Belgian Newlyweds Try to Survive on $600 For a 35-day Honeymoon in China, Fail Miserably

Royer and Vertiest, both 24, thought China would be a great place to celebrate being newlyweds and immediately planned for 35-day vacation. According to Shanghaiist, the lovers arrived in the country on June 12 with a budget of just 4,000 yuan, or about $600.

Traveling with very little funds however, resulted in the newlyweds’ unforgettable journey filled with begging for money, hitchhiking on roadsides and getting lost several times.

Since neither of the two understood a single word of Chinese, moving around Beijing became quite a challenge. Through hitchhiking, they were able to travel through Beijing, Datong and Suzhou, but ended up lost outside of Chongqing. At that point, they only had about $160 left and were left with no choice but to hail a random driver and show him a sign with the message: “Please help us go to Zhangjiajie, we don’t have any money. Thanks!”

The concerned driver asked the police for assistance instead to better help Royer and Vertriest. The responding officers brought the honeymooners to the station and gave them a meal. An officer even helped them plan an itinerary and wrote down a message in both English and Chinese so the couple could ask for directions:

“1. We are from Belgium, and we are going to take the K1077 train (23:58) on July 5 from Chongqing to Xiushan.

2. We want to go to Zhangjiajie from Xiushan, please tell us how to get there. Thanks!”

Having left the police station with the same courage that brought the couple to China in the first place, hopefully they will be able to get to wherever they plan next safely.