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"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles" and "One can travel all over the world by himself". After traveling to Tibet during his freshman summer vacation, Xiao Xiong (pseudonym), a 20-year-old boy from Hubei, had the idea of ​​traveling around the world. During the winter vacation in early 2024, he completed his first trip - traveling in eight European countries, and even stayed in Finland for the Spring Festival.

On August 13, Xiao Xiong told Jiupai News that he was from Tianmen, Hubei, and studied in Wuhan. He had never been out of Hubei Province before he was 16. He believed that he needed to go out and see more while he was young. "Apart from classes, I feel that college is the time when I am freest. I don't have to think about work, marriage, having children, buying a house or a car. Time is truly mine."

Records of traveling in Europe. Leaning Tower of Pisa and Aurora. Photo/provided by the interviewee

Xiao Xiong said that he started preparing for his European trip in March last year. During the 2024 winter vacation, he traveled to eight countries, including France, Switzerland, Poland, Norway, Finland, Hungary, the Vatican and Italy, in more than a month. He relied on mobile phone translation to communicate during the trip. "I have never taken the CET-4 or CET-6. There are quite a lot of Chinese people abroad, and some stores have Chinese shopping guides."

"My parents only transferred money to me when I went to Lhasa before, and I usually don't ask them for travel money." Xiao Xiong said that he rarely seeks financial help from his parents. "At the beginning, I served dishes and sold balloons at a stall. Later, I also made some money by selling electronic products."

Records of traveling in Europe. Photo/provided by the interviewee

Xiao Xiong recalled that he could save a lot on food, accommodation and transportation during the trip. He would sometimes choose the train as his means of transportation, and if he took a plane, he would choose a date with cheaper prices. Local hotels were expensive, so he stayed in a youth hostel. Since the hotel included breakfast, he would try to eat more in the morning. "I took the fruit provided for breakfast and put it in my bag, and then I would eat it when I was hungry. It was very expensive to eat breakfast outside, more than 20 euros."

"I basically eat bread abroad, but I don't like it very much, so I eat instant noodles." He said that he would save money when he could, but he would not let himself down. He gritted his teeth and bought domestic brand milk tea in a foreign country. He played alone in Europe for more than a month. He did not go back for the Chinese New Year and stayed in Finland. He returned to China before school started to celebrate the Lantern Festival with his family.

Records of traveling in Europe. Photo/provided by the interviewee

The trip to Europe was a happy one. Xiao Xiong said that although his English did not improve, he met different people, experienced many new things, overcame many difficulties, and got to know the world. Unfortunately, his mobile phone was stolen at the Italian airport when he returned home. "It was touched in just a few seconds, which was very uncomfortable," he said.

Currently, Xiao Xiong works part-time as a live broadcast operator at a media company in Wuhan. He plans to work there until October and then go skiing in Xinjiang. He said, "I will spend the money I earn. In the future, I will not buy a house, but I may buy a car and travel around the world. The world is so big that I may not be able to travel all the way through it in my lifetime."

Jiupai News reporter Cai Xiaoxuan

Editor Liang Xia

[Source: Jiupai News]