Young people who like to have fun have developed 10 new ways to travel

Exploring how young people are redefining travel, this article introduces 10 emerging travel methods that solve the problem that traditional travel methods cannot meet personalized needs. It is recommended for travel enthusiasts and industry analysts to read.

The way young people travel has reached the next level.

When “get off the bus to take pictures and sleep on the bus” is eliminated by young people who pursue individuality and focus on self-pleasing experiences, they are no longer satisfied with fixed travel plans, but are keen on niche and unique tourist destinations, or even go on a “trip on a whim” without making any plans, enjoying the full joy and unexpected surprises in the travel.

Nowadays, enjoying the journey has become the purpose of young people's travel, rather than checking in at various travel destinations. Young people are leading the new trend of travel with their unique life concepts and travel needs.

1. Persuasive tourism: the adventure of opening a blind box

"I'm going to Wuhan soon!! A two-day tour for special forces!!! Listen to advice!!!!" A construction engineer who doesn't like to be ostentatious and works in Yichang, Hubei, immediately posted a travel help post after getting on the high-speed train, and then waited in the comment area to receive exclusive travel guides created by local "natives" and other tourists for him. Go first and then plan. This generation of young people has developed a new way of traveling - "traveling by listening to advice". To a certain extent, "traveling by listening to advice" reflects the serious disconnect between cultural tourism promotion and the ever-changing market demand.

The younger generation no longer pursues famous mountains and rivers or internet-famous attractions when traveling. Instead, they hope to get more real and specific localized travel advice beyond advertisements. However, the current cultural and tourism promotion of some attractions is either not rich enough or is full of "advertising" filters, which makes it difficult to meet young people's demand for real experiences.

So, they look for other people's real experiences and specific strategies in the "Tourism Listening Advice Post". At present, the topics related to "Tourism Listening Advice" on the Douyin platform have covered most of the popular tourist destinations in China, among which the topic "Weihai Tourism Guide Listening Advice Edition" has been played more than 91.571 million times. According to the "2023 Travel Trend Report" released by Xiaohongshu at the beginning of the year, the notes related to "Listening to Advice + Travel" have increased by 86,268% year-on-year in the past year, and each listening to advice note will receive an average of 43.9 replies from enthusiastic people.

The trap of "advisory travel" also exists. In the article "Set out first and plan later, "advisory travel" has changed free travel", Jingzhe Research Institute mentioned that some businesses have attracted customers to their stores by leaving comments on "advisory help posts", and it is difficult for users to directly judge whether the travel suggestions in the comments are mixed with advertisements. In the travel notes shared by a few users, there are also mentions of "recommendations stepping on thunder". "Advisory travel" is like opening an unknown blind box, which can open hidden strategies, treasure attractions, "avoid pitfalls" strategies, and may also open business promotions.

2. Reverse tourism: just don’t want to join in the fun

Young people who are unwilling to "join in the fun" have set off a trend of "reverse tourism". Compared with rushing to popular attractions to complete the "check-in trip" in the circle of friends, most young people choose to explore unpopular and niche travel destinations. Young people with upgraded consumption concepts focus on "exquisiteness" and experience, and pay more attention to cost-effectiveness while pursuing quality. Reverse tourism can help avoid peak traffic, abandon the crowded and rushing sightseeing, relax and comfortably feel and contact the world with the body, and enjoy a more relaxed and comfortable journey at a lower cost. Compared with popular cities, in some niche cities, you can stay in a five-star hotel for about 300 yuan, and catering consumption is more affordable. Moreover, many small cities with characteristics can be reached directly by high-speed rail or train.

Lower travel costs and developed transportation have made reverse travel a trend. During this year's May Day holiday, "reverse travel" became a new trend. According to the "2024 May Day Holiday Travel Summary" released by Ctrip, in terms of the year-on-year growth rate of tourism orders, the top ten county destinations increased by an average of 36%, becoming the "first echelon" of growth.

However, niche destinations also have limited tourist carrying capacity, which leads to "turnovers". For unpopular small cities, while maintaining the city's characteristics to continue to attract tourists, they also need to create a comfortable tourism experience and continuously improve tourism services in response to tourists' needs in order to bring sustainable benefits to the city. The so-called "reverse tourism" is essentially a trend that has emerged among young people in search of relaxation and healing. It reflects the changes in the new generation's tourism needs and the demand for higher quality tourism experience.

3. Destination weeding tour: conversion from online to offline

At the beginning of this year, Tianshui, Gansu, became very popular because of spicy hot pot, which led to a tourism boom in Gansu. Not long ago, the TV series "My Altay" became popular quickly, and the search popularity of Altay in Xinjiang increased by more than 5 times. In the week from May 13 to 19, Altay received 1.0502 million tourists and tourism revenue of 813 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 130.97%.

In today's world where social media is prevalent, tourist attractions can happen at any time. A unique exhibition, an unforgettable delicacy, a handicraft or a scene from a film or TV show, these attractive elements are quickly spread online through pictures and videos, and they have repeatedly impressed young people who are curious about the world. Therefore, "destination tourist attractions" have gradually become a new favorite of many young travel enthusiasts.

Young people will become interested in a destination after seeing a post shared by netizens on social media, and then go there for in-depth exploration and experience, completing the process from "seeking" to "pulling out". For example, the audience became interested in Huangquan Road in Shanghai because of "Flowers". Even a few weeks after the broadcast, Huanghe Road was still crowded with people on weekends, and the surrounding restaurants were packed with people. There were so many people that traffic lights were installed. The destination-seeking tour reflects the modern young people's redefinition of the meaning of travel.

It is no longer just about "where I have been", but focuses more on "what I have experienced, what I have learned, and who I have connected with", encouraging young people to explore the world with a more open mind and in-depth approach, so as to gain a richer and more diverse life experience.

4. Special Forces Tourism: Concentration is the Essence

How would you plan a trip in 5 days? The answer of the "post-90s" Chengdu guy Tan Duoduo is: challenge to climb all the five mountains in 5 days. Tan Duoduo climbed the mountains in the morning and took the bus at night, climbing one peak a day, and climbed all the five famous mountains, Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Mount Song, Mount Heng, and Mount Heng in 5 days. Since then, "special forces travel" has become a popular way for young people to travel.

The characteristic of special forces tourism is that it takes advantage of weekends or holidays, does not seek the leisure and comfort of the travel experience, and visits as many attractions as possible with the least time and money. The main focus is "been here" and "on the road", and the essence is concentrated. Their itinerary is sometimes even accurate to the minute, connecting popular attractions in popular cities with subways, shared bicycles or walking, and you can visit three cities in three days. The reserved item of special forces tourism is to taste the local delicacies. Changsha's stinky tofu, stupid radish and Cha Yan Yue Se, Wuhan's hot dry noodles, Fei Fei Xia Zhuang crayfish, Chengdu and Chongqing's hot pot, etc. are all local delicacies that "special forces tourists" are keen to check in.

Image source: Jingzhe Research Institute

Special forces tourism is strongly associated with college students, and is related to the fact that college students have little special travel funds but have good physical fitness. In order to pursue high cost-effectiveness in tourism, they choose a high-intensity, high-efficiency, and low-cost way of travel. This coincides with the group concept of "brave people enjoy the world first" on social networks. Special forces tourism is actually a way of travel for a specific group of people at a specific stage, and its popularity is closely related to retaliatory tourism. However, the love of exploring the world is a stronger internal driving force. College students are eager to gain experience to increase their experience, which is in line with the emotional characteristics of young people such as accepting new things, daring to challenge themselves, and being passionate. While relieving academic and life pressures through tourism, you can also make new friends and meet social needs.

5. City Exploration Tour: Be a Gai Liuzi

In the summer of 2023, City Walk became a hot word on the Internet. On the Xiaohongshu platform, the number of City Walk notes increased by 676% year-on-year in 2022. Overnight, the special forces travel that once raced against time was replaced by the slow-paced City Walk, and young people from all over the country took to the streets and became city gays.

Walking aimlessly in the city, getting rid of maps and road signs, focusing on "looking for surprises", this low-cost, time-saving and emotionally valuable way of traveling has become popular almost without any obstacles. By 2024, City Walk has surpassed the concept of a simple walk and has become an urban adventure activity that integrates culture, art, business and social interaction. Merchants have also incorporated the concept of City Walk into store design and product innovation, creating a series of eye-catching "check-in points", and local cultural and tourism bureaus have also actively responded and planned a series of official City Walk routes.

For example, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism has also worked with local communities, artists and historians to explore the city's historical and cultural heritage, organize various cultural activities, and select some representative spots from the "good places near home" selected by Shanghai citizens over the years, forming 12 City Walk routes with different themes, which are recommended to citizens and tourists for experience. Let people discover novelty in a familiar environment and rekindle their love and curiosity for the city. Following City Walk, the "cycling version" of city roaming - City Ride has also become a trend pursued by young people. More and more people are riding and strolling in the city. The 15-kilometer cycling path along the riverside on the east bank of the Huangpu River in Shanghai is "overcrowded" and sometimes even jammed.

The popularity of cycling has driven the growth of sales of related products. Data from Pinduoduo's 10 billion yuan subsidy for cycling products shows that the sales of road bikes suitable for short-distance cycling have increased by more than 180%. The focus of urban roaming cycling is not speed, but the ability to leisurely stroll around the city, explore and experience the details of the city that are not usually noticed at a low cost in the fast-paced life, and rediscover the beauty of the city. Participating in urban exploration tours gives young people another scene and opportunity to meet new friends, and they can socialize lightly in the stranger society of modern cities without losing their sense of boundaries.

6. Extreme Hiking: Outdoor Natural Gym

In 2023, the wind of outdoor activities will be stronger and stronger. According to Xiaohongshu data, the reading volume of topics related to "outdoor hiking" exceeded 2.5 billion times from January to October 2023. Hiking, as a relatively primitive and ancient activity, has flourished among young people and has become an emerging lifestyle and health trend. The charm of hiking lies in that it can almost meet the needs of decompression, exercise, viewing beautiful scenery and socializing at the same time.

By 2024, hiking is still popular. According to data from Meituan and Dianping, the number of searches related to "hiking" has increased by nearly 100% year-on-year this year, and the number of notes and guides has increased by more than 190%; the search volume of keywords such as "one-day hiking" and "mountain hiking" has increased by more than 400%. Some short-distance hikes focus on physical and mental relaxation and appreciation of natural beauty, which is a kind of "slow tourism", but some long-distance hikes are more challenging, stimulating and adventurous, and are often seen as a way of traveling to challenge oneself. With the explosion of hiking, more and more extreme outdoor routes and sports have entered the field of vision of young people.

In addition to classic routes such as the Everest Base Camp trek in the Himalayas, the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, and the Tiger Leaping Gorge High Road trek, some new high-altitude adventure trekking routes have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, such as the Siguniang Mountain Dafeng climb. Dafeng (Yaomei Peak) is one of the most popular beginner snow mountain climbing sites.

In the past year, young people who like to go hiking and swimming have become addicted to volcano hiking. At Mount Bromo in Indonesia, young people from China stood in a volcano group that was close to the "moon's surface", pretending to break out of the earth and walk to the moon, or pretending to walk on Mars, and then posted their "life photos" on social media, attracting more young people to watch. River tracing has also become popular. So far, the topic of "river tracing" has been viewed more than 250 million times on Xiaohongshu.

Perhaps the biggest misunderstanding about river tracing is that it is equivalent to playing in the water. In fact, river tracing is an outdoor sport that combines mountaineering, rock climbing, camping, swimming, rope operation, wilderness survival, positioning sports and other comprehensive techniques. Compared with hardcore professional full river tracing, the lighter and friendlier section river tracing is more popular. It is not picky about people, trendy, easy to socialize and easy to produce photos are the important reasons why river tracing has become popular. Between going up the mountain and down the water, you will feel more energetic and less tired.

Image source: Xinhong Data Platform

As a niche outdoor activity, via ferrata (also called "flying rails") is becoming a new choice for hiking enthusiasts. The characteristic of via ferrata is that it allows ordinary people to experience the excitement and fun of cliff exploration with the help of professional equipment. On the cliffs of Yandang Mountain, the via ferrata project has attracted tourists from Zhejiang and surrounding areas such as Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Fujian. During the holidays, there was even a spectacle of "people blocking" on the cliffs.

7. Travel in the suburbs: away from the hustle and bustle of the city

While some young people are rushing to crowded scenic spots, young people who do not want to be "trapped in the city crowds" during the holidays have set their sights on traveling in the suburbs of the city, embarking on a journey to escape from the city and the crowds.

According to Ctrip data, during the Dragon Boat Festival this year, local tours and local tours accounted for nearly 70% of holiday travel orders, with short-distance tours around the area, represented by the "2-hour high-speed rail circle", leading the trend. In order to experience in depth, they will also participate in local farming experiences, handicraft production, folk festivals and other activities. Some suburban towns and villages have developed characteristic homestays and ecological farms, providing a full range of services integrating accommodation, catering and experience.

Some young people are keen to live in a leisure and relaxation place specially set up for young people - youth nursing homes, slowing down their pace of life and relaxing their bodies and minds. When choosing destinations, young people tend to look for suburban areas that have not been overdeveloped and retain their original natural features and simple folk customs, such as hidden mountain trails, quiet lakes, ancient villages, etc.

These places are often only a short drive away. Some young people who want to lie down choose to "eat with nature". Feel the breeze, bathe in the sun, look up at the sky, embrace the grass and trees, eat on the spot in the unfamiliar wild environment, and pursue a wild state similar to that of "human ancestors". A lifestyle called Wildeat on social media has become popular.

On Xiaohongshu, there are over 10,000 notes related to Wildeat, and related topics have been played over 30 million times on Douyin.

Image source: Xinhong Data

The low threshold of investment and high cost-effectiveness of the platform, coupled with the support of the "20-minute park effect" theory, make simple meals, enjoy free relaxation, and travel in a wild and original way. It is not difficult to understand why Wildeat is so popular among young people. To some extent, it also meets the young people's pursuit of temporarily escaping from their workstations and replenishing "power".

8. Healing Wandering: A Buddhist Healing Journey with Metaphysical Colors

Anxiety from work, family responsibilities, money, economic situation and other aspects has pushed people to various healing methods to relieve anxiety. Among them, travel and retreat, which combines healing and travel, is becoming more and more popular and sought after. What is travel and retreat? Jingzhe Research Institute mentioned in "Can a 20,000 yuan travel and retreat make people calm?" that according to the definition of global health research institutions, travel and retreat (Wellness Tourism) refers to travel activities carried out in pursuit of improving personal health. In this concept, "Wellness" refers to actively pursuing activities, choices and lifestyles that are conducive to overall health, so it pays more attention to in-depth travel and pursues the combination of physical and mental health.

Searching for keywords such as "travel" or "healing travel" on the Xiaohongshu platform, you can see travel programs such as mindfulness travel, yoga travel, art therapy, meditation travel, etc. Although these healing methods are different in form, their core goal is to help people with high stress to relax their body and mind, grow personally, and repair themselves internally, so as to achieve a healthier and more quality life.

The price of travel retreats varies according to the location, duration, services, etc. There are public welfare meditation classes and spiritual courses offered by local temples for free or at very low fees; there are two-day weekend tours in the suburbs of cities with a price of 1,000 yuan suitable for young people in cities to relieve stress, including pick-up, accommodation, and various healing activities arranged on the itinerary; there are also overseas travel retreats with a price of 10,000 yuan for high-end consumer groups, which will provide more diversified and refined experiences.

For example, a three-day and two-night Bali Ubud jungle retreat launched by a certain island luxury retreat brand on the Xiaohongshu platform is priced at more than 9,800 yuan, including courses, accommodation, and airport transfers within the itinerary. Accommodation options include a five-star 270-degree jungle view or a four-star Balinese two-bedroom villa. Healing Wandering focuses on a slow-paced Buddhist life, giving consumers emotional support and comfort. Although it cannot cure the problem, it provides people with emotional value and plays a certain role in relieving stress.

9. Variety show social tours: creative group tours for young people

When traveling becomes a wonderful variety show, with friends of the same age, you can get photos comparable to those of celebrities, and you may even meet that person. A unique variety show-style social travel quietly unfolds. In this unique journey, young people are no longer just tourists, but become the protagonists of the story, embarking on a journey full of laughter and challenges with a group of friends of the same age. In the various challenges and interactive sessions set up, they can express themselves more naturally and experience the excitement and fun of participating in a variety show.

Variety show social travel is a form of youth travel group with various themes. There are immersive script-killing themed travel, foodie travel, MBTI travel, travel with interest activities such as skiing or Frisbee, and love travel. Variety show social travel will have photographers and directors, refer to some of the gameplay of variety shows, and integrate popular travel routes that young people like.

To a certain extent, variety show social travel is a group tour with high-quality content. In fact, young people do not dislike group tours, but they are troubled by the inability to find suitable group tours. Young people have great demands for finding travel partners, easily obtaining travel guides, and expanding their social circles. Therefore, what they need is a high-quality group tour that better meets their needs.

10. Deep travel: go to a windy place and lie down

At the beginning of last year, the movie "Go Where the Wind Is" brought Dali back into people's vision. According to the data from the Dali Prefecture Culture and Tourism Bureau, Dali received a total of 36.35 million tourists from home and abroad from January to April 2023, a year-on-year increase of 135%. Among them are not only tourists on short trips, but also sojourners who choose to experience Dali life in depth. Unlike other ways of traveling, sojourning usually requires a month or even longer of free time, emphasizing integration rather than a cursory tour.

Through communication and interaction with local residents, travelers can immerse themselves in the local lifestyle. Switching from fast-paced city life to leisurely small town life helps modern people relieve stress and find inner peace. This is also an important reason why travel has always been popular. However, in-depth travel requires a certain amount of financial support because it involves longer accommodation and living expenses.

In order to reduce financial pressure, some young people choose to join volunteer travel activities, and participate in volunteer work in the travel destination in the form of work-exchange, such as education support, environmental protection, community service, etc., which not only helps the local community, but also allows them to spend more time to travel in depth and enjoy the local scenery. However, volunteer travel activities are a more suitable way for "poor travel babies". For young people who already have a certain income, digital nomads may be a better choice. Digital nomads break the boundaries of traditional work models, allowing people to enjoy the fun of traveling and exploring the world while maintaining productivity. But digital nomads are also accompanied by challenges such as loneliness and unstable income.

Currently, long-term digital nomads need higher education and professional background, stronger earning ability and language skills, which is a high-threshold way of travel.

11. Summary

Young people pursue not only the beauty of the destination, but also a life attitude and experience. They are eager to escape from the daily routine, get rid of the work, discover themselves, relieve stress, and experience different cultures during their travels. This life attitude has reshaped the face of travel and promoted the continuous innovation of travel methods. This change has a profound impact on the development trend of the tourism industry. It has not only promoted the upgrading and iteration of services and products in the traditional travel industry to meet the needs of young consumers, but also spawned emerging formats such as experiential travel, youth nursing homes, and healing, bringing new growth points to the tourism industry.

Author: Chuxia; Source public account: Jingzhe Research Institute (ID: 1080045)