Who are China’s ‘iron butt’ travellers, who are skipping on air travel for road and rail journeys?

When COVID restrictions across the world ended, people took to tourism in a big way, creating the trend called ‘revenge tourism’ — taking a trip that wasn’t possible due to the pandemic.

Since then, many travel trends have emerged including sleep tourism , dark tourism and so on. However, with tourism numbers rising across the world, leading to complaints of overtourism — think Japan’s Mount Fuji, or Venice in Italy — many people are now understanding the catastrophic effects that tourism can have on the environment and the climate.

Realising this, many in China are now opting for gruelling train or bus journeys rather than luxurious flights, earning them the title of ‘iron butt’ travellers.

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But what exactly is this and why are the Chinese opting for this way of travel?

Who are ‘iron butt’ travellers?

Take a look at travel trends online in China and one stands out the most — tieding in Mandarin Chinese, which has received 19.8 million clicks and counting with its #ironbutttravel hashtag. Their motto, interestingly, is “Those with iron butts enjoy the world first.”

However, what defines ‘iron butt’ travellers. They are those who opt for extreme forms of transportation for their vacations. They choose to endure long journeys, travelling on uncomfortable seats on buses or trains that make flesh start to feel like metal.

And who are ‘iron butt’ travellers? They are mostly recently graduated people, who have more free time than money.

For instance, in September, a 25-year-old Douyin blogger, known by the alias Xinxin, went viral on Chinese social media for being an ‘iron butt traveller’, visiting 42 cities at home and abroad in the past year.

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Another ‘iron butt’ traveller who earned fame this year was a man in his early 20s who journeyed from Yunnan to Laos, Thailand, and Malaysia over 20 days, relying solely on trains and buses for transportation.

Why are people opting to be ‘iron butt’ travellers?

But why are people like Xinxin and others opting for this kind of travel? The tribe of ‘iron butt’ travellers in China explains that there are many reasons for their choice.

For many, being an ‘iron butt’ traveller is easier on the pocket. Opting for long-distance buses, as long as 46 days, is a cheaper option than taking a flight. This helps these recently graduated youth to travel without feeling a pinch in the pocket.

Being frugal while travelling is becoming increasingly important to the youth of China, as they grapple with economic uncertainties. China is witnessing high youth unemployment rates , along with economic uncertainties and weak consumer demand. Such is China’s economy currently that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered its annual growth target for the country.

The IMF now expects the Chinese economy to expand by 4.8 per cent in 2024, at the lower end of its “about five per cent” target. Next year, it projects China’s annual growth rate will drop further to 4.5 per cent.

Such conditions are forcing people to be warier of spending, especially on travel, making ‘iron butt’ travelling the right choice for many. As 27-year-old Peng Fei told CNN, “The main reason is budget. Iron butt travel lets me visit more places for less money.”

Even Xinxin, who visited 42 cities at home and abroad, spent just 20,000 yuan (Rs 2.35 lakh) in total on transport.

But budgeting isn’t the only reason why the youth in China are choosing to be ‘iron butt’ travellers. There’s also the humbling feeling that one experiences while opting to travel only by bus or train.

For instance, 23-year-old Lin En opted for a bus ride from Xinjiang, in China’s northwest to Astana in Kazakhstan. When asked why he chose the three-day bus travel, he said he liked how ‘down to earth’ the experience was.

Speaking to CNN, he said these long journeys, despite being uncomfortable and arduous, also gave him a chance to learn many interesting tales. “I came across so many interesting stories along the way — about culture, family, or making a living — it’s all super engaging,” said the ‘iron butt’ traveller, who has been made 10 such trips since the end of last year, clocking more than 300 hours on buses and trains.

It also allows you to meet like-minded people, said Peng Fei, who has travelled seven countries from Central Asia to Europe. She travelled from Kazakhstan to Turkey mostly by bus, stopping in Armenia and Georgia along the way. The only flight she took was from Uzbekistan to the United Arab Emirates.

A digital marketer in her previous role, and now switched to iron butt travelling, Peng says, “I’ve met lots of like-minded young people on the road. Many are undergrads on a gap year or recent graduates – both don’t have much money. They’re not rushing to join the workforce or fit into a social mould,” she told CNN. “Most of them are eager to explore other possibilities.”

Proponents of ‘iron butt; travelling also state that this kind of tourism allows you to be more immersive in your holiday. They argue that an ‘iron butt’ traveller sees more on their journey by road or rail than a normal traveller would if travelling by plane.

Why is ‘iron butt’ travelling getting flak?

Despite ‘iron butt’ travellers espousing the many benefits of such travel, it is not without criticism.

Some argue that it’s not for everyone. Sitting on buses and trains for exceptionally long hours, mostly in the upright position can be painful and even downright unhealthy for some. Imagine the havoc on one’s back and legs after sitting in an uncomfortable position for long. Such extreme travel can cause burnout, they further argued.

‘Iron butt’ travelling can also be unsafe, especially for women travellers, note experts.

What would you choose? Would you dare to be an ‘iron butt’ traveller?

With inputs from agencies