Simple clothes, a tent, a quilt, a boiler, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar—these are the essentials that Nanjing youngster Hu Bing always packs when heading to Hong Kong. Early last year, he first tried the “zero accommodation cost” approach of camping on the beach after entering Hong Kong. From then on, he was hooked. He made two more trips to the island, each time opting for this elaborate “fully loaded” style. “Experiencing a different side of Hong Kong while spending the least amount of money—what could be more delightful?” Hu Bing compiled his experiences into an online post, which attracted countless netizens who admired and praised his adventure. Many said they would replicate his itinerary to experience the romance of “sleeping under the sea breeze of Hong Kong Island.”
Four Guys Go on a “Budget Trip” to Hong Kong
By chance, Hu Bing came across an online travelogue about someone camping in Hong Kong late last year. “Later I did a search and found that there are actually dozens of free campsites in Hong Kong. No wonder in Hong Kong dramas, you always see families driving off for weekend camping trips.” This discovery gave Hu Bing the idea to give it a try. “I’ve been to Hong Kong twice before on group tours, staying in hotels that were really expensive—basically just for sleeping. I always felt it was such a waste of money. If I could save that, couldn’t I use it for something better?”
Soon, Hu Bing teamed up with a few like-minded buddies and started preparing for their very first “budget trip.” “We’d never been ‘backpackers’ before, so all our outdoor gear—tents, stoves, etc.—was borrowed from friends.”
Hu Bing said that, in truth, none of them were short on cash, but since they were going on a “budget trip,” they decided to go all out. “We finally found the cheapest route—going from Nanjing to Nanchang, then transferring to Shenzhen. It took one more day, but the one-way fare was only around 100 yuan.” Hu Bing told reporters that this itinerary was purely for fun. On his next two trips, he opted for direct routes to Shenzhen.
After a lot of hassle, Hu Bing and his friends finally arrived in Hong Kong last April and headed straight for Big Wave Bay Beach on Lantau Island as planned. “We found the campsite without any trouble. Since it wasn’t the weekend, most of the dozens of campsites were empty, so we just picked one and started setting up.”
And just like that, on a strange beach in an unfamiliar city, the four guys had a temporary home. “Slept till we woke up naturally, played till our legs gave out.” Seven days flew by, and when they dragged their heavy bags back onto Nanjing soil, “it felt like a lifetime had passed, and we were utterly downhearted.” Fortunately, when they tallied up the cost of the trip, “it came to less than 800 yuan per person—fully meeting our expectations.” Hu Bing said this trial trip gave him the experience he needed for his next two trips to Hong Kong. “It was a great start.”
Spend Nothing If You Can Avoid It
In Hu Bing’s view, “saving money on travel is actually quite simple—just spend nothing if you can avoid it.” After solving the accommodation issue, the remaining “big expenses” were mostly food and transportation.
Even though he had just returned from Hong Kong, Hu Bing still got excited talking about the “clams” at Big Wave Bay Beach. Long before his first trip, he had heard you could dig up all kinds of shellfish on the campsite beach, which tasted incredibly delicious. “It sounded like they were just waiting for you to pick them up, but it actually takes some skill.” On the first night, the four guys spent hours with their little buckets and shovels, “and in the end, we only managed to dig up half a bucket—not nearly enough to satisfy us.” But as their skills improved, by the third day, each of them could come back with a full load after a quick trip, “including clams, small crabs, oysters, and more.”
Of course, eating seafood every day can get tiring. Near their campsite, there was a small grocery store run by villagers where they could buy eggs, rice, and flour. A bit farther away, by the bus stop, there was a supermarket with all kinds of meat, canned goods, fruits, and more—all very cheap. “Go out for a spin, come back with some food, then sit around in the evening having hot pot and beer, chatting nonsense, and then, with a tipsy head, crawl into the tent for a sound sleep. That’s pure bliss.”
Also worth mentioning is Hu Bing’s cooking gear. “Two old-fashioned stainless steel pots, and two portable gas burners like the ones you use for hot pot in restaurants. The gas can be bought at a small shop near the campsite—two canisters for just over 20 Hong Kong dollars, enough for seven days.”
Compared to food, which they mostly sourced themselves, transportation became the biggest expense for the guys during their “budget trip” to Hong Kong. “We had already figured out the routes pretty well, but if we wanted to go farther, we inevitably had to transfer, which cost about sixty or seventy Hong Kong dollars a day.” And clearly, even that was the result of careful budgeting. “A lot of the time, we just walked. I once walked around Hong Kong streets for eight hours. The others couldn’t take it and took the bus back to the campsite, but I kept playing until nightfall before heading back. My stamina is unbeatable,” Hu Bing said proudly.
For the guys, there weren’t any must-visit attractions in Hong Kong. “The only places we really wanted to go were a few venues like the Science Museum and the Museum. They charge admission on regular days, but everything is free every Wednesday, so we specially scheduled our museum visits for Wednesdays and knocked them all out in one day.”