Remember that time you were so caught up in the excitement of a trip you left your phone in the back seat of a cab? Multiply that feeling by thousands, and you get a sense of what went down this past Labor Day holiday in China. See, I’m an avid user of Didi Chuxing, the Chinese ride-hailing giant, kind of like their Uber. And this year, Didi reported a whopping 34% increase in ride demand compared to the days leading up to the holiday, with cross-city travel spiking by an unbelievable 99%! That’s a lot of people on the move, and as you can imagine, a lot of lost belongings. Personally, I’ve been lucky so far (knock on wood!), but Didi’s data painted a picture of a massive wave of lost phones, hats, baby stuff…you name it! Apparently, they managed to reunite a staggering 22,800 items with their owners during the holiday. Can you believe that?! Phones were the number one culprit, with nearly 10,000 recovered. It makes sense, right? We’re all glued to those things these days, especially when we’re traveling and trying to capture every moment. And speaking of travel, it seems like everyone was itching to explore after being cooped up for so long. Trips to far-flung provinces were all the rage, with places like Qinghai, Gansu, Tibet, Ningxia, and Jilin topping the charts for out-of-province travelers. I’m more of a city slicker myself, but I can see the appeal of those wide-open spaces, especially after the year we’ve had. What’s interesting is that it wasn’t just about ticking off those bucket-list destinations. Didi saw a huge surge in demand for travel to smaller, less conventional spots too – places like Hegang in Heilongjiang, Ali in Tibet, Altay in Xinjiang, Baicheng in Jilin, Guoluo in Qinghai, and Diqing in Yunnan. It seems like people were craving something different, off the beaten path. I can relate to that! Sometimes, the most memorable experiences come from those unexpected detours.The whole experience got me thinking – amidst the frenzy of travel and the inevitable hiccups, there’s a certain comfort in knowing that companies like Didi are going the extra mile to reunite us with our lost treasures. It’s a small gesture, but it speaks volumes about their commitment to customer service. Plus, it’s a great reminder to be extra vigilant when we’re on the go! We’re all susceptible to those moments of forgetfulness, especially when we’re caught up in the excitement of a new adventure. But hey, at least now we know Didi’s got our backs!