Some traveled to three cities by car, some learned to do carpentry while having fun, and some visited three European countries.
"Take 3 days off and 13 days off", some working people "spend a vacation" to create new experiences
Reading Tips
"Vacation travel" is intended to actively improve the quality of vacation time. Whether it is exploring history, learning crafts, or eating delicious food, it is using a longer period of time in exchange for a deeper experience.
This year's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays are adjacent, and many office workers have taken "3 days off and 13 days off" by taking time off, taking annual leave, etc. to go on a long trip. "Use the paid leave on September 24, use 3 days of annual leave from September 28 to 30, and the rest of the time are statutory holidays and weekends." Mr. Feng from Beijing took a 14-day holiday and planned to travel to three European countries.
Recently, reports released by online travel platforms show that some tourists maximize their vacation utilization by taking vacations. The latest booking data released by some platforms show that among users who traveled in National Day tours from October 1 to 7, more than 35% of users chose to depart before the holiday. Many users also chose to "jump the peak" before the holiday to avoid the first wave of Mid-Autumn Festival travel peaks.
"Spell out" 13-day holiday
Mr. Feng bluntly said that the cost of this trip is the first consideration. Air ticket prices are high on Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, and flights departing one day in advance are at least several hundred yuan cheaper than those on nearby dates. “The money saved is enough to eat several meals near the scenic spot.”
Mr. Feng’s destination is Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, three countries in the Balkan Peninsula. Serbia is the starting point of this trip. He plans to stay in Belgrade for 3 days and then go to Novi Sad to experience the history and culture of multi-ethnic integration.
"The flight schedule is also a restriction - the flight from Beijing to Belgrade only operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and September 24th happens to be a Thursday, which is a perfect fit." Mr. Feng said that the time requirement is the third driving force: traveling alone during the National Day holiday, only seven or eight days before and after, is really a bit tight for a cross-border trip. "After the holiday, the whole trip is much more relaxed."
Unlike Mr. Feng’s precise calculations, Yuan You’s counterfeiting plan came earlier. "When I turned over the calendar at the beginning of this year, I found that I could "bridge" it to form a 13-day holiday. At that time, I thought that I must make good use of this time to go on an in-depth tour."
Yuan You works in an Internet company, and the atmosphere for asking for leave is relatively relaxed. "Basically the entire team has asked for leave, but we can't lose contact during the holidays. We still have work to do, and we may have meetings in Jiuzhaigou." Yuan You said with a smile.
Ms. Wang, who works in Hangzhou, chose the combination of "1 day annual leave + 2 days personal leave". "I told the company that I would bring my computer with me so that if there are urgent tasks, I can deal with them in time." Her vacation arrangements are more casual: 2 days in Quanzhou, 2 days in Chaoshan, and 5 days in Qingdao, all by car. "The main thing is to eat delicious food, watch the sea, and go back to my alma mater to reminisce."
Different ways to open the holidays
Different “vacation” strategies point to the same logic: wanting to have a complete, uninterrupted travel experience.
The second stop of Mr. Feng’s trip was to travel south from Serbia and enter Montenegro, with the destination being the ancient city of Kotor. "Montenegro currently implements conditional visa exemption for China, and the policy window period is very precious." The last stop was Bosnia and Herzegovina, “I’m going to Sarajevo, which has special historical and educational significance.” Mr. Feng’s entire trip totaled 11 days, and the remaining time was used to rest and catch up on jet lag.
Mr. Feng described himself as a "special forces-style" travel, "preferring high-intensity check-in, but not completely sightseeing. Some scenic spots, such as the Novi Sad Riverside, will leave enough time to stroll around slowly and have a cup of coffee." He made a calculation: the round-trip air ticket is about 15,200 yuan, and accommodation in Belgrade is about 500 yuan for three days, Montenegro is slightly more expensive at more than 800 yuan, and Bosnia and Herzegovina is 500-600 yuan. Local public transportation is free, and the overall budget is controlled at around 20,000 yuan.
Yuan You's 13-day vacation was divided into two parts: first, he spent three days in Jiuzhaigou, and the remaining time was spent learning carpentry in Chengdu. "Because the time is very long, you will feel tired just resting or playing, so I chose a hybrid mode."
For Yuan You, this idea was not just a whim. "I have always planned to stop working one day and find a small town to learn a craft for a month, so that I can have a time to focus on myself and have no pressure." This time she booked a seven-day course. "It cost more than 2,000 yuan, including double sleeping, no meals, and finally making a wooden chair under the guidance of a teacher."
"Learning carpentry while having fun, the whole holiday is rich in content and the pace is relaxed." Yuan You is very satisfied with his arrangement.
Ms. Wang's choice is full of fireworks. She plans to go to Quanzhou to visit her alma mater first, then go to Chaoshan to eat delicious food, and finally go to Qingdao to see the sea - three cities, one self-driving route, no tight check-in list, and no "tasks" that must be completed.
"Fake holiday travel" actually improves the quality of time
Different vacation styles share the same characteristic: the pursuit of "density of experience" rather than "number of attractions." Whether you are exploring history, learning crafts, or eating delicious food, you are spending a longer period of time in exchange for a deeper experience.
Bu Xiting, an associate researcher at the School of Cultural Industry Management of Communication University of China, believes that behind this phenomenon is a fundamental change in the logic of tourism consumption. The traditional "special forces tourism" is a highly efficient compensation under the scarcity of time, aiming to pursue the number of attractions; City Walk uses fragmented time to carry out urban micro-experiences. "Fake holiday travel" is an initiative to improve the quality of vacation time and shift tourism consumption from "time efficiency-oriented" to "experience density-oriented".
According to the "2026 Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Travel Trend Forecast" released by the online travel platform, the outbound travel market also presents demand characteristics that emphasize depth and experience. Pure tour groups with itineraries of more than 10 days in Türkiye, the United States, New Zealand, etc. have become the first choice for long-term outbound travel users. Among them, outbound long-term group tour products departing from September 24 to 26 and covering the National Day holiday are particularly popular, with some popular routes sold out more than a month in advance.
Faced with such a new holiday model, Bu Xiting pointed out that domestic cultural tourism products are still mostly designed according to the traditional seven-day Golden Week. “Most of them are check-in itineraries that connect scenic spots and stay for a short period of time, lacking in-depth experience content. The spontaneous holiday-making behavior provides new market feedback for the combined model of statutory holidays and paid leave.”
Bu Xiting suggested that the supply side should focus on creating hierarchical and in-depth products, extending from simple sightseeing to cultural immersion and natural exploration; promote cross-regional linkage and establish a "one ticket for multiple views" and dedicated line transportation series models. In addition, we will build a full-time product matrix and design products covering 7 days, 10 days, 20 days and other different durations to get rid of single dependence on Golden Week.
