A young couple from Hangzhou quitted their job for self-driving travel twice in three years. Each time they went out traveling, it would them over half a year. The total spending on the two travels amounted to RMB 500,000 yuan, with a travel distance of about 86,000 km.

Xiao Long (assumed name) is a Hangzhou native. His girlfriend Xiao Xi (assumed name) is from Dongyang City. Both at the age of 26, the couple worked in two internet companies in Hangzhou, earning a starting salary of only 6,000-7,000 yuan per month. In July 2016, after they worked for a year, they both quitted their job and embarked on their first self-driving travel around China. Their salaries and part-time income amounted to 150,000 yuan. They agreed to return after their savings were wiped out.

On the New Year of 2017, they finished their first self-driving travel, with a distance of more than 30,000 km. In May 2018, after they worked on the new posts for less than one year and a half, they quitted again. This time they planned to travel to the places which they hadn’t visited during their first travel and their budget increased to 200,000 yuan. They afforded all spending all by themselves.

After eight months, they came back to Hangzhou on the New Year’s Day of 2019. The two trips had covered a distance of over 86,000 km. They have traveled to more than 90% of prefecture-level cities of China, as north as the Arctic Village of Mohe, as south as Sansha, as west as Khunjerab Port and they also had a trip in Southeastern Asia. In the past three years, almost 1/3 of their time was spent on traveling.

Though their housing purchase and work have been affected by the long-time travel, they did not regret. They said, after the two trips, their horizon and mind had been opened, and they became more peaceful with things and more modest and devout. 

Xiao Long stressed that he and his girl friend had not done anything beyond their economic capacity. First, their income includes salary and part-time job income. Second, they strictly controlled their daily spending with a bookkeeping software to ensure that their budget was under control. In addition, they also made a full use of credits on travel platforms and hotel test sleepers, which had saved them a lot of money. They will buy a house and get married first and then quit their job to start a self-driving travel in Europe. Perhaps this wish will be realized in three to four years.

(Executive Editor: Yongliu He)