fixed (can't raise the armrest) and narrower. It may be a small difference In seat width, but for me I feel pinched into the seat.

Food shopping: Unless you must have some Western food brands, stay away from the Western food stores as they charge very high prices. I can usually find something close to what I need at places like Carrefour (food, soap, appliances,etc) and Watsons (over the counter drugs, moisturizers, shampoo, etc ). I actually enjoy going to local supermarkets to check out what they have.

Having said that, I'd stay away from local "wet" markets where they have live birds for slaughter and sale. With the bird flu jumping to humans you want to avoid exposure.

Personal favorites: I'm a popcorn freak (having grown up in the Midwest US). I pop my own popcorn at least once a week in the US. So I actually take a supply of my favorite unpopped popcorn with me to China and put it in my condo freezer. I also took my own special popcorn popper with me. (Talk about obsessive). My point is that if you have something like that to obsess over, you might consider if you can find it in China and if not, take action.

China is a fascinating place. Explore, enjoy and have a great time!