Why do Chinese people say that traveling abroad is much cheaper than traveling within the country?

Friends who often travel often say that overseas travel is much cheaper than domestic travel, and they have a lot of fun. Everyone will complain that China’s domestic tourist attractions are really crappy. So what’s the reason? What caused it? Let me give you a detailed analysis below.

I often go abroad. In fact, the absolute value of consumption in some countries is not cheaper than that in China. I understand that Chinese people feel that this kind of consumption is more "value".

To give a simple example, a bottle of mineral water costs 2 yuan in a supermarket in a certain city in China, but when it arrives at a scenic spot, it costs 6 yuan or even 10 yuan.

In Japan or Europe, this bottle of mineral water sells for 8 yuan in ordinary supermarkets. It costs 8-10 yuan in scenic spots. It is even the same price on some mountain tops with difficult transportation.

In this situation, there is an obvious feeling of "being ripped off" when traveling domestically, but when traveling abroad, I feel very comfortable spending money, although the money spent is about the same.

In Europe, the United States, Japan and South Korea, in fact, consumption in various major aspects such as transportation, accommodation, and meals is generally higher than in China, especially much higher than in third- and fourth-tier cities.

However, the country is far ahead in terms of tickets, and the land enclosure movement has been in full swing. Regardless of the ticket price of some copycat attractions, prices start at 100, 200, and 300 are not uncommon. If you don’t pay, you can’t even see the hair of any attraction. The messy charges are even more troublesome, and there is no sense of happiness at all when traveling.

Taking Japan as an example, the highest ticket price I have visited many times is RMB 100 for an ancient temple that is a world cultural heritage, and many others are free.

The tourism industry in Europe and the United States is more mature and has long since moved away from the era of directly obtaining profits from tickets, which will give consumers a much better feeling.

Allowing travelers to actively and voluntarily consume during their travels is the highest level of acquiring customers. If you feel "being ripped off" wherever you go, then who will go there a second time.

It’s not absolutely cheap, but it’s cost-effective. After traveling to some places in China, I really didn’t dare to go there again, and I really felt a shadow in my heart.

The main reason is that domestic air tickets are not cheap and are not very competitive with foreign countries in this regard. The most important thing is that domestic tourist attractions have a magical power. Scenic spots are usually crowded as if they are looking for thieves. Tickets are expensive, which is also a major feature of the country.

There is a tacit understanding of tourism in China, that is, when traveling, you should eat, drink, and shop in scenic spots, and experience things that are originally very cost-effective at a price that is more than five times higher.

I went to Sanya and Yunnan and found that these places are really completely different from the poetry and distance I originally imagined. There is always a feeling of being tricked and money being swindled, which is very uncomfortable.

When we talk about cheap, we mainly talk about Southeast Asian countries. This is indeed a project that is cheaper and more cost-effective than in China. It costs less and provides a better experience.

For some countries such as Europe and the United States, the cost is definitely not lower than that in China, but the price/performance ratio is definitely not worse than that in China.

I feel that the current cost-effectiveness of domestic travel is not high, mainly due to the following aspects.

Transportation

Domestic flight prices are completely uncompetitive with international flights. Air tickets in Southeast Asia are ridiculously expensive. Flying to Urumqi and other distant places is sometimes even more expensive than flying to Europe.

Scenic Spots

As long as it is a tourist city, regardless of whether it has tourism resources or not, it must be built and built with fees and shops opened. The unwritten rule of catering in scenic spots is that it must be expensive and unpalatable. This is not to say that there is absolutely no such situation abroad, but in the dozen or so countries I have been to, there are very few such problems. And I have been to dozens of cities in China, and all of them have the same feeling that the tourist destinations are too stereotyped, the quality is too poor, and the prices are too high. Nowadays, there are doubts about domestic travel. For example, I wanted to go to the north to see snow, but I heard the news about Xuexiang, and the cost of one trip was estimated to be enough to go to Southeast Asia twice, so I gave up decisively.

Modularization

Even if you want to travel in a niche, it won’t work. Good scenic spots in every city have the same model, selling the same products, the same so-called specialties, and traveling on holidays. It’s the rhythm of crowds of people. However, the flow of outbound tourists is relatively scattered, and everything is a new experience.

Consumption

In terms of consumption, Southeast Asia is low and China is in the middle. Europe, the United States and Japan will be higher, but in terms of cost performance, domestic consumption is relatively poor.

This is my true feeling after traveling to some cities. Sometimes the cost of traveling to domestic cities seems to be uncontrollable. Every time I travel, I feel that it is really more expensive than going abroad.

Although it is not so absolute, it is true that traveling to some places in China is more expensive than traveling abroad. For example, many years ago, the cost of traveling to Sanya was more than enough compared to traveling abroad. This mainly depends on where the destination is and how the gameplay is.

Travel expenses mainly include four parts: transportation, accommodation, meals, and entertainment. Among them, transportation, if you take a plane, whether domestic or foreign, the sooner you go, the cheaper it is. Usually flying abroad is more expensive than flying domestically, but because major airlines often offer special air tickets, sometimes the air tickets to many foreign destinations are really cheap and very cost-effective.

Generally speaking, the cost of accommodation abroad is higher than that in China, especially in non-first-tier cities.

Because the gap between rich and poor in most destinations for overseas travel is not very large, and the accommodation prices in some small villages and towns are not much lower, there is still some gap between the accommodation prices in small villages and towns in China. In some first-tier cities in China, especially some hotels and guesthouses with better conditions, the price gap during peak tourist hours is very small compared to abroad.

As a country with a lot of gourmet food, the cost of dining when traveling domestically is basically lower than abroad. Especially in second- and third-tier cities and small villages and towns, the cost of dining is very small. But if you go to a popular tourist city or tourist attraction, the money you spend on eating may not be a penny. Be careful not to get ripped off.

The biggest difference between domestic travel and foreign travel is the money spent on fun. In China, tickets for scenic spots easily cost hundreds, but many national parks abroad are free. In addition, if you drive by yourself, domestic road and bridge tolls are also an expense, which is also rare when you drive by yourself abroad.

Of course, there are many ways to save money when playing in China. Trains replace planes, youth hostels replace hotels, don't eat in tourist attractions, and go to some niche, less developed destinations, the cost will be much less.

The most suitable place for budget travel abroad, where you can eat, have fun and have fun at a low price, which is cheaper than domestic travel! Hurry up and save it for later use!

1. Sri Lanka: the dream Sapphire

Best travel time: September and October every year

Accommodation: can be booked on the website, economical 150RMB/night, clean and tidy.

Catering: The staple food in Sri Lanka is mainly rice and curry. It is recommended to try local traditional food, which is affordable and unique. The price per person is 20-30RMB.

2. Cambodia: a sophisticated ancient country

Best travel time: November to April, the dry season with little rain and clear weather.

Accommodation: Tips are the highest in Phnom Penh, the capital. The price of small hotels and inns is around 6-12 US dollars. It is recommended to book online. Three or four-star hotels in Cambodia only cost 100-200 RMB per person.

Meals: Meals at restaurants along the Tonle Sap River are US$8 per person, and baguette meat buns are US$1 per person.

3. Turkey: Love in the Fairy Tale of the Stars and Moon

Best travel time: April to October is the peak tourist season in Turkey.

Accommodation: It is recommended to stay at Travelers Cave Hotel, which is the most unique hotel in the area and costs about 500RMB/night. In addition, accommodation in Asia is cheaper than in Europe.

Catering: The price of a formal meal is about 20 lire, and fast food is about 10 lire per person.

4. Philippines: The beginning of romance

Best time: December to February of the following year

Accommodation: mid-range comfortable accommodation, with room prices between 200 and 200 300RMB.

Dining: DMall near Boracay Pier 2 is a gathering place for local restaurants and snacks.

Special experience: "Horse kills chicken" full body massage. TATOO ink tattoo

5. Greece: Romantic blue and white Aegean Sea

Best time: April to October (June to September is the peak season)

Accommodation: Usually a standard room in a five-star hotel is about 800 RMB/night, and a standard room in a three-star hotel is about 400 RMB/night.

Catering: The most recommended mutton dish - Mushaka, which is a mutton pie with rich ingredients, the most representative ouzo wine, and the fresh salad with pure olive oil are must-try. 60-100RMB per meal.

6. Bulgaria: The land of roses in bloom

Best time: July to October

Accommodation: Bulgaria has many rich hotel resources, generally three stars Class hotel 200-300RMB/room.

Catering: Bulgaria is rich in wine, and various folk restaurants sell local traditional snacks at moderate prices. An additional 10% tip is required.

7. Nepal: Pilgrimage on foot

Best travel time: October to May is the dry season. The climate is refreshing and the air visibility is high, which is especially suitable for traveling and gliding. and sports such as hiking.

Accommodation: A small hotel with a separate bathroom, the price is about 30-40RMB each.

Catering: Nepalese food tends to be Indian and Tibetan, and tropical water is cheap.

8. Bolivia: Land in the Sky

Best time to travel:

January to March (in the rainy season, the scenery in the Land of the Sky is best after the water accumulates)

Accommodation: There are many people in the peak season. Book in advance online. The price of a room is 100-200RMB.

Catering: Prices are low in Bolivia, and coca leaf tea is a local specialty that can alleviate altitude sickness. Traditional delicacies Piquealo Macho and Slatenas pie, 2 for only $1.

The most suitable places for budget travel abroad, allowing you to save money and have fun!

Domestic - visit 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions as well as more than 80% of places in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao;

Overseas - traveled to more than 20 countries in depth.

The following is an analysis from the perspective of travel’s clothing, food, accommodation, transportation, attractions, travel perceptions, and even shopping: Why is the cost-effectiveness of overseas travel much higher than that of domestic travel?

Accommodation - Accommodation abroad varies greatly depending on the country's economic development. But the classification is also very wide: there are many types such as hotels, hostels, B&Bs, youth hostels, etc.

Basically, the accommodation level in Europe and the United States is at the same level or even slightly lower than that in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen in China. In Southeast Asia, it is 1/2-1/3 or even lower than that in China.

We stayed in B&Bs in Europe, with an average price of 200 RMB per person per night. Southeast Asia is much cheaper

Okay - transportation is a big deal: if you buy air tickets 3 months to half a year in advance, you can buy a round trip to Europe for 3000-6000 RMB including tax. Basically, the price is the same as the price from Beijing to Guangzhou

Food - the food abroad is relatively simple (the so-called food in China), in Europe a large sandwich costs 2-3 euros, and if three people have a toothpaste The average price per person is more than 100 yuan.

In Southeast Asia, it is folded in half.

Shopping - for Chinese people who want to buy, foreign countries must be a shopping paradise, plus tax rebates

Tickets to attractions - this is the most competitive advantage. It usually takes half a day to drive to see one attraction, and the tickets for each attraction are often 60, 80 or even more than 100 (a 1-2 hour visit is enough).

In foreign countries, 1/3 of the attractions are free, 1/3 are free on weekends, and some important attractions are charged (only one of the dozens of temples in Chiang Mai, Thailand charges a fee, and the equivalent is less than 10 yuan in RMB). The charging standard will definitely make you feel overjoyed and value for money (Prague Castle, I remember it was 350 kronor, which is less than 100 yuan, and you can't finish it in one day).

Moreover, many street scenes abroad are just scenic spots and do not require you to pay at all.

To sum up, for the same time and money, traveling abroad will be a great value for you.

Compared with the current domestic tourist attractions that carry tourists and those man-made landscapes that "I regret not coming, I regret coming even more", coupled with the flow of people who cannot walk, it is better to bravely go out if possible.