Watching the flag-raising ceremony at Tian'anmen Square, visiting the 720,000 square meters Palace Museum, trotting through old hutongs in the heartland of the Chinese capital, offering incense at the very "efficacious" Yonghe Lama Temple, rowing a boat in past emperors' garden of Summer Palace, trying out local snacks and roast duck and even taking a glimpse into the National Museum of China where relics discovered across the country are preserved and exhibited …
It seems to be a typical week-long itinerary to Beijing, except some people decided to "punch in" all the spots within 48 hours, because they are not ordinary travelers, but "tourist special troops."
▲ 图源：人民日报数字传播
On platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin, some young people, usually college students are on a really tight budget, spend the night at 24-hour restaurants like McDonalds' and Haidilao hotpot rather than booking a hotel room to save money. Some also use nighttime to transport and the daytime for sightseeing spots.
"I walked 35,000 steps on Saturday but the usual number on campus is fewer than 8,000."
"Last time I felt so exhausted was after the military training. It was crazy but also of much fun."
According to the online travel service Trip.com, the travel squads prefer places where tourist resorts are concentrated in the city and urban transportation is convenient. During the one-day Qingming holiday, 62 percent of the post-2000 travelers took overnight transportation to travel while more than 30 percent of the group visited more than four tourist spots in a day.
▲ 一位网友的旅行规划 图源：微博
▲ 图源：微博
"I may not have a luxurious gap year to travel around, but at least I can squeeze fulfilling trips into weekends."
"We spend a lot of time checking the spots and routes, reading others' travel notes and browsing online ratings to make a tailored itinerary and get immersed into the place when we arrive."
"My body could be tired, but the delight of seeing fresh things transcends physical exhaustion."