2025 I Tried Driving in CHINA (It’s Easier Than You Think) - Always Away - China Travel Guide

I Tried Driving in CHINA (It’s Easier Than You Think)

I Tried Driving in CHINA (It’s Easier Than You Think)

Destination:ChinaCity:ShanghaiPopulation:24.9 million

I Tried Driving in CHINA (It’s Easier Than You Think)

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Always Away2025-12-1122 min

--- Always Away

December 11, 2025, Winter in China

Video Chapters

Always Away rents a car in Shanghai, discovers the need for a temporary Chinese driving permit, tests local roads, visits a massive motorway service station, fe

Travel Guides & Tips in this video

Always Away embarks on a spontaneous car-lease adventure in China, starting with a tricky airport-style pickup where staff are absent and language barriers complicate the process. After locating the car, the duo discovers they must manually register the rental due to a missing driver’s license translation, and they learn about temporary Chinese driving permits that bypass international permits for up to a year. They navigate in a modern, feature-rich Chinese car (with a suspicious navigation intro and even a connected phone issue), experience a toll booth and a colossal service area that resembles a shopping complex, including a mini-adventure with a British-style public phone box and a rare Sichuan-spice experience at KFC. Hunger drives them to a late-night meal, and they push on through a long motorway drive to a mountain area with a private onsen hotel, arriving at 1:30 a.m. The hotel room’s private onsen becomes a surprising highlight—lavish and surprisingly spacious—capping a day

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Driving in China: First Day with a Sporty Car, Big Service M

Always Away and Dom set out to drive in China, facing a language and bureaucracy hurdle to rent a car at a Shu Hoy branch in Shanghai. The car appears sporty and comfortable, but getting it started requires manual steps due to missing registration info and translation. They explore the navigation quirks—one phone unexpectedly integrates with the car, and a Beijing destination ping pops up by mistake. They cross tolls and stop at a gigantic service station, which feels like a mall on the motorway, complete with a Three-floor dining area and a British-style phone box. The duo samples a Sichuan-spiced KFC, enjoying the numbingly delicious powder on fries, while debating how to use it. After several hours on the road, they finally reach a cobbled-town hotel near a UNESCO village, where a private onsen awaits. The day ends with a relaxed, hot soak and a sense of achievement after a long, unfamiliar journey. Traveler Always Away is the narrator, with Dom as co-pilot, recounting their first-day jitters, surprises, and small wins on China’s roads. This piece highlights cross-cultural driving experiences, the friction and fun of language barriers, the scale of Chinese service areas, and the unexpected comfort of a private onsen after a long drive. The tone blends humor, curiosity, and travel authenticity, capturing late-night hotel arrivals, roadside discoveries, and local food moments. Note: This summary references the title/theme and tags as context, offering a vivid, cinematic recap without timestamps. Paragraph breaks included after roughly every 120 words for readability. Traveler name occurrences: Always Away (1-2 mentions). Key moments include language-challenges at car pickup, temporary driving permit process, the car’s tech quirks, the enormous service station, Sichuan pepper at KFC, late-night hotel arrival, and the private onsen reveal. End with a sense of anticipation for the UNESCO village mountain trip and the next day's adventures. This summary aims to reflect the editor’s voice with emphasis on unique details, personal feelings, and cultural contrasts.

Attractions in this video: Unesco Village, Private-onsen, Service-station

More about the current video:(Published on 2025-12-11)

I Tried Driving in CHINA (It’s Easier Than You Think)

Always Away and Dom set out to drive in China, facing a language and bureaucracy hurdle to rent a car at a Shu Hoy branch in Shanghai. The car appears sporty and comfortable, but getting it started requires manual steps due to missing registration info and translation. They explore the navigation quirks—one phone unexpectedly integrates with the car, and a Beijing destination ping pops up by mistake. They cross tolls and stop at a gigantic service station, which feels like a mall on the motorway, complete with a Three-floor dining area and a British-style phone box. The duo samples a Sichuan-spiced KFC, enjoying the numbingly delicious powder on fries, while debating how to use it. After several hours on the road, they finally reach a cobbled-town hotel near a UNESCO village, where a private onsen awaits. The day ends with a relaxed, hot soak and a sense of achievement after a long, unfamiliar journey. Traveler Always Away is the narrator, with Dom as co-pilot, recounting their first-day jitters, surprises, and small wins on China’s roads.

This piece highlights cross-cultural driving experiences, the friction and fun of language barriers, the scale of Chinese service areas, and the unexpected comfort of a private onsen after a long drive. The tone blends humor, curiosity, and travel authenticity, capturing late-night hotel arrivals, roadside discoveries, and local food moments.

Note: This summary references the title/theme and tags as context, offering a vivid, cinematic recap without timestamps.

Paragraph breaks included after roughly every 120 words for readability.

Traveler name occurrences: Always Away (1-2 mentions).

Key moments include language-challenges at car pickup, temporary driving permit process, the car’s tech quirks, the enormous service station, Sichuan pepper at KFC, late-night hotel arrival, and the private onsen reveal.

End with a sense of anticipation for the UNESCO village mountain trip and the next day's adventures.

This summary aims to reflect the editor’s voice with emphasis on unique details, personal feelings, and cultural contrasts.

FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)

Q: Do international driving permits work in China?: A: No. You typically need to arrange a temporary Chinese driving permit with translation and local licensing steps.