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Go north, south, east and west,young man
The travelling tales of 34-year-old Zhu Zhaorui began in 1999. In March that year, his girlfriend dumped him after a three-year relationship.
Heartbroken, Zhu found it hard to stay in the country where so many memories existed at every turn. So he decided to travel abroad, hoping that would help him comfort his broken heart. It was to be his first ever overseas trip. Before then, "visa" was a word he had never heard. His destination was Southeast Asia - Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. For Chinese, the region is one of the most popular tourism destinations. He would never have thought this was merely a prologue. Within the following four years, he visited a total of 42 countries. In 2002, he travelled to 28 countries on four continents in 77 days with only US$3,000. Economy class Zhu was born into a military surgeon's family in Shenyang, the capital city of Northeast China's Liaoning Province. He did not graduate from a regular university. Instead, he received a three-year junior college education, while his girlfriend had a master's degree. Believing this to be the reason for the breakup, he was determined to make up the gap in his educational background. Soon after he returned from Thailand, Zhu gave up his enviable job at a multinational company and set off to Britain to study for a MBA. It was there that he gradually developed an interest in travelling. In the United Kingdom, one of his classmates from middle school, who was then studying in Ireland, invited him to visit Dublin. The air ticket from London to the Irish capital cost him 67 pounds (US$126). But to his surprise, his neighbour in the adjacent seat bought the ticket at an extremely low price only 1 pound (US$1.89)! Enlightened by this, he realized that as a poor student, he could also get such discounts in many such circumstances. Making maximum use of sales promotions became one of his most important guidelines during his travels. The idea of making an around-globe tour all started as a bet between Zhu and one of his British classmates at Anglia Polytechnic University in Cambridge. Before going, he made meticulous preparations to get preferential deals on air and hotel fares. After patient bargaining on the Internet, he finally got a 775-pound (US$1,462) round-the-world ticket for 682 pounds (US$1,287). The ticket allowed him to fly in one direction around the world with six stopovers, and he arranged the rest of his itinerary between each leg. He also exhausted all the discounts his student ID could offer. Zhu started from Shanghai, the largest commercial centre in China, on July 14, 2002. His destinations included France, Switzerland, Portugal, New Zealand and Mexico. Like Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's book, "Around the World in 80 Days," Zhu made his journey by air, land and sea. He spent only 11.5 pounds (US$21.7) on the flight from London to Athens. Another time, a two-night stay at a hotel in Sydney, Australia, cost him only about US$18. When he finished the tour 77 days later, only US$3,305.27 had been spent on transportation and lodging. But Zhu did not have to rough it and he did not work part-time to earn extra money. He did not sleep in train stations or in small and shabby hostels to save money. As a matter of fact, he spent most nights staying at 3-star or better hotels. "My intention was not to save money, so I would not sacrifice comfort. I was just trying to find a way of spending the least money to get an equal service," said Zhu. He calls himself an "Economic Traveller," which means hours spent researching and seeking the most economic way to travel. "The globe is indeed not that big that's why I made a circle around it," he said. Successful promotion Back home, Zhu is now eager to share his experiences with other Chinese. Last year, he published a book titled "Around the world on US$3,000," in which he recorded his tour in detail. "The market competition in China is still not mature enough, and spending only US$18 on international flights is almost impossible here. So many Chinese do not know that it is possible in other countries. I hope my book will give them some insight as well as information," said Zhu. The book has been thrilling readers, especially young people who are planning to travel abroad themselves. Within about six months, the book had sold more than 200,000 copies. Encouraged by the success, Zhu has written a sequel, which is published by Jieli Publishing House and scheduled to hit the shelves in early February. Titled "How I got 40 visas," the new book mainly focuses on his contact with embassies. "Many Chinese do not know how to deal with embassies. By reading my book, they will find that it is not as difficult as they expect," said Zhu. He is also planning to spread his ideas of "economic travel" nationwide. His company, which he established in Beijing last year, is now sponsoring a "budget travel" competition. Zhu said so far he has received more than 100,000 letters from readers after the publishing of his first book. Many people expressed their wish to make a "round the world" tour themselves. That gave him some inspiration for the competition. Winners will be funded to travel abroad. Besides money, Zhu said courage is also vital in making a successful trip. He also added that travelling abroad is not only a form of recreation, but also an opportunity to learn and gain a wider perspective of the world. Spending four years abroad, he did not change too much in appearance, but after walking so far from home, his inner world has been greatly enriched, he said.
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