Start departure checks before the final evening's packing. About two days ahead, confirm the airport, flight, baggage and hotel checkout, and save outstanding refund details separately. Forty-eight hours is an editorial planning interval, not a universal check-in opening time or legal deadline.
Confirm the actual departure date and airport
Open the complete booking with the airline or original seller. Check local date, airport code, terminal, operating carrier and onward legs. A flight shortly after midnight may require leaving the hotel on the previous calendar day. Ask the transfer provider to repeat the date and location in writing instead of agreeing only to “tomorrow night”.
Confirm processing deadlines, checked-baggage conditions and documents for the onward destination with the airline. Work backwards using actual transport options. Flight departure time is not an airport-arrival target, and one carrier's rules do not necessarily settle every operating carrier on a codeshare journey.
Check baggage before buying more
Compare every bag's size, weight and carrying method with your ticket. Air China's 2026 carriage conditions provide a relevant starting point for its services; use your own airline's conditions otherwise.
Check the next destination's official rules for food, animal or plant products, medicines and other special items. Being sold in a Chinese shop does not establish permission to import something elsewhere. If planning a tax-refund or other procedure, investigate its official process and evidence in advance. Do not add it to an already tight airport schedule. No unverified eligibility or refund amount is promised here.
Separate the hotel bill from funds still held
Confirm whether the room has already been paid for, how breakfast or extras are charged and what happens to a deposit or pre-authorisation. Record actual spending, posted payments, funds awaiting release and refunds separately. Ask what receipt to retain and which channel remains available after departure. Timing depends on the bank and merchant's actual handling.
Resolve bill discrepancies item by item and retain the response. Do not post payment details in public groups or share verification codes with an unsolicited caller claiming to be support.
Keep the access needed to finish transactions
Save railway, hotel, travel-service and payment order numbers with official contact details. Alipay's official help centre includes transaction records, statements and account-management options. Do not immediately discard records still needed for a refund simply because the holiday has ended.
Before cancelling a mobile product or number, check whether it is still used for banking verification, account recovery or refund enquiries. Ask the operator about continuing charges and cancellation. Do not assume that every contact and verification method will continue to work after leaving China.
Copy a departure card
Record hotel departure date and time; local flight date and time; airport code and terminal; transfer contact; baggage check completed; hotel payments and holds; unresolved refund order numbers; and a contact method usable after departure. Add a final room sweep: documents, chargers, safe, drawers, bathroom and stored luggage.
Keep the final day's activities easy to stop. If transport changes, resolve the departure connection before adding sightseeing. Outstanding refunds can be tracked separately rather than attempting to settle every final posted amount while rushing for a flight.
Checked 2026-10-22. This is a departure-organising tool. Confirm carrier, customs, entry and transaction conditions for your own journey.
Editorial archive date: 2026-01-06. This guide was compiled later; use the source-check dates stated in the text.
