Long journey

Unlike most Chinese planning their first trip for three years, Mi La and her boyfriend set off with their dogs early last month with the aim of visiting six countries in six months.

"We want to see different cities and countries. After being cooped up for so long, I want to travel again. I aim to reconnect with the world and continue exploring before I look for work on my return," said Mi, who was born in Beijing and has lived in Shanghai since she graduated from a university in Boston in 2021.

She studied in the US for almost 10 years before the pandemic struck, and used to travel frequently — spending three months overseas on summer study tours.

"Traveling is not just a hobby, but an indispensable part of my life. I gain a deeper understanding of each place I go to by living like a local and visiting restaurants, markets and bazaars," said Mi, who started studying part-time at culinary and hospitality school Le Cordon Bleu in 2017 to learn about the food and lifestyle of each city she visits.

After returning to China at the start of the pandemic, the couple opted to start their journey from the US. Mi planned to visit many places before COVID-19 emerged, but didn't get the chance to do so.

Mi, her boyfriend and the couple's dogs were confined to a small apartment in the center of Shanghai during the lockdown last year. As the US is extremely dog-friendly, she decided to take the animals on the journey for them to get close to nature.

Before preparing to return to the US, the couple completed a three-month, 12,000-kilometer road trip with the dogs through different provinces and cities in China just after the restrictions in Shanghai were lifted in June.

"I was firmly determined to travel this time. The unforgettable experiences of the past three years reinforced my view that we would never lock ourselves up again once the restrictions were lifted, and that we couldn't waste our freedom," Mi said.

Before setting off on the latest trip, she felt quite anxious, as it had been three years since she last ventured abroad.

"I feared I had lost my desire for overseas travel. However, once I set out, I realized there wasn't that much difference to the overall COVID-19 situation, and in some ways, I even felt that the US was stagnating," Mi said, adding she was surprised to see that almost nobody in the US wore face masks anymore.

After traveling for almost a month, she has noticed that both she and her friends now prefer to explore nature, rather than cities.

"I will decide what to do next when the time comes. There will always be a next stop, whether it is in the near or distant future. I hope everything will now return to normal after three years," Mi said.