Adventurous souls take flight with weekend international travel

In Stark's world, Friday nights usually mean going to the airport to get an international flight out of the country and returning on Monday morning ready to head straight to work.

The 20-something Shanghai-based tech professional, who prefers to keep his real name private, has proved you don't need to take a gap year or quit your job to travel the world.

In recent years, he has spent nearly every weekend traveling to more than 60 countries, some of them multiple times. By using different time zones and tight layovers to his advantage, he recently turned a mid-June weekend into a 42-hour Hawaiian escape without taking a day off work.

After a hop from Shanghai to Tokyo and an overnight flight across the Pacific, Stark landed in Honolulu on what was still Friday morning local time. Thanks to Hawaii's 18-hour time difference with Beijing, he was gifted a "second Friday".

At sunrise on Saturday, he joined early-bird hikers ascending Diamond Head — one of Honolulu's most iconic volcanic craters. "It's a favorite among hikers," he noted, "and a perfect spot to view the city skyline."

That afternoon, Stark booked a small island loop tour. From the golden stretches of Waikiki Beach to the rugged southeastern coastline, the bus made several scenic stops — each lookout revealing dramatic beauty.

Later, he visited Pearl Harbor, where the history of World War II casts a long shadow.

Stark, who works overtime to finance his travels, had arrived just in time for ongoing celebrations to mark King Kamehameha Day, one of Hawaii's most important holidays.

He joined crowds lining the sidewalks of Honolulu as flower-draped floats and grass-skirted dancers paraded past in celebration of the king who unified the islands. "It was like watching history and festivities dance together," he said.

However, by 2 am on Monday, he was back in Shanghai in time to go to work.