BEIJING , China ( CNN ) -- At Beijing 's East Train Station , some travelers are literally carrying their lives on their back . Passengers crowd a railway platform in Beijing as New Year holiday migrations get underway . `` I do n't know if I 'm going to come back , '' said one migrant worker on his way to his home province . `` I might just end up working on the farm . '' He was weighed down by a giant pack filled with everything he could call his own . Millions of migrant workers are leaving the cities , returning to their homes in the vast Chinese countryside , for the Chinese New Year holidays . But not all will be celebrating . Many do not have jobs to come back to . They flocked to the urban areas during boom times to earn a better living . Some have not seen their families for years -- the trip home is too expensive . But they have sent money home faithfully every month . When they finally can go home , the journey is long . Watch passengers haul huge bags on journey home » . `` I will be standing on the train for 24 hours , '' said one man on his way to Zhejiang province on the country 's eastern seaboard . Some will travel much farther . The migrant workers are among 188 million people heading home for the holidays , also known in China as Spring Festival . But the actual numbers might be much higher . Travel is already up significantly compared to last year , when brutal snowstorms stranded passengers for days . Watch this year 's snowstorms grip part of China » . This year , more people seem to be going home than usual because of the global economic crisis . There are so many passengers trying to get from one place to another that tickets are hard to come by . Planes , trains and buses are fully loaded to destinations across the country . The train is the most popular option , cheaper than a plane and faster than a bus . But tickets are selling out fast . Some people have waited in line for hours , even days to get a ticket . `` I started standing in line three days ago , '' said one man . `` There 's no way to buy the ticket . '' Others stood at the entrance to Beijing 's East Station with signs . `` Need two tickets to Weihan '' or `` Want to go to Inner Mongolia . '' Some blame the ticket shortage on scalpers who are hoarding tickets , then re-selling them for a profit . One man said he wanted 100 yuan or $ 15 more per fare and indicated he had tickets to multiple destinations . The Chinese government has cracked down on scalpers , arresting more than 4,000 . But many Chinese think scalpers are more of a solution , than a problem . One woman told us she bought a ticket from a scalper because there was no other way . All the tickets to her hometown were sold out days in advance . The desperate hunt for tickets is a sign this could be China 's most massive mass migration ever . And with the Chinese economy slowing down so much , so fast , this may be the last time some people are making the trip .
Downturn could make this year 's Chinese new year migration biggest ever . Many will spend several days traveling to see family and friends . With rail tickets scarce , scalpers are able to charge inflated prices .