11 tips for buying airfares

MSNBC recently had an article outlining the 11 tips for buying airfares as gathered by Airfarewatchdog.com. These tips are in addition to the usual advice given (i.e. connecting flights are often cheaper than non-stops) and although some of them are American-centric, they are well worth repeating again here:

1. Check fares often
2. Try a flexible fare search
3. Sign up for the airlines’ e-mail feeds and frequent flyer programs
4. Sign up for fare free alerts
5. Search airline sites individually
6. Sign up for Ding Fares (Southwest in the USA)
7. Buy hotel + air packages
8. Use Priceline for last minute trips
9. Combine two separate fares rather than buying one fare
10. Buy tickets on an airline that will refund the difference if a fare goes down
11. Don’t listen to airfare pundits who predict airfares

And of course, if you are based in Bangkok or are thinking of traveling there, be sure to check out BangkokBestFlights.com for the latest deals on flights from Bangkok to anywhere in the world.

Interesting Tokyo videos

Tokyo can easily be described as one of the most fascinating cities in the world and this Lonely Planet video entitled “Tokyo Moods” does a great job of capturing the essence of the city:

However, and before you think of relocating to Tokyo, this Cost of Living in Tokyo video is a must watch. In it, a westerner residing in Tokyo goes through his monthly bills and will give you a good idea of just what you are in for!

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The 2009 OAG Airline Industry Award results

For 27 years, the OAG Airline Industry Awards has honored the very best in global air travel. In fact, the OAG awards are considered to be the equivalent of the Oscars for the global airline industry. This year’s winners include the following:

OAG Airline of the Year 2009

• Winner: Singapore Airlines
• Finalists: British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Virgin Atlantic

Best Airline based in Asia

• Winner: Singapore Airlines
• Finalists: Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Malaysian Airlines, Thai Airways

Best Airline based in Australasia/Pacific

• Winner: Qantas
• Finalists: Air New Zealand, Air Pacific, Jetstar, Virgin Blue

Best Airline based in the Middle East/Indian Sub-Continent

• Winner: Emirates
• Finalists: EL AL, Etihad, Jet Airways, Qatar Airways

Best Europe to Asia/Australasia Airline

• Winner: Singapore Airlines
• Finalists: British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qantas

Best Transatlantic Airline

• Winner: Virgin Atlantic
• Finalists: British Airways, Continental Airlines, Lufthansa, United Airlines

Best Transpacific Airline

• Winner: Singapore Airlines
• Finalists: Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, United Airlines

Best Economy/Coach Class

• Winner: British Airways
• Finalists: American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines

Best Executive/Business Class

• Winner: Continental Airlines
• Finalists: British Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic

Best International First Class

• Winner: Singapore Airlines
• Finalists: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates

Best Airport

• Winner: Singapore Changi
• Highly Commended: Heathrow
• Finalists: Amsterdam Schiphol, Dubai International, Kuala Lumpur International

OAG winners are chosen by asking frequent flyers to consider which airlines they have flown on in the past 12 months in each of OAG’s award categories. They are then asked to rank and vote online for their top three airline choices in each category and the results are calculated based upon a formula that takes into account how many times an airline was voted 1st, 2nd or 3rd by each traveler.

Price comparison: Larousse Gastronomique prices

First published in 1938, the Larousse Gastronomique is the bible of gastronomy and French cuisine in particular but later additions have included other cuisines. Hence, the third edition in 2001 grew to more than 1,350 pages while a more concise edition was published in 2001 and a new and further revised edition was published in October of 2009.

Thus, the Asian Wall Street Journal’s weekly Arbitrage column has recently conducted a survey of prices for Larousse Gastronomique in various cities in Asia and around the world. Surprisingly, the survey found that prices for the book were highest in Europe (VAT perhaps?) and generally the lowest in Asia.

Price Comparison*

Frankfurt	€118	US$176
Rome	€96	US$143
Brussels	€105	US$157
Paris	€71	US$106
New York City	US$91	US$91
Bangkok	2,950 Baht	US$89
Manila	3,780 Pesos	US$81
Singapore	S$102	US$73
London	40 Pounds	US$66
Kuala Lumpur	220 Ringgit	US$65

* Octopus Publishing Group. Prices are based foreign exchange rates as of November 23, 2009.

The 2009 Zagat Airline Survey results

Recently, Zagat conducted their 2009 Airline Survey covering 16 domestic and 73 international airlines and to no one’s surprise, Singapore Airlines along with a couple of other airlines based in Asia dominated the top rankings. Here are the survey results for international airlines:

Top Rated International Airlines, Premium
1. Singapore Airlines
2. Cathay Pacific Airways
3. Emirates Airline
4. Air New Zealand
5. Virgin Atlantic Airways

Top Rated International Airlines, Economy
1. Singapore Airlines
2. Emirates Airline
3. ANA (All Nippon Airways)
4. Air New Zealand
5. Thai Airways

Best In-Flight Entertainment, International
1. Virgin Atlantic Airways
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Continental Airlines
4. British Airways
5. Delta Air Lines

The Zagat survey was based upon the opinions of 5,895 frequent fliers along with travel professionals.

4 travel lessons a road warrior learned the hard way

There are some travel lessons that even road warriors will sometimes forget and have to relearn the hard way. Fortunately, the blogger behind the Pearls of Travel Wisdom blog and the SmartWomenTravelers.com website has recently written a post repeating the following lessons that she recently relearned the hard way:

Lesson 1: Always, always, always look at your boarding pass and luggage tag to ensure that they are taking you and your bags to the desired location.

Lesson 2: Get your food and drink ahead of boarding the flight, as there may not be what you expect on the plane. This is also great advice for those long tarmac delays, as your patience will last longer when your stomach is happy.

Lesson 3: If there was any chance that your luggage came in on an earlier flight, or may not have made your flight due to tight connections, just check as the baggage office. They should be able to tell you what flight your luggage was on.

Lesson #4 is (compliments of my wise husband): Always have a full charge on all electronics before boarding a plane.

And if you are living and traveling around Asia, I would further add two lessons I have either learned or almost learned the hardway:

Lesson #1: Just because nationals from neighboring countries do not need to pre-arrange a visa to certain countries like Vietnam, that doesn’t mean nationals from the USA or Europe have the same privileges.

Lesson #2: Do not forget your travel adapter if you want to charge or recharge your electronic devices when visiting countries that also happen to be right next to each other but may use different size outlets.

Keeping the above lessons in mind will save you from having both time and money wasted on your next trip within the region.

ANA announces new product offerings

While Japan Airlines (JAL) continues to announce losses and may soon be out of business, the Cranky Flier blog has recently noted that All Nippon Airlines (ANA) on the other hand is pouring serious money into improving its product offerings. These changes include:

Economy:

ANA economy seats will now have a 34 inch pitch, headrests, footrests and have 10.6 inch monitors with full audio/video on demand, iPod connectors, USB ports and power outlets.In addition, the cabin is laid out in a 2-4-3 configuration

Premium Economy:

ANA Premium economy class will also have 2-4-2 configuration while the seats themselves will have a 42 inch pitch with dividers between armrests.

Business Class:

ANA Business Class seats recline to a fully flat position and are laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration while screens are 17 inches and customers can order their own meals via touchscreen whenever they feel like eating.

First Class:

ANA First Class or “First Square” is also in a 1-2-1 configuration and screens are 23 inches plus all the amenities you can dream of.

The changes will begin rolling out on February 20 on 777-300ER aircraft beginning with the Tokyo-JFK route and then the Tokyo-London and Tokyo-Frankfurt routes by the end of 2010. By 2011, the changes will go into affect on other USA and Europe routes.

Price comparison: Turkey prices

If you are American, you are probably already planning your Thanksgiving dinner for next week and of course, no Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without the traditional Thanksgiving Turkey. Hence, the Asian Wall Street Journal’s weekly Arbitrage column has conducted a survey of prices for turkeys in various cities in Asia and around the world. The survey found that prices for Turkeys were highest in Europe, lowest in New York (no surprise there) and somewhere in the middle for cities in Asia.
Price Comparison*

London	€48	US$76
Brussels	€45	US$71
Frankfurt	€45	US$71
Bangkok	2,300 Baht	US$69
Shanghai	430 Yuan	US$63
Jakarta	381,333 Rupiah	US$41
Manila	1,700 Pesos	US$39
Kuala Lumpur	127 Ringgit	US$38
Singapore	S$52	US$38
Hong Kong	HK$240	US$31
New York City	US$23	US$23

* 5.5 kilograms, frozen and uncooked. Prices are based on foreign exchange rates as of November 18, 2009.

Packing an airplane or travel busy bag for a child

Traveling with small children can be an interesting experience – especially if its a long flight between Asia and Europe or North America. Hence Debbie, the blogger behind the DeliciousBaby (making travel with kids fun) blog, has recently written a very helpful post about packing an airplane or travel busy bag. Debbie begins by describing the ideal airplane or travel toy as being:

• Quiet
• Compact
• Small pieces are easy to contain so that they don't end up on the floor, and loosing a piece doesn't destroy the play value of the entire toy
• Not so precious that you would mind loosing it
• Not fragile
• Preferably no batteries (or if there are batteries, make sure they are fresh)
• Engaging. Self contained crafts are especially great, but be wary of crafts that might make a mess or contain smelly glues or paints.
• Can be played with independently or with a parent

She also points out that the perfect travel toy does not have to be “expensive and intricately designed” and that you should have a good mix that will allow your child to engage in different types of play (she has also posted a helpful list of suggested items along with where you may obtain them). In addition, she notes that parents should:

• Wait to bring out your busy bag until you've exhausted all the "built-in" entertainment.
• Try not to open the busy bag in the airport terminal. As exhausted as you might be, the terminal is the place for your child to stretch their legs and, if possible, run.
• Dole out the items one by one, making sure that play is exhausted before starting another
• Consider wrapping each item. Young children are so thrilled with unwrapping "gifts" that they won't mind if you wrap something they already own.

So should you be traveling in the near future with small children, Debbie’s post and her blog in general will prove to be a valuable resource.

Beautiful All Nippon Airways anime commercials

The Japanese are the true masters of animation or anime. In fact, they have used anime to produce some beautiful commercials. One such commercial was produced by All Nippon Airways and was showed at the recent New York Anime Festival. It shows "the art of arrival" on ANA:

In this second ANA commercial, ANA 747-400Ds celebrate the opening of the new Terminal 2 at the Haneda Airport in Tokyo a few years ago:

ANA is also a member of Star Alliance and hence, the aircraft formation in this third commercial is the Star Alliance’s trade mark:

Price Comparison: Tripp Trapp Stokke highchair prices

Since 1932, the family owned Stokke company based in Norway has produced a wide range of ergonomic and unique furniture for different customer needs, including the Tripp Trapp highchair - “the chair that grows with the child.” The award-winning highchair is available in 11 different colors and with a wide range of optional accessories.

Recently, the Asian Wall Street Journal’s weekly Arbitrage column conducted a survey of prices for a Tripp Trapp Stokke highchair in various cities in Asia and around the world. The survey found that prices were considerably higher in Asia than in Europe. In fact, buying a Tripp Trapp Stokke highchair in Shanghai will cost you US$221 more - twice as much than if you were to buy one in London.

Price Comparison*

Shanghai	2,680 Yuan	US$393
Singapore	S$519	US$374
Kuala Lumpur	1,080 Ringgit	US$319
Hong Kong	HK$2,272	US$293
New York City	US$271	US$271
Paris	€169	US$253
Rome	€155	US$232
Frankfurt	€150	US$225
Brussels	€148	US$222
London	103 Pounds	US$172

* Natural finish. Prices are based upon foreign exchange rates as of Nov 11, 2009.

How to bargain when shopping in Asia

If you are on your first visit to Asia and plan to do any shopping, get ready to learn how to bargain – something that many Westerners are not accustomed to. Hence, PassportChop.com has recently posted a short article about bargain shopping techniques to use in Shenzhen or Hong Kong. However, these bargaining techniques could be employed anywhere in Asia when shopping. 

Some of the bargaining techniques suggested by PassportChop.com include:

1. Do your research.  In other words, compare prices for similar products at different shops as well as back home. There may be instances where what your are looking for will actually cost less back home than in Asia (check out our Price Survey postings to get an idea of prices in Asia and how they compare with prices around the world).
2. Make a lower offer than you would plan to see what price the vendor will agree on.  If your target price is 50% of the opening price, start with 40%.
3. You will most definitely be made a counter offer (usually 80% of opening price).  Consider the offer and then make a 5-10% concession from your starting price. After a long pause, the vendor may cut his price even further.
4. During the bargaining process, keep smiling and keep the exchange of offers and counter-offers light and relaxed.  Remember, in most Asian cultures, showing anger in public is not considered appropriate.
5. Continue Step 3. Keep doing a give and take with the vendor until you come to an agreement on a price - usually 50-60% of original price.
6. If you still cannot get a good price, politely reject his counter offer, smile and walk away slowly.  If the vendor follows you, try to negotiate a lower price.
7. If he/she doesn’t come running after you, it is quite clear that the vendor is not making a profit at the price you want.  In other words, you now know what the real market price is for the item that you want.

Keeping the above tips in mind will save you money on your next shopping trip in Asia.

Useful iPhone travel applications

Sherman’s Travel magazine recently had an article (Essential iPhone Travel Apps) listing a number of iPhone travel related applications worth downloading for their usefulness or user friendliness. These include (and we have also tried to include some useful links to more detailed reviews or to the sites where they can be downloaded):

• iMedjet - A virtual first-aid kit.
• Urban Spoon, Local Eats, Yelp & Zagat - Locate restaurants and read their reviews and menus.
• Truphone & Skype - Make long-distance phone calls over the internet.
• Nearest Tube & TomTom - Pinpoint attractions and subways using the iPhone’s internal compass and video camera.
• FlightTrack - Access live status updates for flights.
• Currency – Calculate and convert foreign exchange rates.
• HiConverter - Convert various measurements.
• Translate It!, Lingolook, Flashcards, QTranslator – Some of these iPhone translation application tools will not only translate words and phrases, but they can also offer useful cultural tips.
• Sit or Squat – Find free public toilets anywhere in the world.
• GasBag - Find the gas station with the lowest price.
• Flashlight – Use the iPhone’s screen as a flashlight.

So if you own an iPhone and are a frequent traveler, be sure to download and try out some of these applications on your next business trip or vacation.

Tips for traveling with a laptop or notebook/netbook

Both business and leisure travelers alike are increasingly traveling with laptops or their smaller cousins, notebooks or netbooks. However, traveling with a computer can be both a blessing and a pain. Hence, Chris Mitchell, the blogger behind the Travel Happy blog, has posted several tips that travelers with laptops or notebooks should be aware of. These tips include:

1) Don’t take your laptop travelling if you can’t face losing it

2) Get a decent laptop backpack

3) Store all your data on a USB Thumb Drive

4) Backup

5) Universal Adapters and Power Surge Protectors

6) Keep A Clean Machine

7) Move all your Email To Gmail

In addition, Chris has recently posted a review of the Samsung N110 Netbook which he says is the ultimate laptop to take while travelling. According to him, it is lightweight, cheap, cost effective and has a ling lasting battery. In other words, all of the qualities that you want in a travel notebook or netbook.

 

 

 

 

The world's oddest airport attractions

The November 2009 issue of Travel & Leisure (T+L) recently had an article about the world’s strangest airport attractions. Some of the odder airport activities include killing time on a Sony PlayStation 3 at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle International Airport and getting your teeth cleaned at the São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport.

In Asia, three airports had “strange” attractions that made the list:

• Inhale cinnamon-scented oxygen at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (Terminal 1, Oxygen Lounge Juko). Travelers may hook themselves up to self-serve tanks that pump exotically flavored oxygen for either a 10-minute (600 yen/$6) or a 20-minute (1,200 yen/$12.50) sessions.
• Experience a “4-D” movie at the Hong Kong International Airport (Terminal 2, 4D Extreme Screen). Travelers will view Asia’s largest 4-D projection screen in a 360-seat theater where films come with 3-D glasses and special effects such as wind, fog, water spray and bubbles.
• Admire butterflies at the Singapore Changi International Airport (Terminal 3, Butterfly Garden). Travelers will find 47 species of butterflies that roam freely among hanging plants, including carnivorous pitcher plants. Plus the Butterfly Garden has a butterfly breeding and feeding area.

In addition, frequent road warriors may also be interested in checking out T+L’s smart guides to the world’s top airports.

Price Comparison: Marc Jacobs Lola perfume prices

The Marc Jacobs Lola perfume is the latest perfume from Marc Jacobs (according to one perfume review blog, it follows the “über-pleasant, über-cheerful Daisy, and is being touted as Daisy’s ‘confident and slightly vampy older sister’”) and potentially a great gift for someone special on valentine’s day or a birthday.

Hence, the Asian Wall Street Journal’s weekly Arbitrage column conducted a survey of prices for a 100-ml bottle of Marc Jacobs Lola in various cities in Asia and around the world. The survey found that prices were highest in Sydney and in Europe with prices significantly lower in Singapore and Hong Kong. 

Price Comparison*

Sydney	A$160	US$144
Rome	€91	US$134
Frankfurt	€89	US$131
Paris	€89	US$131
Singapore	S$150	US$107
Hong Kong	HK$780	US$101
London	59 Pounds	US$97
New York City	US$92	US$92

* A 100-ml bottle and prices are based upon foreign exchange rates on November 4, 2009.

Tipping in Vietnam

If you are traveling to Vietnam, you may be wondering how much of a tip to leave and how tipping there compares with other countries you have visited. Hence, the Conde Nash Traveller Tipping Guide (which is available on the Conde Nash website and is also downloadable in pdf format) offers a very handy and useful reference guide for tipping in more than 35 countries around the world.

According to the guide, visitors should scan their restaurant bill first just in case the gratuity was included. If that is the case, throw a few extra bills on top and if no gratuity was included, then you should leave a tip of about 10% in cash and a little extra if you tip via a credit card. At Vietnamese hotels, a concierge should receive about US$20 if he does you a favor such as securing hard to get reservations somewhere outside the hotel. Doorman don’t need to be tipped but you should leave cleaning staff with US$2 a day at the end of your stay. In addition, massage therapists in upscale Vietnamese hotels should receive US$5 to US$10 and if you visit a days-long spa, find out the tipping policy in advance.

Meanwhile, guides should receive US$10 per person per day while drivers should receive about half of that amount. Taxi drivers don’t need to be tipped but you may also choose to round up the fare to a larger denomination. For drivers of cyclos or bicycle carriages, its ok to add a tip of a few dollars on top of the usual US$10 fare. 

Finally, US dollars are widely accepted in Vietnam and US$2 bills are considered to be rare and lucky. Hence, bring a supply of them to give to porters.