Outbound adventures

Professionals like Li Xiaojin, who works at a biopharmaceutical company in Beijing, are also redefining weekend travel. He often jets off to another country after a week's work — sometimes without taking a full day off.

"I might leave work just two hours early on Friday, fly to Japan or Thailand, and be back by Monday morning in time to go straight to the office," said Li, aged in his 30s.

His travel frequency has soared in recent years, as he got the hang of making the most of his weekends abroad. For him, international weekend trips are about escaping familiarity.

"Everything is different from home. The food, the people, the streets. It's that novelty that makes it worthwhile," he said.

"Last year, I was going abroad once every one or two months. Now, I might travel almost every month," he said.

His weekend trips take full advantage of the time he has available.

"No layovers, no long flights," he said. "Two to three hours is ideal — Thailand, Japan, and Vladivostok (in Russia). That's the limit. Once I took a Friday night flight to Shenyang, stayed overnight, then flew to Nagoya (central Japan). On the way back, I had to transit through Shanghai. Never again."

Despite the rapid pace of his weekend outbound trips, Li doesn't stress over planning.

"I don't go to a destination with a checklist. I just walk around, eat, and relax. It's about unwinding, not cramming in attractions," he said.

His recent getaways included Sri Lanka over Qingming Festival and Uzbekistan during the Labor Day holiday. "I don't really care where I go — wherever it is cheap, I'll fly. If the price and time are right, I'll go," he said matter-of-factly.

A rising number of China's young professionals have shown a desire for spending weekends traveling abroad, fueled by budget flights, visa-friendly policies and a yearning for a new experience.

Zhao Nan, general manager of the industry development department at the popular aviation service app Umetrip, said weekend outbound travel has seen a clear upward trend in recent years.

"Since 2023, with the steady recovery of international flights and increased visa facilitation, demand for short-haul cross-border trips has surged," Zhao said.

Popular departure cities are mainly first-tier and emerging first-tier cities, with travelers placing greater emphasis on travel time — making neighboring Asian countries the preferred choice, he explained.

Outbound passenger volume from Friday to Sunday typically exceeds weekday levels, with "Friday evening departure, Sunday night return" becoming the norm, according to Umetrip's big data monitoring.

"As international flight routes continue to expand, weekend outbound travel is expected to become increasingly routine, particularly in economically developed regions with well-connected transport hubs," Zhao said.