Chinese woman drives through 25 countries in 290 days

Zhao Juyang, a woman from eastern China’s city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has finally completed a 290-day road trip. She drove a car by herself for 37,000 kilometers, crossing 25 countries.

Zhao Juyang and her car

Some professional hikers sneered at Zhao when she announced her plan, skeptical that the trip would even be possible without a clear plan. But Zhao ignored them, noting that travel is a personal experience in which the exploration of the unknown is the best part.

Nevertheless, Zhao did consider various dangerous scenarios that might occur on the trip, such as engine failure, robbery and even terrorist attacks. Her limited budget was another factor that planted a seed of doubt. However, these concerns never shook her determination, because Zhao was confident that fresh memories from the trip would not fade with age.

Zhao's route on map

After three years of preparation, Zhao finally set off from Hangzhou on June 26, 2016, driving an off-road vehicle she had bought specially for the trip. In addition to maps, her passport and a camera, she also brought a wedding dress, simply because she loves the sense of ceremony it imparts. Zhao has taken photos in the wedding dress at many famous tourist sites such as Baikal Lake and the Red Square.

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Zhao takes a photo with a Russian man.

She has seen the beautiful stars above the sky of Inner Mongolia, and experienced fairytale-like pre-dawn scenery after waking up in a Siberian gas station. However, not all her experiences were pleasant. She once encountered a man with a machete after her car rolled into a ditch in Gabon’s rain forest. Fortunately, she escaped safely.

Though Zhao believes that adventures can be the highlight of people’s lives, she doesn’t recommend that everyone follow her risky behavior. For her, the trip - dangerous at times - was very much a personal decision.