Self-drive travel becomes popular among Chinese

Self-drive trips to neighboring Mongolia allow travelers to access magnificent views and rich folk customs. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Half of the fun of self-driving trips is the driving experience itself," Zhu says.

He says getting a first-hand look at local folk customs and the magnificent Mongolian grasslands is an amazing experience.

Li Yongwei says the self-drive tour market has a huge potential with an increasing number of Chinese people being able to afford a car.

Europe is a good testament to the Chinese interest in self-drive holidays.

"Many of our guests have chosen to drive themselves from Belgium to the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg and Germany over the years," says Qiu Zhenzhen, financial supervisor of the Euro-China Linkup Sprl, a company specializing in arranging self-drive tours in Europe.

"Self-driving enables them to savor many small, beautiful cities along the way, as well as local customs and picturesque mountain and lake sceneries."

Qiu says all those in-depth experiences will be missed if one chooses to travel by air.

She says self-driving is also a very leisurely way to travel.

"I can go 200-300 km a day and make stops anywhere I fancy," she says.

"I can take all my things in my car and don't need a taxi service, which is considerably expensive in Europe," she says.

Precise GPS service and a well-developed highway system in Europe also encourage people to choose self-drive holidays.

Qiu says the GPS assistance means she doesn't need to worry about getting lost and there is no customs red tape to go through when passing highway stops.