China News Service, Beijing, February 23 (Zhang Yuhui) What is it like to buy travel tickets for the whole year at the beginning of the year?
Recently, the sky-high prices for return air tickets to internet-famous cities such as Sanya and Harbin have attracted attention.
In order to avoid high-priced air tickets and reduce travel costs to the greatest extent, some travel enthusiasts who like to plan have already arranged travel itineraries for the holidays throughout the year, and even "sit down" and bought air tickets for all the itineraries, just waiting to set off.
Shanshan’s travel arrangements for 2024, she has purchased air tickets for all trips.
Photo provided by interviewee
Ten tickets, a whole year to look forward to
During the Spring Festival holiday, Shanshan broke away from her fast-paced work and embarked on a five-day trip to Busan, South Korea.
After the trip, she began to look forward to the next trip she had planned.
During this trip, she and her husband checked in 15 places, all on the planned track. This orderly way of traveling has become her habit.
For Shanshan, five trips and 10 air tickets from the Spring Festival to the National Day holiday are what she looks forward to all year long.
Starting in the second half of 2023, Shanshan and her husband took about half a year to complete a 2024 travel plan, from determining the travel destination to applying for a visa, purchasing air tickets, booking hotel accommodation, and then arranging the specific itinerary during the trip. plan.
They carefully calculated the five-day annual leave and added it to the statutory holidays, paid close attention to air tickets and exchange rate trends, and bought them at the best price at the right time. In May last year, they redeemed two mileage tickets for April this year.
Shanshan understood the rules for refunds and changes in advance. The biggest cost was that she could only get a tax refund and the air tickets would be wasted.
"If something really happens and I can't go, then I have to accept it." But in order to buy a great-value ticket, she decided to start early.
In addition to the already scheduled itinerary, she also wants to arrange a trip during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday in June and is waiting for air ticket prices to drop.
"I have arranged all holidays and annual leave for 2024. For me, making these plans does not consume much energy, but I enjoy it. It can be said that this is a way to take a break from the current busy life. Pull out the ground." Shanshan said.
Yunnan travel plan made by Zhou Mei.
Photo provided by interviewee
How detailed can person J's travel plan be?
The Internet buzzword "J people" comes from the MBTI personality test, which represents a judgmental personality. This type of group tends to establish goals and complete them on time, and their satisfaction comes from completing the plan.
Zhou Mei, who likes to make travel plans, is a member of the J group.
As a graduate student, one of her biggest hobbies is off-peak travel.
"Planning is the source of people's sense of security." For Zhou Mei, the travel experience largely depends on whether she has done her homework in advance.
First list the attractions you want to visit, then arrange the attractions for each day, and finally plan in detail transportation, ticket purchase, diet, precautions, etc. This process requires both information collection and route planning abilities, as well as It is necessary to consider the local characteristics and prices, personal preferences and the feelings of fellow travelers.
Before traveling to Yunnan this winter, Zhou Mei made her plan into an excel sheet, detailing each city, each attraction, and each type of food... After the trip, she also reviewed the specific implementation of the Yunnan trip. The summary of the review was shared with her “e-friends” on social platforms.
Next, she will continue to write her own travel plans for a cherry blossom trip to Wuhan in late March and a graduation trip to Europe during the summer.
"Making travel plans gives me a sense of expectation. I think it is a very good state of life to always keep looking forward to the next trip." Zhou Mei said.
Photos taken by Zhou Mei at Erhai Lake in Yunnan.
Photo provided by interviewee
Planning, an attitude towards life
Every holiday, many netizens share their experiences of falling out with their travel partners on social platforms. The reasons include the differences in concepts between people who like to travel as planned and those who like to travel as they please.
In Shanshan's view, good planning is the prerequisite to ensure a smooth trip.
Although she and her husband have different ideas, a good travel partner is to understand and cooperate with each other. She who prefers planning will take over matters that require careful planning, such as sorting and editing visa materials, connecting itinerary arrangements, etc., while her husband is responsible for other matters. .
As a typical J person, Zhou Mei likes to make plans. She is used to writing down things to do and recording her mood in her schedule every day. On the one hand, time planning brings her a sense of security, and on the other hand, it is convenient for her. Looking back on life later.
When it comes to travel planning, Zhou Mei has her own set of practical experiences.
Although she will plan as detailed as possible, she will not be too precise at the beginning because there will be emergencies during the trip, so she must leave room for it. For example, considering that she will suffer from altitude sickness in Shangri-La, she will make plans when making plans. The pace slows down.
"I can accept the difference between planning and practice, and I don't feel anxious if I don't strictly follow the plan during the trip. I quite like the feeling of being able to move with ease in order."
"Being prepared and being flexible at the same time is an attitude that applies to everything in my life," Zhou Mei said.
(The names of the interviewees in this article are pseudonyms) (End)