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A maker from Ireland who travels with a camera.

I am Natali. I make things for a living and film the trips in between: Shanghai so far, Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi'an in December, Japan after that. The guides on this site are the parts I wish someone had written down for me before my first trip.

Read the China guidesSubscribe on YouTube
IrelandHome base, Co. Cork
1 cityFilmed and written up
3 citiesUnder the foil for December
DatedEvery guide says when it was checked
Nanjing Road in Shanghai at night
Pudong towers from the Huangpu riverPudong skyline from the Bund

The person

Making things by day, filming by night

I have a background in graphic design and I run a small studio in Ireland. Travel is the thing I do with the time in between, and the camera comes along because I want to remember the practical bits as much as the views: which exit, which pier, what it cost.

My husband and family turn up in the videos sometimes, and so does the work on the days I am not travelling. Nothing here is sponsored. If a rule or a price is on a page, I checked it on the date written next to it.

Scratch & RoamCard no. 001 · Shanghai
The Bund in Shanghai at nightShanghai, scratched off
Scratch to reveal. Roam to discover.

The idea

Why a scratch card?

A place stays hidden until you scratch it, and then it is all there. Every video opens that way: the name of the place under silver foil, a coin, and then the real thing. On the site a city gets scratched off once we have actually been, so the foil over Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi'an comes off in December.

It is also a reminder of how I like to travel: not knowing everything in advance, but having the practical parts sorted so the rest can be a surprise.

Cover of the China arrival card guide
Cover of the first time in China checklistCover of the Alipay arrival card guide

The method

How a guide gets made

  1. 1
    Film the real screens and the real streetsThe actual arrival card form, the actual metro exit. No stock footage.
  2. 2
    Check every rule against the official pageVisa lists, fees, opening hours. Official sources are marked on each guide.
  3. 3
    Write the steps so they work without soundEach step heading is the thing you would type into a search box.
  4. 4
    Date it, and recheck itWhen a rule changes, the guide gets updated, not left to go stale.

Follow along

Same trips, different lengths

Long videos on YouTube, short ones everywhere else, carousels on Instagram and Pinterest.

YouTubeFull guides and long videos@scratchandroam InstagramReels and facts carousels@scratchandroam TikTokThe short versions@scratchandroam PinterestCarousels and covers to save@scratchandroam FacebookEverything, a day later@scratchandroam

Say hello

Questions about a trip, or a place you want covered?

Email is best. I read everything, and the guides often start with a question someone sent.

scratchandroam@gmail.com

Handle everywhere: @scratchandroam