Young professionals across China take advantage of cheap flights, visa policies to regularly travel overseas

In Stark’s world, Friday nights usually mean going to the airport to get an international flight out of the country and returning on Monday morning, ready to head straight to work.

The 20-something Shanghai-based tech professional, who prefers to keep his real name private, has proved that you do not need to take a gap year or quit your job to travel the world.

In recent years, he has spent nearly every weekend traveling to more than 60 countries, some of them multiple times. By using different time zones and tight layovers to his advantage, he recently turned a mid-June weekend into a 42-hour Hawaiian escape without taking a day off work.

After a hop from Shanghai to Tokyo and an overnight flight across the Pacific, Stark landed in Honolulu on what was still Friday morning local time. Thanks to Hawaii’s 18-hour time difference with Beijing, he was gifted a “second Friday”.

At sunrise on Saturday, he joined early-bird hikers ascending Diamond Head — one of Honolulu’s most iconic volcanic craters. “It’s a favorite among hikers,” he noted, “and a perfect spot to view the city skyline.”

That afternoon, Stark booked a small island loop tour. From the golden stretches of Waikiki Beach to the rugged southeastern coastline, the bus made several scenic stops — each lookout revealing dramatic beauty.

Later, he visited Pearl Harbor, where the history of World War II casts a long shadow.

Stark, who works overtime to finance his travels, had arrived just in time for ongoing celebrations to mark King Kamehameha Day, one of Hawaii’s most important holidays.

He joined crowds lining the sidewalks of Honolulu as flower-draped floats and grass-skirted dancers paraded past in celebration of the king who unified the islands. “It was like watching history and festivities dance together,” he said.

However, by 2 am on Monday, he was back in Shanghai in time to go to work.

Professionals like Li Xiaojin, who works at a biopharmaceutical company in Beijing, are also redefining weekend travel. He often jets off to another country after a week’s work — sometimes without taking a full day off.

“I might leave work just two hours early on Friday, fly to Japan or Thailand, and be back by Monday morning in time to go straight to the office,” said Li, who is in his 30s.

His travel frequency has soared in recent years, and he has got the hang of making the most of his weekends abroad. For him, international weekend trips are about escaping familiarity.

“Everything is different from home. The food, the people, the streets. It’s that novelty that makes it worthwhile,” he said.

“Last year, I was going abroad once every one or two months. Now, I might travel almost every month,” he said.

His weekend trips take full advantage of the time he has available.

“No layovers, no long flights,” he said. “Two to three hours is ideal — Thailand, Japan, and Vladivostok (in Russia). That’s the limit. Once I took a Friday night flight to Shenyang, stayed overnight, then flew to Nagoya (central Japan). On the way back, I had to transit through Shanghai. Never again.”

Despite the rapid pace of his weekend outbound trips, Li does not stress over planning.

“I don’t go to a destination with a checklist. I just walk around, eat, and relax. It’s about unwinding, not cramming in attractions,” he said.

His recent getaways included Sri Lanka over Qingming Festival and Uzbekistan during the Labor Day holiday. “I don’t really care where I go — wherever it is cheap, I’ll fly. If the price and time are right, I’ll go,” he said matter-of-factly.

A rising number of China’s young professionals have shown a desire to spend weekends traveling abroad, fueled by budget flights, visa-friendly policies, and a yearning for a new experience.

Zhao Nan, general manager of the industry development department at the popular aviation service app Umetrip, said weekend outbound travel has seen a clear upward trend in recent years.

“Since 2023, with the steady recovery of international flights and increased visa facilitation, demand for short-haul cross-border trips has surged,” Zhao said.

Popular departure cities are mainly first-tier and emerging first-tier cities, with travelers placing greater emphasis on travel time, making neighboring Asian countries the preferred choice, he explained.

Outbound passenger volume from Friday to Sunday typically exceeds weekday levels, with “Friday evening departure, Sunday night return” becoming the norm, according to Umetrip’s big data monitoring.

“As international flight routes continue to expand, weekend outbound travel is expected to become increasingly routine, particularly in economically developed regions with well-connected transport hubs,” Zhao said.

The growing appeal of weekend getaways abroad is evident in Stark’s large following on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, where he began sharing his outbound travel experiences a few years ago with his 50,000 fans.

His travel philosophy has been to let curiosity lead the way.

For instance, part of the reason for his recent trip to Hawaii was to coincide with the local festivals.

Stark’s obsession with travel began in college, when he started taking rides on the country’s slow-moving green trains.

“Back then, I didn’t really enjoy staying on campus during weekends,” he recalled. “Sometimes I’d hop on a cheap train just to get away.”

When he discovered low-cost red-eye flights, his range widened. His first international weekend trip was to the Philippines, with a round-trip ticket purchased for less than 400 yuan ($55.80).

He did not ask his parents for money, but juggled schoolwork with freelance programming gigs to fund his getaways.

After graduation, Stark maintained a routine of taking a weekend trip every two weeks, which later evolved into weekly travel.

He made use of discount airline packages like China Eastern Airlines’ unlimited flight pass, and developed a keen eye for the best budget flights.

“My rule is, if a weekend trip’s flight costs more than 4,000 yuan, I will pass,” he said.

After China reopened its borders following the COVID pandemic, Stark resumed his traveling with renewed energy. Since then, he extended his travel range, including visits to Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom within one month. Last year alone, he visited 43 countries.

Some skeptics describe his travel style as “superficial” or “rush-hour tourism”, but Stark shrugs off the criticism.

“I don’t think travel depth depends on time,” he explained.

“You can break a long trip into multiple visits. I’ve been to Paris three times — each trip focused on something different.”

He once traveled close to the Arctic Circle just to sit inside the world’s northernmost McDonald’s restaurant for 15 minutes. “For many, it’s about experiencing a symbolic location. I didn’t need more than that,” he said of the trip.

He contrasts that with his other experiences, like waiting three hours on a windy hilltop to capture a time-lapse photograph of the sunset at Santorini in Greece.

Li, the biopharma professional, planned to make a short trip to Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia, in July.

“I’ll just take one day off — it’s a three-day trip,” he said. “You only have so many weekends in a year. Why not make the most of them?”

“Staying at home over the weekend, time flies by. But if I’m traveling abroad, even just for two days, they will then feel full and long — it stretches the weekend. That’s why I love it,” he added.

Places like Southeast Asia and East Asia are ideal — short flights, easy visas, and low costs. Some round-trip tickets cost him less than 2,000 yuan. “You can’t beat that,” he said.

Zhang Guangyu, associate professor at the School of Tourism, History, and Culture of Southwest Minzu University, considers the rise of such “commando-style cross-border travel” a new form of consumption and a mirror of societal transition.

The rapid expansion of international flight networks and streamlined border procedures has made high-frequency travel possible, which is unlocking young consumers’ spending potential, Zhang said.

Explaining the popularity of such high-intensity travel, he said he believes it is not just a way of exploring the world but a form of social currency. Whether strolling foreign streets or venturing to the poles, these experiences are easily shared via short videos, reinforcing group identity and trend affiliation, Zhang said.

At the same time, under the pressure of fast-paced work and a culture of overachievement, young people can seize control of their limited free time through busy itineraries, treating travel as an emotional antidote and temporary escape from reality, he added.

With the arrival of the summer travel peak, many airline companies have increased or rolled out new outbound flights in response to this shift in travel behavior.

Air China plans to optimize capacity and increase the frequency of direct flights on popular routes such as one connecting Chengdu in southwestern Sichuan province with Singapore.

The airline will also launch tailored promotions, including outbound travel voucher packages and special offers for Thailand’s Songkran Festival, according to a representative from Air China.

Sichuan Airlines will offer additional promotional products for flights departing from Chengdu, such as flexible flight passes.

Weekend travelers can expect further incentives, including bonus mileage accumulation and flexible ticket changes and refund policies, aimed at making short-haul international travel more accessible and traveler-friendly, according to an official from Sichuan Airlines.

Far from being impulsive, Stark’s approach is meticulously calculated. He scans ticket prices, matches travel duration to affordability, and makes real-time adjustments based on seasonal trends. “I usually spend about 50 percent of my income on travel,” he said.

Despite his passion for travel, he insists that work always comes first.

“People assume I slack off, but I’ve never let travel affect my job performance. I plan around deadlines, work extra hours if needed, and skip trips when necessary,” he explained.

His work colleagues and managers not only support him, but were the ones who first suggested he start posting his stories online.

While maintaining a big fan base, Stark does not consider himself a full-time content creator. “Filming is secondary. I always prioritize the experience. For some trips, I don’t make them into videos — just written notes,” he said.

He occasionally receives sponsored travel offers, but most trips remain self-funded.

“I prefer it that way. The freedom matters,” he said.

To those hoping to follow in his footsteps, Stark offers simple advice: “You don’t need to travel like me. Just do what excites you. Some people love football, some love skateboarding — I happen to love changes of scenery and motion.”

He said he does not plan to slow down his hectic weekend travel unless the joy fades from it: “As long as I still find meaning in it, I’ll keep going.” 

Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn