Many Beijing people are deciding for themselves how they will spend the seven-day National Day vacation, opting for a complete break with no travel agencies, no private coaches and no beauty consultants.

Jing Luyan, a 22-year-old office worker, is not satisfied with her figure but this time she is designing her own weight loss plan.

During the May Day holiday, she went to a beauty salon to follow a weight loss-through-massage program devised by a consultant, and lost five kilograms as the program promised. But it didn't make her happy.

"I had to go to the salon on time and spend three to four hours there every day," she said, "When I started work again, I felt like I had no holiday."

She said the salon consultant not only took her money, but also took up her precious leisure time.

So she has decided to do it herself this time. Her plan, the fruit of her own experience and a lot of searching on the internet, includes diet food and sports.

"Window-shopping is a practical and economical way of losing weight," Jing winked, sharing one of her tips.

Probably many girls agree with Jing's approach as managers at the Nirvana Fitness and Spa Center and Hosa Fitness Club are not expecting many clients during the holidays.

Hou Lulu, a newspaper editor said she would exercise outdoors during the holidays, jogging, hiking and climbing hills, which is a more natural way of staying fit.

"Going to a fitness club is one way of keeping fit but I like to get out into the great outdoors when I have the time," Hou said.

Tourists also want to retain control of their time and money.

Three big travel agencies in Beijing, China Travel Service, China International Travel Service and China Youth Travel Service, have all seen a slight drop in customer numbers for the upcoming holidays compared with the same period last year.

And many of those who still opt for trips organized by a travel agency prefer semi-self-service routes where they have more decision-making power.

Zhang Xiaojun, deputy general manager with China Travel Service, said his agency is organizing domestic drive travel for the first time this year.

Overall, fewer Chinese are traveling this holiday season, but the domestic drive option has attracted a lot of people, boosting domestic travel routes by 10 percent.

"People are more thoughtful about 'Golden Week' travel, and they are demanding more of a share in the decision-making," Zhang said.

He said many people now choose to travel by themselves. The fact that they no longer want to go to the top traditional scenic spots poses a big challenge to the travel service industry.

The long holidays are also a good opportunity for party animals like Mao Hui, who works in a foreign company.

Mao, 29, said he would organize gatherings of colleagues and former classmates, and would also go to pubs by himself.

"I don't have time to meet new friends during weekdays and have to make good use of the long vacation," he said, adding that he still didn't have a girlfriend.

Parties and extra leisure time lead to more sales of emergency contraceptives and pregnancy test kits after the long holidays, said Song Jingwen, manager of the Guanchengtang drug store in Haidian District, Beijing.

"People have more opportunities for fun during the long vacation," Song said.

But quite a lot of people are going nowhere but home since there will be a Mid-autumn Day during the holiday this year.

"Nothing beats staying at home and enjoying mom's home-cooking, " said Kou Bo, a 20-year-old college student, who has bought a train ticket for her hometown Xi'an City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

China has three seven-day holidays each year: Lunar New Year or Spring Festival early in the year, Labour Day (May 1-7), and the country's National Day (October 1-7).

The three "Golden Weeks" holidays are a delicious break for city and rural workers alike, and they also boost domestic demand, stimulate consumption and help restructure the economy.

Inevitably, they bring a few nuisances in their wake such as overcrowding at places of interest or even damage to historical sites. When the holidays are over, some exhausted people are reluctant to go back to work.

(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2006)