Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival is at hand. For family reunions, millions will travel from jobs and schools to their hometowns, forming the famous New Year Travel Rush, the largest annual mass migration on the earth. 2015 Chinese New Year Travel Rush has begun on February 4th and will last for 40 days till March 15th.

It is estimated by Ministry of Transport of PRC that the passenger volume during the period will peak at 2.807 billion (excluding those traveling by city buses and taxis), an increase of 3.4% over 2014. Among them, 295 million will travel by train, increased by 10% compared with 2014; 47.5 million by air, increased by 8%; 2.42 billion by long-distance bus, increased by 2.5%; and 44.3 million by ferry, increased by 2%. Besides, numerous migrant workers will go home by motorbikes, reputed as “Cavalry” but with wives and kids on the pillions.

To meet the great demands from increasing passengers, more trains, flights, buses, and ferries have been commissioned. In addition to the 2673.5 pairs of scheduled trains, about 500 pairs of extra trains have started running; Air China plans to add 3,650 flights, China Eastern Airlines to add nearly 7,000, and China Southern Airlines to add over 8,000 during the period; 850,000 long-distance buses have been added, offering 21 million seats; 22,000 ferries are also in service now, providing nearly 900,000 seats. Also, service stands for the “Cavalry” have been set up along their way home to provide basic necessities.

  In consideration of the crowds, TravelChinaGuide.com advise you not to travel to China during the rush. If unavoidable, here below are some useful tips:
1. Be cautious of phishing websites. Book transport tickets from reliable and professional agencies like TravelChinaGuide.com.
2. Book train tickets as early as possible before they are sold out. The tickets are put on sale 60 days in advance.
3. Air tickets are generally more expensive. But flights to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai may be cheaper on New Year’s eve (February 18th, 2015) and a few days into the New Year of the Sheep (beginning from February 19th, 2015).
4. There are crowds at railway stations, airports, coach stations and ferry piers. It is advised to get to those places much earlier, especially for train passengers who plan to get tickets at railway stations on departure (at least 2 hours before).
5. Take care of your belongings and watch out in crowds!
6. For those who drive, the expressways in Mainland China will be opened toll free from 00:00 of February 18th to 24:00 of February 24th, 2015 (time of exiting).