The term 驴友 (lǘyǒu) emerged in the early 2000s and represents a major shift in Chinese travel culture. For decades, the dominant form of travel was the highly structured, all-inclusive group tour (旅行团, lǚxíngtuán), where tourists followed a guide with a flag from one photo-op to the next. The rise of the internet and a growing middle class with disposable income created a new generation of young Chinese who craved more authentic, adventurous, and personal travel experiences. The lǘyǒu embodies this new spirit:
Compared to the Western concept of a “backpacker,” a lǘyǒu is very similar but with a stronger, more explicit emphasis on the online community aspect. While a Westerner might be a backpacker simply by virtue of traveling with a backpack, a lǘyǒu is often actively part of this named subculture, identifying with its values and participating in its online and offline communities.
驴友 (lǘyǒu) is an informal, widely understood term, especially among people under 40.
The connotation is overwhelmingly positive, suggesting that the person is cool, independent, resilient, and interesting. It would be inappropriate to use it in a very formal or business context.