As the National Day holiday entered its third day, Mr. Wang, who works in Beijing on weekdays, finally decided to take a high-speed rail to Shenyang to begin his holiday trip. "It was nearly impossible to get high-speed rail tickets in the first couple of days. I saw that tickets for the 3rd were still fairly available, so I decided to wait until then to set off," Mr. Wang said. Journalists noted that there are many "late-departure travelers" like Mr. Wang during the holiday, and data from relevant travel platforms shows that, taking flight prices as an example, prices on the 3rd and 4th represent the low point of the National Day holiday, while last-minute hotel bookings in some popular cities during the holiday period increased by 30% year-on-year.

On October 1, passengers checked in and checked baggage at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. Image source: Visual China. Late-departure travelers set off one after another during the National Day holiday, with flight price differences saving enough to cover two nights of hotel costs. Mr. Wang normally works in Beijing. During the first two days of the National Day holiday, he stayed home cleaning his room and meeting friends for meals. It was only on the afternoon of October 3 that he planned to take a high-speed rail to Shenyang for a short trip. "I plan to have fun for two or three days and then come back. High-speed rail tickets were too hard to get in the first two days of the holiday, so I decided to leave later, which also helps avoid the travel peak," he said. Journalists checked the 12306 app and found that there were still plenty of tickets available for high-speed rail trains from Beijing to Shenyang on the 3rd. On social platforms, many late-departure travelers like Mr. Wang were also sharing their holiday travel experiences. Ms. Zheng in Beijing also planned to depart on the 3rd. Her destination was Nanning, Guangxi, and she planned to spend about a week traveling around several cities near Nanning. This travel arrangement also brought her financial benefits. "The one-way flight price in the first two days was about 1,000 yuan even without taxes and fees, but the ticket I bought for the 3rd was only over 500 yuan, which almost saved me two days of hotel costs," Ms. Zheng said.

Data from travel platforms such as Qunar shows that, based on average ticket prices on the platform, flight prices began to decline significantly from the 2nd, 20% cheaper than on the 1st, while prices on the 3rd and 4th continued to fall, reaching the low point of the holiday. Some routes even had low-priced tickets below 500 yuan. Last-minute hotel bookings in popular cities increased 30% year-on-year. Journalists checked on the 3rd and found that, taking departures from Beijing as an example, the lowest one-way direct flight prices to Harbin, Chengdu, Kunming, Xi'an and other places that day were all below 500 yuan, while ticket prices on these routes around October 1 were all around 1,000 yuan. Ms. Li, who works in ticket booking in Xi'an, told journalists on the 3rd that late-departure travelers during long holidays exist every year. Compared with departing one or two days before the long holiday, departing in the middle of the holiday can indeed secure more affordable air tickets. "Compared with high-speed rail tickets, air ticket prices fluctuate more widely and adjust significantly according to travel patterns. For most people, the earlier they travel the better, so they can only buy tickets for the first two days of the holiday, and prices are expensive. But if they can leave two days later, they will naturally buy low-priced tickets, provided they plan the return schedule well," she said. It is worth noting that easier-to-book high-speed rail tickets and cheaper air tickets have also prompted more spontaneous hotel bookings. Qunar Travel data shows that last-minute hotel bookings in popular cities during the holiday increased 30% year-on-year, with the cities ranking highest for last-minute bookings being Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Qingdao and Xi'an.

Journalists also found during interviews that many late-departure travelers during long holidays are able to leave a few days later thanks to relatively easy access to annual leave and shift adjustments. "After the National Day holiday, I requested another three days of annual leave, so I can leave a few days later and come back a few days later, avoiding the peak both on the outbound and return trips," one traveler said. Reminder: while outbound prices may look great, beware of return tickets becoming "price assassins." "Last-minute bookings refer to bookings made one to two days before check-in. These users often choose wherever is cheaper and travel more freely and flexibly," researchers from the Qunar Big Data Research Institute analyzed. "Popular last-minute booking destinations all have well-developed infrastructure, high transportation accessibility, relatively mature tourism products and rich supply, and there are still low-priced air tickets to snap up during the holiday, making them popular choices for travelers who want to go at the last minute without risking a bad experience." Wang Qiyan, director of the Leisure Economy Research Center at Renmin University of China and senior researcher at the Yangtze River Economic Belt Research Institute, said in an interview with journalists that this year's National Day holiday is close to the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, with only three working days between the two holiday periods. This encourages many "early starters" to begin their leave before the National Day holiday. Correspondingly, many "late-departure travelers" also extend their National Day holiday through leave requests and compensatory time off. "This allows them to travel during off-peak periods. On one hand, they can get more favorable air ticket and hotel prices; on the other hand, they can have a better travel experience. At the same time, for tourism practitioners, it also helps maintain longer service periods and provide better service," he said. However, while late-departure travelers snap up low-priced National Day holiday air tickets, they should also watch out for "price assassins" on return tickets. Travel platform Qunar suggests that users who have secured low-priced tickets return early during the holiday or stagger their return after the holiday, seizing the two low points in air ticket prices during and after the holiday. "Travelers who have not yet set off can travel during off-peak periods at low prices. Travel costs in the latter half of the holiday can be nearly half cheaper than during the peak. For example, for Beijing to Urumqi, departing on October 3, the lowest bare ticket price is only 500 yuan. For the return trip, the lowest price on October 7 is 2,360 yuan, while the lowest return price on October 9 is 964 yuan, more than half cheaper." Ms. Li also said that many one-way ticket prices look very low, but if you check return ticket prices, you will find they are much higher. "Therefore, when making travel plans, tourists should best check round-trip tickets at the same time to avoid encountering 'price assassins' on the return trip."