When you buy milk powder for your child, you choose the good, expensive kind;
When you select a school for your child, you try every means possible, sparing no expense to find a prestigious school;
When you buy jewelry or clothes for your loved one, you try to choose large department stores and go for the best;
When choosing materials for home renovation, no matter the price, you opt for eco-friendly options;
When you go to the hospital for medicine or treatment, you try to buy the more expensive options, and seek out the best doctors, even if it means giving a red envelope;
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For all material needs, you demand the best within what you can afford.
So why is it that when you’re planning a vacation with your family to enjoy happy times, you repeatedly choose the cheapest options???
Why are you strict about material needs but neglect your own spiritual enjoyment?
Why do you deceive yourself into believing there’s a two-star price with three-star quality in travel?
All the mental rewards you get from a trip are always proportional to how much you spend. When you choose the low-price option, you’ll only get one result: physical and mental exhaustion, and endless regret. Hence this saying:"Not traveling here in your lifetime is a regret, but traveling here is a regret for life!"
Why the regret? Because the low price you chose can only provide the worst standards for your transportation, accommodation, meals, tours, and other services. You won’t even be in the mood to enjoy the beautiful scenery—you’re just paying to suffer.
So when you plan to travel, don’t walk into a travel agency and immediately ask the receptionist: How much is it to go there? Can you make it cheaper? You should, just like choosing material goods, say: I want to stay in a good hotel, I want to ride in a good vehicle, I want excellent guide service.......
When the itinerary is the same and the market price is the same, don’t blindly push to lower someone else’s price. Why can some people do it while others can’t? It’s because it’s something intangible—something you haven’t experienced—so you always feel like you’re getting a bargain. Others stay in good hotels, but you’re put in another one, and you immediately call back: Why is the market price the same, the package price the same, why can others stay in good hotels while you’ve been given worse ones? This is exactly why you keep pressing travel agencies to lower the price... They tell you it can’t be done, and yet you go from one agency to another, comparing, then using the previous agency’s price to pressure the next one. Sometimes you even lie and say some other agency can do it. Yes, others can, and so can the next—but you get what you pay for, as the saying goes. But have you considered the consequences? The travel agency will find a way. Once they meet your price demands, you always feel like you’ve gotten a huge bargain. The market price is 1200 yuan, and you got it down to 1000 yuan—you’re feeling pretty pleased with yourself. But during the trip, you’re on the phone non-stop asking why. Why didn’t you think of this beforehand? You pushed for the lowest price possible in all of Xiangyang—no one could meet it because the costs weren’t covered. But out of courtesy, and because you were so insistent, the travel agency had to find a way to bring the price down.
Also, when you ask about a certain travel route, you say, “Why is it so cheap? Is there shopping involved? Will the guide recommend paid activities?” Don’t ask too many questions. These concerns are pointless. No one’s stopping you from choosing premium products. Why do free tours to Hong Kong and Macau still attract participants? Or Kunming-Dali-Lijiang six-day tours for a few hundred yuan... Standard itineraries all involve shopping or paid activities. There’s no such thing as a zero-cost trip. Maybe a certain travel agency promises you the world, but you also need to use your brain. Is the flight ticket cost covered? Are the daily expenses covered? If you insist on low prices, don’t complain after booking—it’s the bitter fruit you’ve chosen. Don’t call over and over saying the food is bad, the accommodation is bad. Don’t say you don’t understand travel—the prices in today’s travel market are all calculated based on the lowest standards.
Only by pushing for lower prices can you achieve your goal of traveling. Always remember: low prices cannot deliver high quality!!!
If you want to eat well, stay well, and travel in comfort, when signing up, don’t look at the travel agency’s price list. Walk right up to the front desk and tell the receptionist: I want to eat well, stay well, have a pure-play tour, no shopping, no guide-recommended paid activities, high quality....... Don’t expect to spend one cent and enjoy the benefits worth two.
Why do Chinese people always think they can spend one dime and get one dollar’s worth? Why do you boldly demand first-class service after spending just a penny? And those who don’t want to spend a single cent—might as well not travel. Travel is a high-level spiritual need. If you’re going to nitpick, just stay home, watch TV, and sleep.
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I’m a native of Qinghai, traveled across China, and fell in love with the West. If you also love to travel, then add me on QQ/WeChat: 177865856 (long press to copy)
I’m an outdoor leader exploring Northwest China
A deep-travel enthusiast focused on the deserts, grasslands, lakes, and Gobi of the Northwest
Want to learn more about traveling in the Northwest? Add me.