Some thoughts on my past, present and future overseas trips

I won't be going to Hawaii this June. As much as I wanted to since I'll be in Osaka and there are convenient and affordable connections from there. Unfortunately, the flight timings couldn't work out for me. Both Scoot and Airasia X inbound flights will only arrive in Osaka after I'm scheduled to depart Osaka on SQ business class flight. And I wouldn't give up my SQ 787-10 business class flight for anything in the world! Yup, so Hawaii will be for another day..

On the other hand, I couldn't resist booking a cheap flight ticket to almost any destination, especially if originating from Singapore and the timing is suitable for me. In the end, my vacation keeps getting longer and the number of vacation destination keeps increasing. My recent additions include Dubrovnik and Osaka. 

Just a couple of days ago, I chanced upon Scoot's new flight from Singapore to Nanchang, China. As the inaugural flight timing is suitable, I booked an open jaw flight with Scoot without giving much thought. Flying from Singapore to Haikou and returning from Nanchang on the inaugural flight. This gives me a chance to visit both Hainan and Nanchang in one very short trip.

This brings me to my next point. While making flight bookings for my future trips, I realised that I will be relying a lot on budget airlines in the world. In Asia, I have and will book through Scoot, Jetstar and AirAsia for their budget fares.

In Europe, I will be relying on Norwegian and Ryanair. I prefer Norwegian as they offer free and fast wifi for all passengers on board their shorthaul flights. Not sure if they have extended to longhaul flights.

Budget airlines flights, though low cost, comes with many restrictions and negligible benefits. For a start, I can't earn miles, or achieve status or lounge access. 

Previously, I have achieved Sq krisflyer or star alliance gold status due to frequent flying with Sq and its star alliance partners. Benefits of the gold status include lounge access with a guest whenever I travel on any star alliance airline in any class, priority check-in and boarding the flight, free seat assignment on some occasions and able to check in free or more luggage on some airlines. However, this is after spending a fortune on airline tickets to achieve the status. 

Nowadays, I'm taking a more prudent and budget approach to travelling. I seldom splurge on airline tickets. And I become more accepting of budget airlines and their affordable fares, allowing me to fly to more countries for vacation. This comes with some sacrifice though. For example, no complimentary food and drinks onboard, no free check-in luggage, and most of all, no lounge access.

I tried to circumnavigate the last point by  credit cards that comes with free lounge access. In Singapore, these cards include Amex krisflyer ascend and Dbs visa altitude. Amex allows four free plaza premium lounge access a year while Dbs allows two free priority pass lounge access a year. So together I can access lounges on six occasions in most airports in the world. Not too bad I would say.

Yup, with these free lounge access, I am ready to give up my kf gold status and its benefits. The money saved by taking budget flights can be used to travel to even more countries.

Time and tide wait for no man ! Haha. I want to explore as many parts of the world as I can. So time for me to embrace budget airlines.

Updates on my 2018 holiday trips & SQ 787-10 business class

I'm very thankful that I am able and have the means to travel overseas for a vacation. Over the years, especially since last year, I have learnt to be conscious of my holiday budget and not overspend. So I'll be adopting the same travelling mindset in 2018.

Due to a sudden turn of events, as in one day before I was due to fly to Darwin, I did not get to visit Darwin during the cny. Instead, I spent the holiday in Genting, Malaysia. Though I have been to Genting many times by now, it was still enjoyable and I visited Kuala Lumpur as well. So Darwin, and probably Cairns will be set aside for another vacation. Haha ! This time, I will try and combine these two cities in one trip.

In March 2018, I will be positioning to New Delhi, India for my Cathay Pacific business class flights to Beijing, China. For the couple of days in China, as I have already been to Beijing twice, I intend to visit Wuhan, Hefei and Xi'an for the terracotta army museum. This will be my first time visiting these cities. I will be doing so by train, including overnight trains to save time and budget. With that, I won't be staying at a hotel in China at all.

This is also my first time booking train tickets on ctrip mobile. Hopefully, my bookings will turn out well.

Though I have been to China for about 6 times now, there are still many cities I have yet to uncover. I think it will take me many more vacations to completely explore the whole of China.

In June, before heading to Europe, I chanced upon SQ 787-10 business class flight tickets Osaka-Singapore return costing ~$950. It didn't take me long to decide as I know from experience that the tickets will be gone quickly. The fares were only around for a couple of days too.

SQ 787-10 planes are regionally configured with new regional business class seats arranged in 1-2-1 configuration. I have previously travelled on SQ A330 regional business class and SQ 77W and A380 long haul business class seats. SQ will be the first airline in the world to start flying the B787-10 plane in May 2018 so I'm excited to try their latest business class seats at a low cost.

Unfortunately, the low costs were booked originating from Osaka, so I will need to book positioning flights to Osaka as well. Well, a small price to pay for SQ's excellent in-flight service! Since I will be in Osaka, I'm also trying to work out the possibility of visiting Honolulu, Hawaii since both Scoot and Airasia X operates cheap flights from Osaka. Will update on this development soon.

After Osaka, I will commence my tour of Europe. My plans starts to firm up due to the availability of affordable flight tickets. Other than Svalbard and Faroe islands, both of which I am very excited about, I'll be visiting the following places:

Dubronik, Croatia. A Unesco city with many impressive scenery seen from newspapers. I chanced upon cheap flight tickets from Manchester to Zadar. From there, I plan to take an overnight coach to Dubronik. Will need time to iron out the details.

The Golden Pass train in Switzerland. The Golden Pass train actually consists of 3 separate trains taken in series along a very scenic route from Luzern to Montreux or vice versa.

Amalfi coast and the isle of Capri. Another beautiful place in Italy. I have already booked my hotel in Amalfi. As it a popular tourist destination and the hotel costs may rise quickly.

Just the planning of the itinerary makes me very excited. I can't wait to get to these places. Hopefully, things will turn out well!

Meanwhile, I will continue to work hard and take good care of myself so that I can visit these places in the world. I must always remember that travelling is a privilege and not something to take for granted. With that, thank you.

Virgin America domestic flights thoughts

After my Easter Island highlight, I took the great Latam business class flight via Santiago back to Mexico City. I arrived at Mexico City in the morning and due to depart for San Francisco at night. As I have already explored Mexico City prior to Easter Island, I decided to book the Izzzleep hotel (capsule hotel) and rest for the day. A waste of time in Mexico City, I know. On hindsight, it might be cheaper to explore the city and leave my luggage at the luggage deposit for a small fee.

Anyway, my aeromexico flight reached San Francisco at ~11pm. My flight out of San Francisco is at 6am the following morning. So I decided to overnight at the airport canteen area. Fortunately, there is a bench for me to lie down for a couple of hours. There are a few others overnighting at the canteen as well. 

Having travelled to many countries, there are only very few times that I would overnight at the airport. This arrangement might not be totally safe as my luggage is not secure and may be stolen while I sleep. Also, there might be people around up to no good. Fortunately, my gamble paid off and I overnighted safely.

About 2.5 hours before my flight out, I made my way to the Virgin America check-in counter in the domestic terminal via the 24 hour  airtrain.

On this month-long trip, I took the Virgin American flight twice. Once SFO-SAN and the other SFO-LAX.

On the first flight,  check-in was smooth but the flight was delayed due to a technical issue. All passengers had to deplane and wait for ~1 hour to board another plane.

On the second flight, there was a hiccup during the check-in which could potentially throw off the rest of my travel plans. The check-in agent initially informed me that I was unable to board the flight and advised me to contact Hainan airlines which ticketed the flight. After doing the international call to Hainan airlines in China, things turned out smoothly and a second check-in agent was able to check me in without issue. Fortunately, the Hainan airlines call was quickly answered and my queries addressed. Otherwise, I might end up buying another flight ticket.

This second flight ended up very delayed, and I had to rush through the very, very long connecting walkways at LAX just in time to catch my Hainan airlines flight to Asia. Sadly, my luggage didn't make the transfer due to the delay.

Delays aside, boarding Virgin America plane is a cool experience. Boarding mood lighting is great and with all the window shades closed,  creates a very unique experience. I have not experienced this on any other airline. 

I can actually keep the window shade down from boarding right up to disembarking at my destination ! 

How many airlines let passengers do this ?

Not to mention the safety aspect of this as passengers will not be aware of what's happening outside the plane.

As both domestic flights are very short sectors of ~1 hour each, I'm not sure of the practice for longer flight sectors.

Entertainment controller is located on the armrest itself.

Virgin America short haul narrowbody planes are equipped with IFE for all passengers. A great perk!

Anyway, I reached San Diego ~ 1 hour behind schedule. In my next post, I shall detail my visit to San Diego. It is not as touristy as neighbouring San Francisco, but still worth a visit.

Tour of Easter Island

This is perhaps the highlight of all my trips in 2017. Easter Island ! I have booked this trip ~ 6 months in advance, taking advantage of discounted Latam business class fares from Mexico City.

It's an island that is nature at its best. Unspoilt and pristine. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Accommodation on Easter Island consists mainly of guesthouses and a few hotels. I chose to stay for 5 nights at Korina Guesthouse due to the affordable rate. 

Such wonderful hosts. Airport pick up and dropoff are included in the price. As with many other accommodation stays. I had the private room to myself, which I think can easily accommodate three.

The room is kept clean and housekeeping is done daily. Towels are changed daily as well, though I need to provide my own shower amenities. There is no air conditioning in this room, only fan(s) are provided.

The guesthouse resembles a kampung to me, just like Singapore in the olden days. Not that I have experienced it haha! Roosters are abound and they wake me up everyday.

The guesthouse is ~ 10 minutes walk into town. Essentially a main street of shops.

The shops comprise mainly tour companies, bike or car rental, supermarkets, cafes and souvenir shops. Nearer the ocean, there are shops providing diving equipment rental.

There is a church near the main street.

Easter Island is a small island completely surrounded by the pacific ocean, so I was never far from the waters. The pictures taken are almost always beautiful and natural.

Sydney and Hong Kong are on it !

An extinct volcanic crater

The famous yet mysterious moai standing proudly on the island

Sunset with the moai

The outdoor moai factory

Fifteen moai statues

The only beach on Easter Island

In conclusion, Easter Island is definitely worth a visit. A couple of days on the island should suffice as it is not big. I joined two full day tours that covers almost all the main tourist attractions on the island. It is necessary to bring along the park ticket bought at the airport as the park rangers will stamp on it, otherwise entry at some guarded attraction will not be allowed. I was on the island for six days. So on some days I roamed the main street and parts of the island myself.

Easter Island airport review

In my opinion, Easter Island airport is one of the coolest airport in the world. No, it doesn't have all the amenities found in Singapore Changi airport, or Hong Kong airport, or Seoul Incheon airport. It is not consistently rated one of the best airports in the world. 

In fact, it only has some duty free shops and a cafe both landside and airside. There is no business class lounge for latam's premium passengers.

Easter Island is situated in the midst of the mighty Pacific Ocean. The nearest land, I believe, is Santiago, Chile, ~4 hours flight time away.

After 4 hours later, the first sight of Easter Island came into view. I'm fortunate to see it on the left side. The plane makes a big round before landing.

Final approach to Easter Island

There is no airbridge on Easter Island. Not that it ever needs one. The airport serves at most two Latam flights a day. One from Santiago and one from Tahiti. Some Latam flights from Santiago will carry on to Tahiti. Same for the return journey.

There are two lanes towards the airport terminal building. One is immigration to enter Easter Island. The other is transit for onward journey to Tahiti or Santiago.

Every visitor to Easter Island needs to purchase a park ticket to visit several attractions here. And this ticket is only available for purchase here. So everyone will queue up to get one. And it's not cheap.

Since my flight is a domestic flight, there is no need for immigration. So after purchasing the ticket, I waited for my baggage before meeting my Easter Island host. 

On Easter Island, airport transfer is included for most accommodation stays. The host will meet the guest at the arrival area and hang a traditional lei around the neck.

On departure from Easter Island, I had a chance to roam around the duty free shops. I purchased a few souvenirs which sadly I will probably not see again. Haha!

Upon entering the terminal building, all luggage had to be scanned with friendly security personnel. Then on the left are some duty free shops. On the right are Latam check-in counters. I'm surprised that there is a separate queue for business class passengers. There is no queue at all when I arrived.

After passing through immigration and security, there are both indoor and outdoor seating area, some duty-free shops and a cafe.

Here's where I spent most of the time waiting for my flight. 

Moai at the airport

The outdoor area makes for some great plane-spotting. Not that there are a lot of planes to spot. At most two latam planes at the airport at any given time of day.

Boarding a B787 by stairs. How often can we experience this ? 😊

Santiago airport & Latam lounge review

Transiting from international to domestic flights on latam airline requires me to re-clear immigration and security and re-claim baggage at the airport. Santiago airport is a fairly small airport despite being the capital of Chile. There are a couple of souvenir shops at the departures level. 

Latam airlines has a separate premium check-in facility one level above economy check-in. It is not clearly signposted and I knew about it because I had done homework. Check-in and baggage drop can be done for both international and domestic flights. There is a link towards a premium security check with no queues and the lounge immediately after that. On this trip, I was only able to use the lounge once for my SCL-MEX flight. And after the nice shower in the lounge, I hardly had any time to enjoy in the lounge before it was boarding time.

For domestic flight, I was directed towards the domestic terminal a short walk away from the international terminal, both under the same roof. The domestic security queue was long but moved fast.

The domestic terminal airside was quite basic, with just a few eateries and no lounge for business class passengers. The international terminal airside on the other hand was full of souvenir and duty-free shops after exiting the lounge. 

Santiago airport X'mas tree

showcase Easter Island moai

At the gate area in Santiago airport. Easter island is displayed as I. Pascua.

Latam Airlines B787 Business Class review '17

Latam airlines B787 has two different aircraft liveries. One features LAN (old version) and the other features LATAM (new version). 

In the B787 aircraft, business class is arranged in a 2-2-2 flat-bed configuration. So window seat passengers do not have direct aisle access. For me who enjoys sitting by the window, I would have to cross over my fellow seat mate mid-flight, when he is in the sleep mode. 

Meals are of good quality. Mid-flight, flight attendants are mainly in the galley and do not walk around the cabin.

Business class passengers receive a good quality amenity kit on international flights. The only domestic flight that Latam operates with business class is Santiago to Easter Island. For that, only a subpar quality amenity kit is provided. In Santiago airport, the domestic terminal does not have a lounge, so business class passengers on this particular flight do not have lounge access.

The best feature in business class - flat bed !

Pre-departure champagne & nuts

Amenity kit on the international sector

First of two meals on the MEX-SCL sector

On my way to Santiago, South America !

Breakfast on the MEX-SCL sector

In conclusion, Latam features a great business class product on their B787. Amenities and meal service are sufficient. The only negative is their 2-2-2 seating arrangement. Paying about ~S$1600 on a 4-sector business class on its B787, I guess this is as good as it gets.

Mexico City airport LATAM Premium Lounge

After 2 great days in Mexico City, it is time to move on to the main show of this trip. Easter Island ! Two main shows in fact. The other one is Latam Airlines B787 business class. I have booked the flights and Easter Island accommodation for about 6 months in advance for a fraction of the original price.

As I stayed at Izzzleep located within the airport terminal, it is basically a short walk to the check-in counter. Hardly any queue for both premium and economy class. After being informed that I need to collect my luggage in Santiago and check in again for my onward flight, I'm on my way to the lounge!

Latam shares the premium lounge with Iberia, both being oneworld airlines. Fortunately, the lounge was almost empty when I arrived and it didn't really get packed towards departure time.

There is only one shower cubicle located within the toilet. I collected the towel basket from the reception and enjoyed the shower before the flight.

The lounge has limited seats but is still sufficient for the few premium customers. There are high-top seats at the front, with leather seats and even comfortable sofa to lie down at the back of the lounge.

The lounge had drinks but limited variety of food. There was a bar with a bartender to make drinks. A calm and comfortable place to freshen up for my flight.

Mexico City tour 'Dec 17

Another reason to why I stayed at the Mexico city airport hotel is because the airport has convenient connection to downtown.

Mexico city public bus 4 links the airport terminals to the historic district. The list off stops are available online so it is easy to plan in advance. Each ride costs 30 mexican peso from the airport to downtown and vice versa. The ticket must be paid by the bus card, which can be purchased from a ticket machine near the airport bus stop. Prior to boarding, I had done my homework and remembered the steps to purchase the card. Otherwise, the machine isn't exactly tourist friendly, in my opinion. The journey takes ~45 minutes with the return journey being faster. Other than an airport link, it is also heavily used by the locals nearer to downtown. So the bus will be packed along the way.

To many tourists from Asia, Mexico city is not a heavily promoted tourist destination, unlike U.S., Canada and big european cities. And the perception from the media is not tourist friendly either. Granted, in a big city, there will always be dangerous spots. Fortunately, for the days I was there, Mexico city appeared vibrant and safe as it could be. 

Thanks to the airport bus line 4, I avoided taking a cab in case of being overcharged or scammed for being an obvious tourist. I was probably one of the rare Asian tourists in Mexico city at that time.

Fortunately, I was able to transfer from the airport bus to the hop-off-hop-on bus stop a short walk away. On the first day at Mexico city, the guide thankfully allowed me on the bus even though I didn't hail it at an official stop. Subsequently, I was able to get around with the city tour map.

Mexico city is a big city. The sightseeing bus has 3 routes, each taking more than 2 hours to do a loop. Also, the operation hours of the bus is short, and it gets dark early in december. So I was only able to do the city loop. The ride and the scenery was so interesting that I took the same ride again on the second day. Haha ! I did a full loop without getting down the bus. Zocalo, one of the terminus of the sightseeing bus, the main tourist attraction in Mexico city, is certainly worth visiting. Anyway, when the sky started to get dark, I alighted from the sightseeing bus at the same stop that I boarded and transferred to bus 4 to the airport.

Some interesting sights:

An interesting observation. Mexicans queued up at the bus stops while waiting for the bus. There would be a single queue. When the bus comes, those getting on will leave the queue orderly while those waiting a different bus will let the others pass. Talk about being gracious. 

We in Singapore could use this as an example. We only queued in bus interchange and terminals but not at bus stops.

Asian countries certainly need to promote Mexico city more as a tourist friendly destination since it is near the U.S. and doesn't cost too much more to visit compared to other Latin American countries such as Chile. Much as I enjoyed being in Mexico city, I would not return any time soon as I would like to visit other countries.