Man travels 5,468 miles every week to completely different country because it’s ‘cheaper’ than living by university

Guangli Xu, from China, took to Douyin to share his mammoth commute

A man travelled almost 5,500 miles every single week to a completely different country because it was ‘cheaper’ than living in his university city.

Some of us are guilty of complaining about a 30-minute journey to work via bus or car, but imagine having to go to the airport, head through security and board a plane for the morning commute.

I feel tired just saying it, but for Guangli Xu it’s very much been a reality.

The 28-year-old went viral after sharing his mammoth commute on Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok.

Each return trip took three days in total, beginning with Xu leaving his home in the Shandong province of eastern China at around 7am to the capital city of Jinan for the airport.

Guangli Xu's commute is mammoth (Douyin)

Guangli Xu’s commute is mammoth (Douyin)

This is where he would take a layover flight to Melbourne in Australia, arriving the next day in time for class at RMIT University, where he studied art management.

Xu would go back to China on the third day, with a friend putting him up while studying in Australia.

Speaking about his weekly travels, Xu told SBS Mandarin: “A round trip takes about 72 hours. One way is about 10 to 13 hours on the plane.”

Xu previously lived in Melbourne after spending eight years studying in the Aussie city, including an undergraduate degree in game design.

But for his final semester in 2024, Xu decided to move back home and become an ‘international commuter’.

“I usually leave for Melbourne on Monday mornings and can be back home [in China] by Wednesday evenings,” he added.

“The overall cost is not much different. But I think the money is better spent [in China] because the overall cost here is lower.”

Xu commuted to Melbourne from China (Getty Stock Image)

In one video, Xu calculated one trip cost him around $930, which included the flight, taxi and food.

While it may sound like a big hassle, Xu’s research on the feasibility of the commute and the temptation to spend more time with his nearest and dearest made him commit to the plan.

“I found that the flight routes between China and Australia are frequent, with multiple airlines operating, so I gave it a try … It turned out to be quite feasible and I haven’t encountered any major issues,” he added.

“I prefer the environment and convenience in China. After living abroad for so many years, I also wanted to spend more time with my family.”

Xu completed his studies for the semester back in October and doesn’t expect to return to Australia for a while.