Kings and queens of the road

An increasing number of Chinese travelers have turned their back on package holidays in the company of strangers. [Xu Hede / For China Daily]

Li Bin, cofounder of zuzuche.com, says that in China the overseas road trip market is growing and that within the next five years it will be thriving. The average cost of renting a car through ?zuzuche.com has fallen about 30 percent over the past three or four years, especially in long-term road trip destinations, he says.

As more and more overseas suppliers join the market, competition has become fierce, and prices are continuing to fall, he says.

"Renting cars is particularly cheap when three or four people share the cost," he says.

A Chinese mainland driving license does not qualify the holder for an International Driving Permit, but authorities and companies in many countries will recognize a Chinese driving license, accompanied by a notarized translation. Some Chinese agencies that deal in rental cars can help with the procedure, offering a translation recognized by their overseas suppliers.

Li Bin says it is preferable to rent a car in advance because it is more expensive to rent on the spot, and the choice of vehicles is likely to be more limited. With access to an abundance of car rental companies, he says, an agency can offer more models and possibilities for picking up and returning cars.

Companies in overseas destinations that are popular for road trips are now working with partners in China. For example, the German airline Lufthansa and the German National Tourist Board recently unveiled a Chinese-language app designed for the Chinese market, German Road Trip and Shopping.

It helps independent tourists plan routes and talk about their experience on social media. The app offers information about popular routes, car rental agencies, petrol stations and shopping centers.

"Road trips in Germany have become popular with the Chinese, and it is one of the themes of our promotions this year," says Li Zhaohui, director of the tourist board's Beijing office.

Last October, Meng Ni, 31, who works for a culture company in Beijing, and her husband did a five-day self-driving trip in Germany, and they spent less than 2,000 yuan ($310) on car rental and diesel, she says.

"The decision of whether you should do a road trip depends very much on your destination," she says.