Traveling to China for 1 year, can someone give me advice?

[mariafuschino]

I don't know if this has been asked before (I looked a bit and didn't find anything) but what is the best way to fly to china, ticket-wise. I wanted to get an open-ended ticket so I could travel at bit before my visa expired but the travel agency in my town said that those don't exist anymore. Then I thought I could get just a one-way ticket and then get another one once I figure out my own plans, but my parents are very against this and they think it is dangerous or something. But if I get a round-trip ticket, I can't be very flexible about the return or anything. I don't know what I should do. What do other people do when they go to China for just one year?

[Sigma]

I suggest to buy a round-trip ticket with an estimated return date. Usually you can freely change your date with a small fee ($100 with Emirates for example) plus differences between your ticket cost and the one desired. Obviously check your airlines company terms for this. Doing this you can apply for the longest tourist visa available (that could be 3-6 months, I'm not a Chinese Visa master ) and then you can renew it directly in China.

[Silent]

You don't mention anything about nationality/residence, while the rules and options may very much differ on those.

For most, at least officially, a return ticket is requiered. So with a one way ticket you run the risk of being refused entry though I suspect this risk is not that big in reality. When arriving overland this restriction probably does not apply. When it comes to price, often it's cheaper to buy a return ticket and to use only one leg then to buy a single. Though this has improved significantly with low cost carriers for longer distances this still may be the case and strongly depends on the route and airliner. As also suggested by Sigma your best bet is probably to buy a flexible ticket so you can change the returndate for a reasonable price. This is probably best if you intend to stay less then a year.

Typically returntickets are valid for a maximum of 1 year. So if you intend to stay longer you may be better of getting a cheap (inflexible) flight and to ditch (or cancel if possible) the return flight. Then you should arrange something else for your return.

[mariafuschino]

I am American and I am not a Chinese citizen, but I am getting an X visa (and they told me it would last from september until next july). I think I will buy a round trip ticket and just keep in mind that my return dates can be flexible. Thanks so much!

[abcdefg]

I think I will buy a round trip ticket and just keep in mind that my return dates can be flexible.

Good plan. That's what I do every year now. You will need to specify a return date, but it can be changed later. Might be free, might be for a fee; depends on airline and fare rules. Check prior to purchase.

One time, back when you could still get a visa without showing proof of exit plans, I came over on a one way ticket (US to China.) My one way ticket home ten months later (China to US) cost me as much as a round trip ticket would have. Doing it that way was not a financially sound decision.

A couple other times I used a consolidator ("bucket shop") to buy a steeply discounted business-class ticket that someone else had cashed in frequent flier club points to obtain on my behalf. It was a "gray zone" type thing to do in the first place and the bigger problem was that the return trip change fee was quite a lot. Seems I always wind up changing my itinerary before all is said and done.

Now I just buy direct from the airline and don't try any cute tricks. I currently most often use Korean Air, and they allow me one free change of return date.