As shoestring travel becomes more popular in China, it is also facing criticism over its safety and for encouraging frugality. Photo: IC

 

Fang Zhaoling, a 23-year-old shoestring traveler, still remembers how thrilling it was walking along the highway, hoping to hitch a ride from Buerjin to Karamay in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region last year.

The cars, speeding at an average speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour, roared past her very quickly. Fang stepped forward cautiously, waving them down.

"Hundreds of cars passed by like a line in the wind, but none would stop. After two hours, I was desperate. On the highway in the middle of nowhere, I held out my thumb for a while, but retracted it again while walking, worried that my hand would be taken off by a flying car," said Fang, a graduate from Anhui Province.

This trip is just one of many frugal adventures Fang has taken over the past three years. Passionate about traveling on a tight budget, she has traveled over 100,000 kilometers, including two countries overseas and 27 provinces and autonomous regions across China, by skimping and saving.

Frugal travel has become an increasingly popular manner of tourism in China in recent years. Travelers do everything they possibly can to minimize their travel expenses by hitching free rides, eating cheap meals and living in hostels, and even accepting hard labor. But this method of seeing the world has also sparked heated debate.

Fang's frugal travel experience made news in May and raised doubts about its safety and whether it was worth travelers tightening their belts as much as Fang did. 

Shoestring travelers often hitch rides as a means to cut travel expenses. Photo: CFP

 

Risky business

One of Fang's most memorable shoestring trips was her first one - a month-long solo journey from Yunnan Province to the Tibet Autonomous Region when she was a sophomore in 2013.

She hitchhiked, lived in cheap youth hostels [20 yuan ($3.14) to 60 yuan a bed], couch surfed, shared dinner with other travelers and sat on a hard seat on a train for up to 60 hours. She even worked as a street vendor selling Buddhist beads.

One time when she took a free ride on a rainy day, the driver suddenly turned off the national highway to avoid a checkpoint.

"At the time, my heart was almost pounding out of my chest because I was afraid that he would assault me," said Fang. Luckily, the driver later returned to the highway. 

Except for the risk of meeting dangerous people, Fang sometimes also had to endure physical pain. With little money to rent a car, she once walked for a whole day with only a little food, despite her foot hurting while trekking across the Hoh Xil nature reserve when the snow was thick. 

Besides young people like Fang, an older couple also made headlines for their shoestring trips.

Over the past three years, 66-year-old Zhang Guangzhu and 63-year-old Wang Zhongjin, have earned themselves the title "backpackers over sixty years" by Net users.

They have independently traveled to a dozen of countries in Europe, North and South America, according to a June report in the Beijing Youth Daily.

In order to embark on their around-the-world journey, they sold their house. On their travels, they follow a strict budget. For example, they will take a pot with them to make instant noodles or vegetables.  

While traveling, Wang got sick with a fever and severe dehydration. Zhang had to take care of him and carried her husband's backpack.

Some Net users questioned if the couple took a heavy pot with them, how they could enjoy the scenery and taste the local food. Let alone when Wang got sick, he didn't receive good medical care.

Planning in advance

Ren Guangyu, a 33-year-old independent traveler from Beijing who has been to more than 10 countries, has a different traveling philosophy.

He told Metropolitan that every time he wants to explore a new place, he plans at least two months in advance, examining and determining his budget very carefully to make the most economical choices. In this way, he can save while still enjoying a leisurely, comfortable journey rather than enduring unnecessary hardships that can arise from shoestring traveling.

This July, Ren took an eight-day independent trip to Taiwan, which cost him around 7,000 yuan.

The purpose of his journey was to experience the local food and to relax, so he chose Taipei and Taichung as his destinations, which are famous for night markets and the Sun Moon Lake and Ali Mountain, for deep relaxation.

Because he planned in advance, he got an air ticket discounted by 70 percent and enjoyed an early bird benefit of a free afternoon tea at a five-star hotel beside the lake.

"I do not encourage shoestring travel, but encourage well-planned trips," said Ren.

"By having a good plan, travelers can achieve very cost-effective trips rather than going to extremes to cut expenses on their journey."    

"Just because you have the money to spend, does not mean you have to choose a luxury service," Red added. "The key is to plan your budget and spend money based on the purpose of the trip and the experience you hope to have."

While in Taipei, Ren lived in an economical chain hotel near the night market, which is clean and safe; while when he traveled to the Sun-Moon Lake, he just wanted his mind to go blank and stroll around the lake, so he chose a room with a view at a five-star hotel to give him peace and calm.

"I want a trip to be a relaxed and joyful experience, not a painful one," said Ren. "Except for expanding our horizon and seeing exotic cultures, most of the significance of traveling lies in that it will relax you and leave you with many happy memories."

Ren said if travelers tighten their belts too much, it would greatly affect the quality of their travel experience. "Safety is the most fundamental. Frugal travelers always face a higher risk of not being safe on the transportation they choose, their accommodation may be dodgy or they face risk from other travelers they meet along the way. How many frugal travelers have bought themselves travel insurance?"

Budget travel popularity

In Fang's eyes, even though shoestring travel is a controversial option, she still believes more and more young people will like it.

Since her experiences were published online, many Net users have inquired about her experiences of cutting costs. Some have even expressed the desire to join her.

Inspired by their feedback, she is now developing an app called "Her Trips," which aims to guide women on how to travel safely and independently. 

"I don't think shoestring travel means you should not spend a lot of money. You can take enough money with you but try to spend as little of it as possible. It is the opposite of a luxury or pampered tour," said Fang.

On douban.com, a Chinese social networking website, there are more than 10 groups each with over 5,000 members who regularly go on shoestring trips. They share travel tips on how to save money by recommending youth hostels. Some also put out a request for travel companions.   

"I think shoestring traveling will become more popular because the concept helps travelers get closer to the essence of tourism, which is to discover the differences between cultures and explore the unknown while not focusing on the material comfort of the journey," said Liu Simin, a research fellow at the Tourism Research Centre under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"This is especially suitable for young people, which is an exercise that could make them better at tackling future challenges," he said.

Liu said people should neither oppose shoestring travel nor take it to the extreme. "You should be clear that saving money is just a way [to travel], but not the purpose."

He advised that travelers should have relatively good knowledge and skills to avoid getting into an unsafe situation, because this kind of travel is a great test of one's survival instincts, life attitudes and flexibility.

Fang also advised frugal travelers, especially women, to have a strong sense of how to protect yourself.

"For example, I memorize the registration plate of every car I got into," she said.

Mao Lingye contributed to this story