May Day Road Trip Guide: Avoid These 3 Times or Waste 2 Hours Stuck
May Day holiday, 5 days of free highway tolls (May 1-5), many people are planning road trips.
But honestly, the biggest problem with May Day driving is: traffic. Last year I drove home for May Day, a 4-hour trip took 7 hours. Stuck on the highway, looking forward—all cars, looking back—still cars, nearly had a breakdown.
This year I did my homework, summarized these 3 worst traffic time periods, hoping to help you avoid some jams.
Time 1: First Holiday Morning (May 1, 8:00-12:00)
This is the worst. Everyone leaves that morning, thinking “leave early, arrive early.”
Result? Everyone thinks the same. Highway entrance queues, toll booth queues, service area queues—traffic everywhere.
Avoidance tips:
- Either leave the night before (April 30 evening), after midnight it’s free
- Or delay until afternoon departure (May 1 after 2pm), when morning departures have reached destinations
Last year I left May 1 morning, stuck 3 hours. This year I plan to leave April 30 evening—less traffic at night, plus free passage.
Time 2: Last Holiday Afternoon (May 5, 14:00-20:00)
This is the return peak. Everyone wants to return before free period ends, so everyone returns the last afternoon.
Avoidance tips:
- Return a day early (May 4 evening), though you pay one more night hotel, you save hours of traffic
- Or leave the last holiday morning (May 5 morning), avoid afternoon peak
A friend returned May 5 afternoon last year—3-hour trip took 6 hours. He said: next time I’d rather pay for one more night hotel than sit in highway traffic.
Time 3: Highway Exits Near Popular Attractions
Besides highway traffic itself, exits near popular spots often jam up. Examples:
- Hangzhou West Lake area
- Suzhou garden area
- Chengdu area ancient towns
During May Day, highway exits at these places often have multi-kilometer queues.
Avoidance tips:
- Exit one exit early, take national or provincial roads to bypass
- Or choose less popular destinations, avoid crowd peaks
Last year I went to Hangzhou, stuck 1 hour at the exit. Later took a small road, actually faster.
Other Traffic-Avoiding Tips
Besides avoiding these 3 times, some other tips:
- Check navigation app real-time traffic: Before leaving, check navigation app traffic conditions, reroute around red sections
- Prepare food and water: If stuck, at least won’t go hungry
- Keep gas tank full: Traffic increases fuel consumption, don’t wait for fuel light to find service area
- Stay calm: Traffic is May Day norm, don’t speed just to save time
Final Thoughts
May Day road trips mean traffic is inevitable. But if you can avoid these 3 worst times, at least save a few hours.
After all, holidays are for relaxing, not wasting time on highways.