Train Ticket Mix-Up Takes Family 1,000 Kilometers Off Course, Prompts Free Trip Offer

A Chinese woman who accidentally traveled more than 1,000 kilometers in the wrong direction after entering the wrong destination while buying train tickets has been invited on a complimentary trip to the city she originally intended to visit.

The woman, surnamed You, had planned to travel with her two sons to Chenzhou (郴州) in central China's Hunan Province, but mistakenly booked tickets to Binzhou (彬州) in northwest China's Shaanxi Province after entering the wrong Chinese character.

You told Jiupai News that she and her sons were returning home to Lianzhou in Guangdong Province, after visiting relatives in Dazhou, Sichuan Province. She had planned to take a train to Chenzhou before continuing to Lianzhou by car.

The three fell asleep after boarding and noticed nothing unusual when they changed trains in Xi'an. It was only when they heard the arrival announcement in Binzhou that they began to suspect something was wrong.

"I wondered when Chenzhou had become Binzhou," You told Jiupai News. After railway staff told her they were in Shaanxi rather than Hunan, she said she was stunned.

Her elder son told Jimu News that his mother had wondered during the journey why the weather was getting colder. "It turned out we were going the wrong way," he said.

With tickets in short supply, the family traveled via Xianyang, Xi'an and Hanzhong before continuing to Chenzhou. A journey that should have taken just over 10 hours stretched to more than 30 hours.

You shared the mishap on social media, where it quickly went viral.

"I just wanted to document my bad luck. I never expected it to go viral," she said, adding that she had never heard of Binzhou before the accidental trip.

The mix-up soon caught the attention of tourism authorities in both cities. Binzhou tourism authorities sent the family local souvenirs, while the Chenzhou Culture, Tourism, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau invited them to visit Chenzhou again.

A Chenzhou tourism official confirmed the invitation on August 12, saying the family is expected to arrive on August 13 for a three-day, two-night trip. Their itinerary will include several of Chenzhou's best-known attractions. The local tourism bureau said they will cover admission tickets, meals, accommodation and transportation during the trip, and a professional tour guide will accompany the family.