Many inexperienced travelers are overly enchanted by beautiful photos, but in reality, these images only showcase the glamorous side of travel.
"In one's lifetime, there should be at least two impulses: one for a love affair that defies all reason, and one for a trip taken on a whim." This widely circulated Weibo post has touched the hearts of many young idealists. In their eyes, a journey is as beautiful as love, so many quit their jobs or take a leave of absence from school, packing just the essentials before hitting the road... What seems like a romantic and brave act actually hides numerous risks. Recently, Hu Binbin, a seasoned traveler aged 27, posted online detailing the various downsides of “impulsive” travel. She warned those who wish to use travel to “numb” themselves: "Travel is not a panacea; it’s just a dose of aspirin."
A seasoned traveler’s 6,000-word essay makes netizens reflect on the meaning of travel
"Travel is not a panacea, it’s just a dose of aspirin" is a lengthy post, spanning over 6,000 words. Despite its length, many netizens patiently read it from beginning to end. The article gained immense popularity on Renren and Douban. Within just five days, it attracted over 70,000 clicks and more than 10,000 shares on Renren alone.
The author of this lengthy post is a 27-year-old woman named Hu Binbin, who currently works at an internet company in Guangzhou. After graduation, she arranged for nearly a year of a “gap year” dedicated entirely to travel. "Starting in March 2010, I decided to travel the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, and later continued along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway out of Tibet. That journey took me seven or eight months. After interning for a few months, I went to Nepal, India, and Pakistan, and after starting work, I traveled to Xinjiang..." Over three years of intermittent travel, she gradually became a seasoned traveler and made many friends within the community.
When talking about the origin of this post, Hu Binbin seemed to have a lot to say. "Recently, I’ve seen many young people on Weibo discussing travel topics, often planning cross-country road trips, quitting their jobs, and spending all their savings, as if not traveling means wasting their youth." She told reporters that many novice travelers (inexperienced travelers) are overly enchanted by online images of food and scenery, harboring unrealistic fantasies about travel. She wanted to use this post to sound the alarm for these newcomers.
Poster recalls painful experiences to reveal the other side of beautiful travel
In Hu Binbin’s view, travel cannot solve any substantial problems; it’s just a form of procrastination. She cited her own example: right after graduating from college and unprepared for work, she used travel as an excuse to go out and have fun. But once the trip ended, she had to face the pressures of work, yet her mind couldn’t settle down. As a result, two months later, she couldn’t resist going on another trip... "If you’re heartbroken, feeling down, or unemployed, even if you go to Antarctica, you can’t get back what you’ve lost. You have to force yourself to face your problems instead of using travel to numb yourself."
Then Hu Binbin told reporters about a tragedy: "A fellow traveler who went to Tibet with me died in a car accident on the way back from Namtso to Lhasa. We accompanied his body to the funeral parlor for cremation. His parents were too old to come to Tibet and never got to see him one last time. It’s the most painful experience I don’t want to recall." Other friends on the trip were also injured to varying degrees. Since they hadn’t purchased insurance, they had no choice but to endure the losses. "Many travelers seriously lack self-protection awareness." "Travel is something that borrows against the future—in other words, what goes around comes around," Hu Binbin admitted. Each time she returns from a trip, it takes her at least a month to readjust to real life. Especially since she often spends all her savings during trips, she frequently faces financial strain afterward, making life quite difficult. "Once, on a whim, I took a three-week leave to go to Xinjiang, and when I came back, a whole month’s salary was deducted."
[Suggestions]
Don’t let travel become an excuse to escape
In daily conversations with travelers, reporters found that many people thoroughly enjoy the experiences during their trips, but after returning, they become so immersed in those memories that they struggle to readjust, which even severely affects their normal work and life. Xiao Wang, from Changchun, kept hearing about the pristine beauty of Tibet and had always wanted to see it for himself. Finally, last year, he went to Lhasa. After spending a month traveling, he returned home to look for a job, but it was incredibly difficult. "After coming back from Tibet, my heart stayed there. I couldn’t focus on work at all. I changed jobs three times and now I’m staying at home, planning to go back this year." Reporters learned that there are many travelers like Xiao Wang.
Regarding this, Hu Binbin said that there are too many posts encouraging people to "go out" without hesitation, but very few discuss how to "come back" after the trip. "There’s too much hype about travel online—it’s easy to lose yourself. Many people return even more worn out and confused than before, eventually continuing to wander aimlessly."
She believes that travel is a dose of aspirin and should help heal the common cold of the soul, making you love life even more. "To avoid this kind of confusion, you must prepare well before heading out. Think clearly about why you want to travel. If it’s just to escape reality, travel might help you dodge the first problem, but you’ll still have to face the next one on your own."