The winter vacation is coming, but what should be a pleasant trip home for students can be a challenging journey - they need to buy plane, coach or train tickets during chunyun period, the 40-day travel rush around Spring Festival。

盡管寒假近在眼前，但對(duì)于學(xué)生來(lái)說(shuō)，本應(yīng)舒舒服服的返鄉(xiāng)途卻并非一帆風(fēng)順。他們需要在長(zhǎng)達(dá)40天的春運(yùn)期間買(mǎi)到回家的飛機(jī)票、汽車(chē)票或火車(chē)票。

In order to make the journey easier, 21st Century has compiled the following tips and advice on how to book tickets。

為了讓你輕松踏上返鄉(xiāng)路，《二十一世紀(jì)英文報(bào)》特別收集了一些訂票技巧和建議。

Train tickets

火車(chē)票

According to China Railway, more than 257.8 million passengers are expected to travel by rail during this year’s chunyun. Most of them are college students on their winter vacation and migrant workers returning home for the Chinese New Year celebrations. But students have a huge advantage in this competition to get home because they can book train tickets long before workers do。

鐵道部稱(chēng)今年春運(yùn)期間乘客將超2.578億人次，“春運(yùn)大軍”中大多數(shù)都是放寒假的大學(xué)生以及回家過(guò)年的外來(lái)農(nóng)民工。不過(guò)學(xué)生在這場(chǎng)訂票大戰(zhàn)中占有絕對(duì)優(yōu)勢(shì)，因?yàn)樗麄兛梢员葎?wù)工人員提前訂票。

Plane tickets

飛機(jī)票

Apart from the train, students can also go home by air. There are some cheap flight tickets available for them. China Southern Airlines, for example, offers a special discount for full-time students. As long as they register online and provide a valid student card, they can buy flight tickets that are up to 55 percent cheaper than the original price. Since discount flight tickets can be as cheap as train tickets, the airline company recommends students book at least 20 days before the travel date。

除了火車(chē)，學(xué)生還可以選擇乘飛機(jī)回家。如今各大航空公司也紛紛推出相對(duì)便宜的學(xué)生票。例如中國(guó)南方航空就為全日制學(xué)生提供了特惠折扣。只需在網(wǎng)上注冊(cè)一下，出示有效學(xué)生證便可以買(mǎi)到最高4.5折的機(jī)票。因?yàn)檫@些打折機(jī)票和火車(chē)票一樣便宜，所以航空公司建議學(xué)生至少應(yīng)提前20天訂票。

Tips on booking

訂票小竅門(mén)

1. Book tickets for a trip that’s longer than the one you are actually on。

1.“曲線救國(guó)”：如果你是中短途的旅客，可以嘗試購(gòu)買(mǎi)途經(jīng)你家鄉(xiāng)的長(zhǎng)途車(chē)票。

2. Divide your trip into two parts. For example, if tickets between Hohhot and Yinchuan are sold out, book tickets from Hohhot to Wuyuan and then from Wuyuan to Yinchuan。

2. 分段購(gòu)票。舉個(gè)例子，如果呼和浩特到銀川的車(chē)票已售完，那么你就可以先買(mǎi)從呼和浩特到婺源的票，再訂一張從婺源到銀川的車(chē)票。

3. Book a connection ticket if non-stop tickets are not available. To get a student discount, tell the staff that they are joint trip tickets。

3. 如果直達(dá)列車(chē)票售罄了，那就改買(mǎi)聯(lián)程車(chē)票吧。告訴售票員，你是分段購(gòu)買(mǎi)的全程票，這樣才能享受到學(xué)生優(yōu)惠。

4. Seize the last opportunity. There may be some leftover or returned tickets available a few days before the departure date. Check online at 12 pm (noon)， 1 pm, and from 6-8 pm。

4. “最后一搏”。在發(fā)車(chē)前幾天可能還會(huì)有余票或是退票。中午12點(diǎn)、下午1點(diǎn)以及晚上6—8點(diǎn)這三個(gè)時(shí)段，記得上網(wǎng)查詢(xún)余票信息。