XIE Dun
30, jewelry shop owner, who cycled 22,000 kilometers for 18 months, through 15 countries to Africa

Q: How many social networking accounts do you have? How many followers?

A: I have about 10,000 fans on Sina Weibo (ID:小司这厮) and more than 2,000 followers on WeChat.

Q: What made you decide to cycle to Africa?

A: I always wanted to see the world. My first job after graduating from university was working on an ocean-going ship. I later became an office worker in Shanghai, but I felt dead in the office. My passion for travel grew. Three years later, when I was 27, I quit the job and decided to take a long-distance journey.

I didn’t have much savings, so I chose bicycling for a frugal trip. It never occurred to me that I would go as far as Africa. My first plan was to cycle from Shanghai to Tibet, but when I did that, I just couldn’t go back. I wanted to travel further. My wife — girlfriend at that time — joined me later.

Q: Travel dreams often conflict with reality. How did you handle that?

A: I think everything is risky, no matter where you are or what you are doing. The most important thing is to be fully aware of the risks and be willing to handle them.

Before taking on Africa, I did my homework. I was in Jordan at that time, and there were three possible routes — to Europe, to Africa or back to China.

Money and visas were big problems if I chose Europe, and I definitely didn’t want to go back to China yet. So Africa was my choice. I had always wanted to see Africa’s magnificent landscapes and its indigenous cultures.

Q: Were you worried about your safety, especially when traveling with a woman?

A: I had been to Africa when I was on the ship, and I knew it was not like what we heard or saw in the news. Places are safe and unsafe. We think a place is safe when we are familiar with it. The safety worry is mostly from the dread of the unknown.

Some African countries are not free of epidemics and wars, so we avoided those. We read news online every day and were crystal clear about no-go places.

In addition, we were dressed in shabby clothes and ate simple food along the road. People had no reason to rob us. On the contrary, we often met warm-hearted locals, who gave us food and water.

Q: What was the most impressive experience?

A: Well, the most unforgettable thing was my proposing to my girlfriend. We had a wonderful, yet simple wedding on a ship from Egypt to Sudan, right on the mighty Nile.

The rings were made of iron wires we had found on the ship, and the reception featured a bottle of Coke, some peanuts and candies. Five Chinese backpackers we met in Luxor served as groomsmen and bridesmaids.

The marriage was not a sudden impulse. We had cycled together for months. We understood, supported and protected each other. We shared the same attitudes toward life.

The magnificent scenery and awe-inspiring pyramids always kept us in an upbeat mood, but, of course, we faced dangerous moments.

When we cycled along a desert road toward Luxor, we were caught in a sandstorm. We was forced to set up a tent in a depression along the main road to weather out the storm. Suddenly, I noticed two men, staring at us from a distance. They were carrying weapons.

I told my wife to stay in the tent and I approached the men in a surrender position, shouting hello to them loudly. One of the men pointed his AK-47 at me. Trembling, I handed over our passports to show that we were simply tourists caught up in a storm. The man phoned someone — a superior, I guess — and I was put on the phone to him. We spoke English. The man on the phone told us to gather up our belongings and get out of there quickly.

The armed men were soldiers looking for rebels. Thank goodness they were government troops. If they had been rebels, we probably wouldn’t be alive today.

Q: What have you learned from traveling? What advice do you have for others?

A: Travel is a part of life. You explore the world through your own footsteps. It’s a learning process. You learn to be tolerant and respect different people, different customs, different cultures. You learn to respect nature.

On the other hand, traveling isn’t necessarily a panacea for all of life’s problems, like a broken heart.

Q: Any other travel plans?

A: I think everyone has four travel modes that should be followed: traveling with parents, traveling with a lover, traveling with kids and traveling alone. My next plan is to travel with my baby, who is now eight months old. When he is about three, I will take him on a long-distance journey.

Yu Beibei
former marketing and public relations manager for Australia tourism bureau

Q: How many social networking accounts do you have? How many followers?

A: I have more than eight social networking accounts related to travel, including Sina Weibo, WeChat and blogs on some big travel websites like Sina, Sohu, Ctrip, Elong and Mafengwo etc. I have more than 210,000 followers on the Sina Weibo (ID:悦微小鱼), and my official WeChat account (ID:悦享旅行) has about 8,000 fans.

Q: What made you become a “travel icon”?

A: It all started with a SLR camera I bought six years ago. My job at the time required frequent business trips to Australia. I opened an account on Weibo’s blog and posted pictures and simple diaries there to share with my friends in China.

I didn’t intend to maintain it all that conscientiously, but one day I suddenly found that reader numbers had increased from several to thousands. It gave me a sense of achievement and also responsibility. That was when I started to take it seriously.

About four years ago, more social networking platforms sprang up, which gave me more opportunities. As my fans increased, many websites approached me and invited me to be their travel column writer.

Q: Travel dreams and reality are often at odds. How do you handle that?

A: It’s lucky for me that my work has been tied with travel. In late 2011, I left my job in the tourism bureau and set up my own team, providing travel solutions.

My principle is always put work first. When I was a 9-6 worker, I traveled only on weekends and holidays, and updated pictures and my columns at night after work.

I don’t encourage young people to quit their jobs to travel. One needs to learn how to make full use of time and save up money, which are two fundamental things for good travel.

Q: Where have you been and what are some of your most impressive travel experiences?

A: I’ve been to Australia, the Americas, Canada, Southeast Asia and many places like Tibet in China.

In Tibet, I had severe altitude sickness. My travel companion told me my face was all purple. So I had to cancel plans to the Mount Everest base camp and return to lower altitudes. Another time, on a trip to Phillip Island in Australia, I noticed our driver slowing on the road. Suddenly he stopped, got out of the car and picked up a small black thing by the roadside. It was a baby penguin who had lost its way. I still remember the scene. It was so warm and touching.

Q: How do you choose your destinations?

A: Every year I have a travel plan. Usually I prefer the places where I’ve never been.

Last year I went to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to see what that country was really like. We were not allowed to travel independently or go out of the hotel at leisure. It felt like I was isolated from the outside world.

The whole country has no Wi-Fi or mobile phone signals, at least not for overseas travelers. The only weak signal I got was in Panmunjom, a village between South Korea and North Korea. I guess it was from South Korea. I quickly posted some pictures on my WeChat account from there.

Still, it was an eye-opening journey. In the subway, I noticed no one laughed or chatted or played with cell phones. North Koreans were dressed in black, blue, white or grey — seldom bold colors. There were revolutionary songs and leaders’ portraits everywhere.

Q: What have you learned from travelling? Any advice for young travelers?

A: Life is a journey. Travel and life are inseparable twins. We all travel every day, even if it’s just to the convenience store around the corner. If you explore a place with a visitor’s eyes and curiosity, you will find surprises every day.

Chen Xuan
32, who works for a Japanese advertising company

Q: How many social networking accounts do you have? How many followers?

A: My official WeChat account (ID:泡泡乐悠游) has about 230 fans and my Sina Weibo (ID:圆圈泡泡) has about 900 followers. Not many, but I think it’s good enough.

Q: What made you become a “Japan tourism expert?”

A: My major was Japanese language and culture in university, and then I studied in Japan for a few years. Now I’m working for a Japanese company.

Each time I had a trip to Japan, I loved to share the dining, shopping and sightseeing experiences with my friends on Weibo and WeChat.

Three years ago, my daughter was born. When she passed two, I started to bring her along on my travels. Through that, I focused my online accounts to travel in Japan and tips for young mothers who travel with their children.

Q: How do you balance travel with being a working mother?

A: I make full use of public holidays and my annual leave. In addition, my company has flexible work hours, which helps.

Travel has been a part of my life, and I travel with my daughter so that we can grow together.

Q: How would you make your yearly travel plans?

A: I arrange two to three overseas trips every year, each about two weeks long.

Q: Tell us about some of your most impressive experiences?

A: One of the most impressive one was to Miyako Island, Okinawa, when my daughter was two years old. It was the first time I traveled with her. We took pictures together. We went to the sea, played in the sand and ate noodles. We had a great time.

Q: How do you choose your destinations?

A: I choose places fit for children and within three hours’ flying distance from home. I prefer places with beautiful scenery — small islands and quiet towns. I love old Japanese towns with hot springs. They have good food, few tourists and convenient transport, perfect for mothers and children.

Q: What have you learned from traveling? Any advice for young travelers?

A: Travelers have the desire to explore places they have never seen, eat things they have never tasted. When I read travel magazines, I always envy those travelers who find new and interesting things.

When my daughter grows bigger, I will take her to Europe and the Americas. We can learn cultures and histories together.

I don’t like detailed travel plans. I think a rough plan is sufficient. You never know what will happen when you allow serendipity to play a role.

Q: What’s your next travel plan?

A: Taking my daughter to Shikoku. She can ride on the small train there, see the Japanese old gardens and have fun in springs. This summer, I will take my daughter and my younger sister to Tokyo Disneyland, Osaka’s Universal Studio and Kyoto.