During her travels, Li Yike often heard the surprised voices: “I can’t believe you’re only 16 years old.” She thought she didn’t need to accept people’s deliberate care and was strongly averse to old customs filled with age and gender biases. Despite this, cyberbullying and slander did not spare her.
One ordinary noontime, Li Yike woke up and reached for her phone to check the time. Unlike before, her lock screen was filled with a pile of unread messages—classmates, both familiar and unfamiliar from her contacts, were all passing the same message: “You’re trending.”
The trending topic read “16-year-old girl backpacks through 9 countries across 3 continents with just 10,000 yuan.” After confirming that the protagonist in the news headline was indeed herself, all sorts of questions flooded Li Yike’s mind: So it’s that simple to trend? But I actually traveled to 7 countries, not 9. And my short hair is not for self-protection… With these thoughts entangled, she spent the entire afternoon, and the trending subject remained at the top of the list.
These labels that seemed all too ordinary to Li Yike, such as “underage,” “budget travel,” and “traversing three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe,” were crudely reconstructed and spread by the internet. Unwittingly, she experienced the scorching heat and pressure of being the focus of countless people’s attention.
As her fame exploded, the negative side effects began to emerge. The comments section, once filled with curiosity and discussion, was suddenly taken over by unfounded curses and malicious attacks. She was forced to face accusations like “fraud,” “sleeping her way through travel,” and “the next tragedy,” among others. These baseless negative reviews were puzzling, and Li Yike couldn’t help but reflect: Why do some people so easily doubt my travel experiences? Simply because I am a girl?
Although Li Yike was once troubled by these negative voices, she quickly recovered and broke free from this trap. The brave 16-year-old realized that she had more important things to do, and the needless accusations and doubts could not stop her from moving forward.
Looking back two years ago, when she first embarked on her journey abroad at 14 years old, she also faced numerous doubts. During her travels in Yunnan, she chanced upon the knowledge of being just one train stop away from Laos. She realized this was a rare opportunity, and she would regret not going. Despite her parents’ initial opposition, she gained their understanding and agreement after finding an adult travel companion and showing her savings.
But the real test came at border exit. She was taken by customs officers to a room, under suspicion of going to the “Golden Triangle” for telecom fraud. Fortunately, her mother expressed support upon learning of this, which deeply moved Li Yike. Although questioned by customs about her parents’ responsibility, she was still permitted to go to Laos and begin her journey.
Facing doubts from family and friends, I persisted with my travel plans. I was only allowed to clear customs after signing the “Safety Responsibility Agreement” mockingly called the telecom fraud staff’s “life-and-death letter.” When I began my journey, I realized that the entire high-speed train’s passengers were patiently waiting for just me. After a smooth trip in Laos and finding an extra holiday upon my return, I completed my studies, convinced my parents, and decisively chose to start a solo budget travel adventure around Central Asia.
On November 27th last year, my journey began, departing from Yining, Xinjiang, heading to Almaty, and passing through seven countries including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, UAE, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, and Nepal. The trip lasted for 35 days, and my travel expenses were only 11,490.5 yuan. Despite not liking a high-intensity travel style, my limited budget forced me to do so. I yearned for staying longer in one place, to delve deeper into the local culture and customs.
To maximize backpack space, I usually carried only three sets of clothes and looked for laundry services along the way to reduce luggage weight. For accommodation, hostels were my preferred choice, with an average cost of less than 100 yuan per night, and I even had a value experience of 30 yuan for one night. Land transportation was still my more frequent choice, and when public transport was lacking, I would try to carpool with others. In countries with relatively low cost of living, I would also try local restaurants, but in places like Dubai, my meals were mostly McDonald’s and bread.
Despite tasting many exotic cuisines, I still missed the taste of home—stir-fried tomatoes with eggs. In Turkey, I sought out Chinese food with a taste of home but gave up due to the high prices. This prompted me to join the New Oriental Cooking Class when I returned to China, mastering fifteen dishes in just one month, so that I could better satisfy my stomach on my next journey.
Although transportation and accommodation are major expenses in budget travelling, I still try to save as much as possible but never skimp on entrance fees to attractions. The greatest charm of travel is to make history come alive right before my eyes. For example, my trip to Dunhuang let me truly feel the weight of history. The portrayal in the book “Cultural Amnesia” and witnessing the fragmented murals in the Mogao Caves left me with a profoundly different historical sensation. My budget travel plans were also greatly influenced by the book “Lost Modernities,” as I became interested in the historical sites from the Soviet era in Central Asia and curious about the historical perspectives of local residents. Despite language barriers in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan that kept me from delving deeper, it was Egypt that left the deepest impression on my travels.
In fact, the vast contrast in Egyptian society was astonishing. The Pharaoh’s culture seemed confined to the tourist areas, and once out of those areas, a completely different reality awaited. Whether it was encountering beggars, thieves, or sexual harassment, I experienced different social issues. Although my younger self was somewhat socially anxious, today I am able to soar freely alone in foreign lands.
By chance, after touring Beijing, I went to Tianjin alone for a three-day journey. That was also my first time experiencing the life of a youth hostel. There, I met people of all kinds, and talking to them always allowed me to temporarily forget my social status and see the world from a different angle. I realized that in an environment without self-imposed restrictions, one’s view often becomes much broader.
As my travel frequency increased, I found that travelers like me often do not need the companionship of fixed partners. Travelling with friends may just be chatting and taking photos at attractions along the way; but solo travel allows a deeper experience of the local cultural atmosphere. Since that travel experience, whenever I have a holiday, I choose to travel alone to various places. I even traveled solo to all 27 provinces in China before heading to Laos.
When people ask how to cultivate the courage to travel alone, I always suggest starting with familiar places or somewhere nearby within the country. From my observation, while there are many friends who travel after quitting their jobs to relax, they seem to have difficulty fully immersing themselves in the joy of travel, still habitually looking for new job opportunities or entrepreneurial chances.
Personally speaking, as long as I don’t lose my passport or phone, nothing else is a big deal. During my last trip around Central Asia, I didn’t encounter any real dangers, even though there were some minor scams at the Egyptian pyramids. Compared to that, what troubled me more were some potential issues with sexual harassment.
One night in Uzbekistan, I met a male roommate who wanted to chat with me. He seemed very enthusiastic until he suggested going out for coffee alone with me after midnight, which raised my suspicions. That night, I didn’t even dare to take a shower and went straight to bed. When I found him stealthily pulling open my bed curtain late at night, I woke up instantly and scolded him, but he still tried to harass me multiple times, despite having photos of his wife and children on his phone.
Despite this, it was an isolated case, and I usually choose female dorms to increase my sense of security. As for why I don’t choose hotels, my answer is that staying alone in a hotel as a woman abroad may be even more unsafe. I’ve discussed this topic with other female travelers, and nearly all of them have had experiences with sexual harassment, and at times men also become targets of harassment.
Surprisingly, some women even take harassment as a confirmation of their charm, which I find both confusing and shocking. Regarding the question of how women can travel far on a modest budget, my friends typically have two reactions: some are curious about how these funds are accumulated, while others are amazed at how such a small amount of money can allow for so much enjoyment.
After becoming popular on the internet, some people suspect that my travels are backed by a team, arguing that the high quality of my photos must not be the result of solo efforts. There are even opinions suggesting I am a travel blogger specifically packaged by certain agencies, bound to enter the business of promoting products. In reality, most of the photos are taken with the help of friends I meet in hostels.
Facing those who doubt me, some joke to the extent of saying, “If you believe her small budget is enough for international travel, then you might as well believe I’m Emperor Qin Shi Huang.” But those who understand the situation know that my travel style is typically budget-friendly, and there are even thriftier methods of traveling than mine. Others speculate that I attended an international high school and that my family is rich, thinking this is a ploy to boost future college applications. In reality, my family’s financial situation is not rich compared to my classmates, and I earn my own living expenses for studying abroad.
What upsets me the most is the so-called “yellow rumors” online. When searching for related topics, there’s an abundance of such content in comments. I once saw a spoof picture of a girl with her mouth stuffed full of sausages, not understanding its implication at first, but after realizing, I was indignant. Such smears are something I’ve never encountered in reality.
In anger, I had intended to respond to the comments, to explain each doubt that was raised. However, after being reminded by a long-term supporter to avoid the trap of proving my innocence, I chose to delete those messages and calm down. Even though it was tough, I still posted a clarification on my homepage, disclosing all my travel expenses in detail, including visa fees, attraction tickets, food, accommodation, and even the cost of using restrooms.
But no matter how hard I try to explain, those attacking me seem to always find reasons to continue their criticism. Even when presented with evidence, they often choose to turn a blind eye. When I considered legal intervention, a fan my age shared her feelings. She said my experiences encouraged her and proved that it’s possible for ordinary people to travel the world with a limited budget.
Now facing harsh criticism, I’m more at peace, like appreciating the diversity of species. Even when faced with rumors of paying for trending searches, I now respond to these comments more kindly than before. My personality has also changed significantly because of these experiences. I’m no longer as stubborn and extremist, but more tolerant and rational, rarely arguing with others, realizing I can’t change the minds of others, and instead calming down to continue my journey.
Despite the criticisms encountered during my travels, I continue at my own pace. Inspired by the novel “The Kite Runner,” I’ve even considered traveling alone to Afghanistan to continue my quest for the world I yearn for.
Whenever I bring up my travel ideas, my mother finds it difficult to accept. I can understand her concerns; after all, those places are chaotic and especially risky for women. Even friends accustomed to traveling alone like me have advised me against it. They told me that many travel bloggers who appear to explore Afghanistan alone actually hire bodyguards and rent armored vehicles to ensure safety, all just for shooting material and show.
I’m very grateful for these friends’ kindness. They are not relatives, yet they still care to caution me. However, what I truly long for is that one day, when I continue to travel alone, people will focus on whether I am happy rather than just whether I am safe. After all, what the world should really do is try to regulate those who do not follow the rules, rather than always telling the vulnerable they need to be cautious, right?
