Almost have 60,000 F Flyer miles... Asia?

goosehorn

goosehorn

500+ Posts
Hello travelers and advice givers. I am a traveling kind of guy, but I havent had much of an opportunity to do it. I have a pretty great opportunity, and I want to dream big. Help me out here, Hornfans.

The facts:
- My Brother lives in Nagoya Japan and Ive never been to see him. He has friends in Tokyo so I would have free places to stay in both cities.

- I am a teacher, so I will have about 5 1/2 weeks to do this trip.

- The flight will obviously be free

- I will probably drop about $3,000 - 4,000 on the trip.

- I have a very good friend that can get me a discount at a major hotel in just about every city that they have them. Recently, I went to Downtown San Fran and only had to spend $60 a night!

I live in Little Rock, so I need a decent vacation to say the least.

What i would like to do:
-I'd want to use Japan as a home base to take off to see other places for about 4 days each. I'd like to go to Seoul, Hong Kong, maybe even Phuckett. My brother goes on pretty cheap vacations to some place called Saipan, and he said he'd take me there on his tab. I want to see all these places, but I'd like to see them for atleast 3 days each. Phuckett maybe 5.

What I need from Hornfans:
What is the best way to travel in Asia? Should i book through a travel agency? travelocity?

Are there other places I shoud see? Are there any recommendations for what i can do in Seoul or some of those other places?

What are the dangers I'd be facing? Theft? Language barriers? Overpacking?


This may be my last free summer for a few years as I might go and get a Ph.D and have no free time or money for a while. I am going to try and make this a super trip before I get too old or too settled down. I know this sounds like alot, and I may be acting like a naive fool, but I really want to give this a shot. Help me hornfans!
 
Asia has many low-cost airlines that you can book directly on the web. AirAsia is one of the largest. For reference, it is 6 hours from Tokyo to Bangkok, 2:30 hours Bangkok to Singapore, so that should provide some background for weekend trips.

For Phuket, try phuket.com. BTW, I believe that our summer coincides with the rainy season in Phuket. Koh Samui may be a better choice for that time of year. For the major cities, if you are staying at a major hotel chain, they should have locations. I would skip Seoul and do Bangkok. Hong Kong is definitely worth the trip.

Most folks in the tourism trade will speak plenty of English. Most of Asia is safer to travel in than Europe. Any decent guidebook will give you enough info about the few scams to watch out for.
 
Just did Hong Kong, Cambodia, Bangkok and Southern Thailand last January. Use Phuket as a "jumping off point" for other islands. I wouldn't stay there for any length of time - WAY too many tourists. You can't get a sense of the real beauty of the Thai beaches and people from Phuket. Use the airport there then head south to Krabi (Koh Lanta) or Koh Lipi - great places to get away from it all. Be warned - as pretty as Phi Phi Lei is (beach from "The Beach") - be prepared for throngs of tourists there during the day. Hong Kong is an incredible city. We only spent 3 days there - wish I'd had more like 5 or 6.
 
If I can make a suggestion, I think you should keep those frequent flyer miles and pay for the flight. It is my view that miles should only be used if you are getting business or first class--otherwise, it's just not a wise trade. You can generally get flights to Asia pretty cheap (i.e., less than $2,000) on both American and United with a little advance warning. That way you get miles and elite status points for that big trip, and I just think 60,000 miles is too much to spend on a cramped coach seat that would otherwise cost you $2,000.
 
Thanks for the responses so far...

I will try those other locations in Thailand. I dont like a bunch of tourists.

As far as not using the frequent flyer miles... that actually isnt a bad idea. Actually, if I were to buy 60,000 miles, at $25 per 1000 miles, the flight would only cost me $1500. The only thing though is that i was intending on having the flight that is the dropping off point be free so I could spend money on visiting the other places.

I guess i need to think about this a BUNCH more. I guess that is why I posted it here.
 
Phuket is touristy, but, for a reason. It is a beautiful area. You can can also look at Khao Lak, if you want to be in that area.

As I mentioned before, take a look at the typical weather for that time of year. I do believe it is better to travel to the Gulf of Thailand area instead of the Andaman, as far as beach weather goes.
 
goose asked me to respond to this.

Flights once in asia are very cheap and you can book and not pay until 2 days prior to leaving.

I am obviously in HK but I have enjoyed Siem Reep Cambodia for Angkor Wat, I like Phuket but I stay at Trisara and never leave the compound.

If you can get to Bali and stary up in Ubud in the Jungle it's great.

I like Korea but it's very expensive You could spen weeks in Japan alone. You should climb mt Fuji if possible.

I like Bangkok and Saigon - both are great. I hear very good things lately about lately.

If you are coming to HK you should take a 250 USD ragonair flight to beijing and see all the sights - i'd definitely do that. Shanghai is awesome for the club scene.

Beijing is absolutley bumping. it's really come alive and there are days of historical stuff to see - forbiddon city is a full day if you really want to see it all.

If you are going to China or Bali get your Visas before you come.

I think it's absolutley crazy to use miles for flights, you should only use miles for upgrades.
 
My trip looks like this so far...

Nagoya/ Tokyo for about 7-10 days

Beijing for 4 days

Shanghai for 4 days

Hong Kong for 3 days

Somewhere in Thailand for 9 days

Ho Chi Minh city for 2 days

Guam or Saipan for 3 days

Tokyo/ Nagoya for the remainder of the trip

Do ya'll reccomend flying to all these destinations, or is railway better?
 
Look into Cathay Pacific. They have an all asia pass that gets you to Hong Kong and numerous asian cities for something like $1399 from LA, SF or NYC. You can then earn AA miles.
 
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