Mother and daughter

Zhao Tingting, from Shanghai, was born in the 1980s and runs an immersive educational experiences business, which gives her plenty of latitude to indulge her passion for travel.

She is a veteran traveler who not only considers costs when choosing a travel destination, but also the experiences she can have exploring new places.

"I'm not really picky about destinations. It's about whether a particular activity or way of traveling can give me a new feeling," said Zhao.

Sometimes she visits the same destination several times using different modes of transportation.

"For example, the Eastern Oriental Express (train) I took years ago allowed me to travel from Singapore to Thailand through Malaysia, which is quite different from when I had to drive or fly," she said.

Her vast experience often means she is put in charge when it comes to arranging a trip for herself and others.

"If I travel with my husband I'll opt for a stay in a city for one or two weeks, because I know he loves to dine and shop and to see how the locals live," she said.

If she travels with her girlfriends, Zhao makes a point of setting aside chances for photo opportunities.

At the moment, she is sailing with her 11-year-old daughter on a cruise ship around the world. "She loves watching animals, and we're going to see as many of them as possible," Zhao said.

She became aware of the cruise in 2019 when it was introduced to the travel market, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her travel plans. Zhao immediately grabbed two tickets for herself and her daughter when they became available last year, and the pair have now been onboard the liner for two months.

"When I first looked at the itinerary of this cruise, I noticed it's very, very different. Sixty percent of the time you can go ashore, and it goes to over 60 countries, 150 ports. And these ports are not just random ones, they are all very famous places, which saves a lot of time," she said.

"If you were to travel on your own, you might not be able to cover this much territory in the same amount of time."

Running her own business means she can take care of her work online, but scheduling her daughter's studies is more difficult.

In the end, she decided to have her daughter attend an online school. Zhao also believes the trip has greater meaning for her daughter than herself.

"It's the right time for her, she doesn't have too many assignments from school and she is able to understand what she's seeing," Zhao said.

While on board, her daughter is studying ancient civilizations and is learning about cultures around the world, such as the Incas in South America.

"These experiences will surely help pave the way for my daughter's future studies," Zhao said.