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Traveling Solo in China for 20 days - Episode 19: The finale!
Solo China Travel Finale: 20 Days, 13 Cities & Beijing Airport Stop
I've been learning Mandarin for 7 months and I'm finally flying to China for a huge tip. 13 cities in 20 days!
Last episode I froze in beautiful Yantai. Now I'm on my way back to Beijing to get stopped in the airport!
I've been learning Mandarin for 7 months and I'm finally flying to China for a huge tip. 13 cities in 20 days!
Last episode I froze in beautiful Yantai. Now I'm on my way back to Beijing to get stopped in the airport!
After months of Mandarin study, DrooBee's solo China odyssey reaches its thrilling finale. From the frozen beauty of Yantai to an unexpected airport stop in Beijing, this 20-day, 13-city adventure comes full circle. Will he make it through? The journey ends with a twist.
I've been learning Mandarin for 7 months and I'm finally flying to China for a huge tip. 13 cities in 20 days!
Last episode I froze in beautiful Yantai. Now I'm on my way back to Beijing to get stopped in the airport!
In this final episode of his 20-day solo China adventure, DrooBee begins his journey back to Beijing from Yantai, but not before embarking on a crucial snack-hunting mission for friends and family back home. He reflects on the challenges of learning a language through immersion alone, noting that dedicated study methods like the Refold approach have been more effective for him at his current level than simply being in the country. The traveler navigates a confusing bus system in Yantai where a standard Alipay QR code fails, requiring a backup scanning method. On the high-speed train, he meticulously documents his top snack discoveries, placing the legendary mushroom garlic bread crisps from 7-Eleven at the top of his tier list. After a chaotic transfer through Jinan, he arrives in Beijing with grand plans to visit Tiananmen Square only to discover his large luggage makes entry impossible, so he pivots to exploring Wangfujing Street and the upscale Taikoo Li shopping district. He shares an honest critique of Beijing, ranking it lowest among the cities he visited due to its sterile, security-heavy environment that stifles spontaneous exploration. The airport experience becomes the final boss of his trip, as he navigates a convoluted standby boarding system that forces him to wait in the chaotic pre-security area before sprinting through an intensive security check to board his flight with only two minutes to spare. In a reflective outro shot in a desert, he admits the trip transformed him, giving him the confidence to make major life changes and inspiring him to embrace adventure without waiting for the perfect moment.
One traveler's final hurrah in China wasn't about monuments, but about snacks. DrooBee's last day turns into a hilarious quest for the perfect Butterfinger knockoff, only to face a grueling Beijing airport gauntlet where getting a standby seat becomes more dangerous than any Great Wall hike. This is the chaotic, snack-fueled finale you didn't know you needed.
On his final day in China, DrooBee hunts for elusive snacks and survives a frantic Beijing airport ordeal to catch his standby flight home, reflecting on a life
Final Day Snack Hunt and Beijing Airport Standby Ordeal
5:57 In Yantai, bus passes require multiple steps in Alipay. If your QR code fails, scan a code inside the bus to pay per ride instead of buying a pass.
22:50 In major Chinese train stations, go to the second floor where restaurants and seating areas are far less crowded than the main waiting hall near the gates.
25:26 McDonald's in China offers a cheap, massive chicken patty sandwich for about $1.50 that rivals the hash brown in size and flavor — skip the fried chicken.
34:20 For navigating Beijing, the metro is often faster than taxis or ride-hailing apps like DiDi, especially during rush hour or from major train stations.
1:03:00 If you're planning a China trip, consider skipping Beijing for more walkable, explorable cities; the capital's heavy security limits spontaneous wandering.
1:12:00 Flying standby from Beijing requires getting a seat assignment before security; you cannot pass through security without a confirmed seat on the flight.
1:14:40 Chinese airport security is extremely thorough: every charger and cable must be removed from bags, and all passengers receive a full pat-down similar to post-9/11 random checks in the US.
5:57 In Yantai, bus passes require multiple steps in Alipay. If your QR code fails, scan a code inside the bus to pay per ride instead of buying a pass.
22:50 In major Chinese train stations, go to the second floor where restaurants and seating areas are far less crowded than the main waiting hall near the gates.
25:26 McDonald's in China offers a cheap, massive chicken patty sandwich for about $1.50 that rivals the hash brown in size and flavor — skip the fried chicken.
34:20 For navigating Beijing, the metro is often faster than taxis or ride-hailing apps like DiDi, especially during rush hour or from major train stations.
1:03:00 If you're planning a China trip, consider skipping Beijing for more walkable, explorable cities; the capital's heavy security limits spontaneous wandering.
1:12:00 Flying standby from Beijing requires getting a seat assignment before security; you cannot pass through security without a confirmed seat on the flight.
1:14:40 Chinese airport security is extremely thorough: every charger and cable must be removed from bags, and all passengers receive a full pat-down similar to post-9/11 random checks in the US.
0:00 Final morning in Yantai
2:10 Snack tier list reflections
5:57 Bus payment mishap story
12:22 Language learning insights
18:37 Transfer train to Beijing
33:10 Beijing arrival and new plans
39:19 Skipping Tiananmen Square
47:05 Snack store search continues
56:00 Exploring Taikoo Li shopping
1:09:00 Standby boarding nightmare
0:00 Final morning in Yantai
2:10 Snack tier list reflections
5:57 Bus payment mishap story
12:22 Language learning insights
18:37 Transfer train to Beijing
33:10 Beijing arrival and new plans
39:19 Skipping Tiananmen Square
47:05 Snack store search continues
56:00 Exploring Taikoo Li shopping
1:09:00 Standby boarding nightmare
What were the best snacks youtiao snacks like?
The jelly-style snacks are basically just sugar gelatin — they're not flavored like gummy bears and I'm not a huge fan.
What was the most surprising thing you found?
Probably the fact that you can't enter Tiananmen Square with large luggage and the insane standby boarding process at Beijing airport.
What were the sweet potato noodles like?
Not sweet potato noodles — the top snack was mushroom garlic bread crisps from 7-Eleven that looked like crunchy dried mushrooms and tasted unbelievably good.
What were the chicken feet snacks like?
Those are everywhere here but I'm not brave enough to try them because there's bone inside.
What were the Lays cashew eggs like?
Pretty good but at the end of the day they were just regular barbecue chip flavor — not a great barbecue flavor.
