Flying is expensive and not always practical, so a TikToker shared an amazing alternative: a sleeper train.
"These overnight trains in China is the best way to travel for someone who doesn't like flying," The Monkey Kang (@themonkeykang) said. "I have the whole day in the city I'm visiting to sightsee, save on that night's hotel, and still be back in my home city at dawn."
@themonkeykang I took the high speed train from Beijing to Shenzhen. It's almost a 4 hour flight but I'd rather spend 11 hours on an overnight train and sleep away the night than go through airport security and fly. I can get some work done, stretch out, watch some movies, and get some rest #train #railway #highspeedrail #bullettrain #travel #flying #firstclass ♬ Diary - 嘉琪先生＆小奶瓶
The trip was from Beijing to Shenzhen, a roughly 2,200-kilometer journey (1,367 miles) that takes three-plus hours by plane.
"I'd rather spend 11 hours on an overnight train and sleep away the night than go through airport security and fly," the creator wrote. "I can get some work done, stretch out, watch some movies, and get some rest."
The best part? A ticket cost just $120.
China is the standard-bearer for bullet trains, having added 45,000 kilometers (around 28,000 miles) of high-speed rail track since the 2000s. That's more than the rest of the world combined.
Many of the lines carry cars that hit speeds of 300-plus kilometers per hour (186-plus miles per hour), but even the slower ones pay dividends. This overnight car reached at least 246 kph (roughly 153 mph), according to a clip toward the end of the 90-second video.
In addition to all the other perks mentioned by the creator, train travel is far better for the environment than flying or driving, producing half as much carbon dioxide as a plane does per passenger. Carpooling can reduce pollution too, but electric vehicles are even more eco-friendly, emitting zero planet-warming gases while out on the road.
That means cleaner air and healthier people — as well as quieter roads.
The Biden administration, with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is working toward putting United States high-speed rail on the map, but there's a long way to go. The gap to China seems to be only growing, even as a few big projects have finally left the station.
"This is the cheaper train compared to bullet train," one commenter wrote. "These are slower and less fancy but still faster than trains in North America. Took it once and had no complaint."
Someone else said: "I would definitely choose the train over a plane any day. Have a safe trip bro!"
"That's a good deal $120 to travel 1350 miles in 11 hours with a bed," a third TikToker noted, to which others responded, "Right that's what I was thinking too," and, "It would take you 70hrs to do that journey in the USA."
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