Another Circle Trip
Here is another circuitous trip I had. We can consider this a circle trip, or a series of circle trips. This wasn't only in the country (mainly abroad). Yet, full of fun learnings.
My route went like this: TAC ✈ CEB ✈ TPE ✈ HAN ✈ DAD ✈ SGN ✈ PNH ✈ REP ✈ HAN ✈ VTE ✈ DMK ✈ MNL ✈ CEB ✈ TAC. Hahaha, ridiculous? Well it was fun!
The little red planes above are international flights, while those in other colors were domestic flights inside their respective countries. Oh okay, let's describe the codes.
For easy identification and understanding, I numbered the flight legs - 13 flights!
I went from Tacloban to Cebu. Then Cebu to Taipei transiting to Hanoi and Danang. After Danang, I went to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) transiting to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
After Phnom Penh, I flew transiting at Siem Reap (that's still Cambodia) going back to Hanoi, this time to stay a few days. After Hanoi, I departed for Vientiane in Laos.
After Vientiane, I jetted to Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport. New Year's celebrations over, I flew to Manila just transiting to Cebu, also in transit to Tacloban.
Reason for "why were my flights like that"? Cost! Well, some of those routes I needed to do (due to this thing called work), but for the 'holidaying', it was for cheaper fares!
Of course you'll only know those nitty-gritties if you read this and my coming stories!
Searching-for And Choosing Flights
So, how do I decide on which flights, or fight-route/s to get? Ay, I always say "thanks to the internet era", this thing which was a daunting task became easy and fun to do.
No exaggeration, I do love challenging my self with the so many search tools online.
01. Once I know my destination (due to work, or I just want to go there), I google! On this particular example, I needed to be at Danang (Vietnam), from Tacloban. Hiyaay!
OMG! Complicated? Wheh, no issue really heheh! I just typed tacloban to danang on the search box, and google offered so many possible route and flight combinations!
And it already tells me there are no direct flight between Tacloban and Danang.
Oops wrong wrong mali sayop, I had to pass via Cebu pala, to get some documents and clean clothes! So I re-typed my google search to become cebu to danang. Ayos!
No direct flights too (as if I don't know hehe), but flight combinations are aplenty.
Tip#1: when you search on google, there are buttons atop the results page for more options. Respective prices are shown too. I compare all their various combinations.
Those results are collated by google, but they come from a multitude of online flight resellers such as expedia, agoda, trip.com, etc. or even the airline sites. But "not all"!
Yep, I noticed in the course of time that there probably are preferences or priorities on what google displays in search results. I think, maybe only those who pay to be listed.
But if you keep scrolling down beyond that top result displayed by google, there will still be others. When I have time, I check them all to compare availabilities or prices.
02. I choose the best options according to what is comfortable and convenient for me. These can be departure times, transit (waiting) times, AND of course the price!
Take this trip as example. Note that I was going to Danang, but my flight from Cebu passed by Taipei. Then I had another flight to Hanoi, and one more flight to Danang!
Those are flights #2, #3 and #4 on the map above. Why? Because it was cheaper by about half the price than if I went via Manila, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or HongKong.
Tip#2: too many connecting flights does not always mean it is more expensive!
How does that happen? Ah, it depends on so many factors, some of which, only the airlines know! But in my case, I knew that the Cebu-Taipei flights of AirAsia were on promo at P2,350 lang being a newly opened route! Mas mahal pa ang Cebu-Manila!
Di ba?! So I started searching if there were Taipei-Danang flights. There are! But the departure times were/are afternoon or evening. No can do, I had a Christmas Party that night! So I checked Taipei-Hanoi, then just get a domestic flight Hanoi-Danang.
P3,500 yan from Taipei to Hanoi, plus P1,500 yung flight from Hanoi to Taipei. Wala pang P8,000, three flights na yan, arriving Danang at 6:30PM, pasok sa Xmas Party!
Imagine that two international flights and 1 domestic flight, all abroad, P7,350 lang. While yung TAC-CEB ko na halos 25mins lang was already P2,054. Mahal sa Pinas!
Tip#3: Always Read and Understand Completely every flight or flight combinations that interest you. Be wary of Day Change/s and Hours Of Wait - versus your patience.
Baka nakamura ka nga, kaso 18 hours ka pala maghihintay sa connecting flight mo.
Tip#4: Also check if you need a visa for the transit city/airport. It might be a hassle trying to secure that visa, eh dadaan lang naman for a few hours. Ako, I avoid them.
This trip as an example, I could have looked at flights from Cebu to Mainland China, then get flights from there to Hanoi or Danang. Kaso, we need visa to China. Hasol!
Ikaw, kung keri lang? Go!
Tip#5: Comfort & Convenience is Personal. Do not always rely on what others say. If you don't like this or that, don't. Kapakanan at pera mo yan, ikaw ang masusunod!
Anyway, once you have eyed your most convenient flight or combination of flights...
03a. Just Click to Book? Yes, that's what many people do. But I take this extra step:
03b. Just Click to Book? Not yet. I copy (or memorize) the flight details of all those that I got from my google search. Then I go to each airline's own website, and book there, using their own booking systems. Ay if there are 3 airlines, I go to 3 websites!
Ah, that is a VERY matter important (to me at least), so I'll mark it as...
Tip#6: As much as possible, book with the airline's online booking system. Yes, the airline's website itself. If it's AirAsia, VietJet, JAL, PAL, etc., go to each of their sites.
Why is that? Let me first qualify this by saying that OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) or Booking Platforms, Aggregators, 3rd Party Sites, whatever, are not necessarily bogus.
But there is always a big advantage in doing business direct with the provider of the product or service you are availing of - i.e., the airline for flights, the hotel for rooms.
That advantage is: primarily, help and/or assistance during flight disruptions.
If you bought your tickets directly from the airline itself - meaning their own website booking service, or their offices - their staff at the airport are "obligated by contract" to assist you in getting to other flights or airlines, in case of delays or cancellations.
If you bought your tickets at 3rd party booking sites, all the airline's airport staff can do is tell you: "please get in touch with your booking agent" (ex.: agoda, expedia, etc.)!
Eh nasa airport ka na, nagkakagulo na, paano/saan mo sila tatawagan? Me sasagot ba in the first place? As in now na?! Have you ever tried calling any of them before?!
While if you got your tickets from the airline itself, their check-in staff, or their ticket staff at the airport can and will help you find the best alternative flights, right there!
Note that during dispruptions, it's not that an airline's airport staff don't want to help change or re-arrange your flight/s ruined by a disruption. They're just not allowed to.
By airline industry standards, and I think it's also by law (of any land), only the seller (i.e., agoda) and the buyer (you) can agree-to, therefore execute any ticket changes.
That's why all an airline could do is say "please get in touch with your booking agent".
And you think they are rude, irresponsible, heartless, etc., etc.! No, they're not haha!
It is more likely that, you did not bother to know 'what it really means' when you buy your tickets from those 3rd party online vendors (or travel agencies for that matter)!
Now you know! And that's the only reason I don't buy my tickets from them! BUT...
Tip#7: Yes there's an advantage with buying tickets from online resellers: PRICE! It can be cheaper (by a few pesos), especially for inter-connected international flights!
And there's even another convenience, if I can call it that...
Tip#8: Connecting flights (even on different airlines) are lumped together! All that you do is one single-click, and the connected flights on various airlines are booked.
You need an example?
Try googling "Iloilo to Caracas". Then click the phrase that says "Show flights". When you click any flight in the results shown, it actually expands into so many connected flights via many airlines. But when you select that flight all those are booked as one!
A further advantage: all those flights, via separate airlines, are in one single booking record, therefore just one ticket. And, you pay for all of those in a single transaction!
How? By clicking the booking options at the bottom of the page (e.g., gotogate). So, you're transacting with gotogate, not directly with any airlines. Gotogate will pay the airlines via their own arrangement that we don't anymore know about. That simple!
Ang dali, di ba?
Pero eto na nga... the catch!
Let us say you are already on your way to Caracas, kasi me dinner-date ka with Miss Venezuela! But while transiting in Spain, your flight on Iberia gets cancelled. Ayayay!
Who can help you? Not the airline people. They will just tell you to please check with your booking agent! Huda? Yes, who the hell is that?! Yung tumanggap ng bayad mo.
In our example, it is gotogate. Nasaan ba sila? Aba malay ko dyan, sa America yata. Alam mo ba ang number nila? Nasa ticket ata yan! Anong oras na, will they answer?
Extra phone charges, not even sure if anyone will answer. Eh, you need the help now na, sa airport, sa Spain, cancelled ang flight, naghihintay si Miss Venezuela. Dinner!
Samantala, if you bought your ticket from an airline's own website, you just ask help from their airport staff, tapos! THAT, is why I don't buy tickets from 3rd party sites.
Let us go back to my circle trip. Oo nga pala I was going to Danang hahaha!
After google showed me results of flights that would connect me from Tacloban to Danang, I went to each airline's website and booked there. Paano? Isa-isa! Ganito...
For my Tacloban-Cebu leg: I went to the PAL website; for my Cebu-Taipei leg: I went to AirAsia site; for my Taipei-Hanoi-Danang trip: I visited the VietJet website. Ganun!
First 4 flights pa lang yan. Eh, I had 13 flights hahaha!
A little tedious though I enjoy it. Plus, if anything is wrong at any airport or flight, the airline staff in front of me has no choice but to assist me. No need to call anywhere.
That, for me, is a very important part of traveling - yung walang stress sa airport!
Oi there are more pros and cons about whether to book via online resellers or direct with the airlines like I do. There are airline alliances too. Ah, I treat them as an airline.
But let's cover them in my later stories, as we all travel along!
For now, there goes my little "1, 2, 3 secret" when looking-for and booking-flights to destinations that don't have direct flights from where I am. And I always opt for 03b!
Those are so many flights I'm doing around the northern parts of South East Asia.
Aw, you already know the drill... "let's start from the very beginning"!
That's next!
My route went like this: TAC ✈ CEB ✈ TPE ✈ HAN ✈ DAD ✈ SGN ✈ PNH ✈ REP ✈ HAN ✈ VTE ✈ DMK ✈ MNL ✈ CEB ✈ TAC. Hahaha, ridiculous? Well it was fun!
The little red planes above are international flights, while those in other colors were domestic flights inside their respective countries. Oh okay, let's describe the codes.
For easy identification and understanding, I numbered the flight legs - 13 flights!
After Phnom Penh, I flew transiting at Siem Reap (that's still Cambodia) going back to Hanoi, this time to stay a few days. After Hanoi, I departed for Vientiane in Laos.
After Vientiane, I jetted to Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport. New Year's celebrations over, I flew to Manila just transiting to Cebu, also in transit to Tacloban.
Reason for "why were my flights like that"? Cost! Well, some of those routes I needed to do (due to this thing called work), but for the 'holidaying', it was for cheaper fares!
Of course you'll only know those nitty-gritties if you read this and my coming stories!
Searching-for And Choosing Flights
So, how do I decide on which flights, or fight-route/s to get? Ay, I always say "thanks to the internet era", this thing which was a daunting task became easy and fun to do.
No exaggeration, I do love challenging my self with the so many search tools online.
01. Once I know my destination (due to work, or I just want to go there), I google! On this particular example, I needed to be at Danang (Vietnam), from Tacloban. Hiyaay!
OMG! Complicated? Wheh, no issue really heheh! I just typed tacloban to danang on the search box, and google offered so many possible route and flight combinations!
And it already tells me there are no direct flight between Tacloban and Danang.
Oops wrong wrong mali sayop, I had to pass via Cebu pala, to get some documents and clean clothes! So I re-typed my google search to become cebu to danang. Ayos!
No direct flights too (as if I don't know hehe), but flight combinations are aplenty.
Tip#1: when you search on google, there are buttons atop the results page for more options. Respective prices are shown too. I compare all their various combinations.
Those results are collated by google, but they come from a multitude of online flight resellers such as expedia, agoda, trip.com, etc. or even the airline sites. But "not all"!
Yep, I noticed in the course of time that there probably are preferences or priorities on what google displays in search results. I think, maybe only those who pay to be listed.
But if you keep scrolling down beyond that top result displayed by google, there will still be others. When I have time, I check them all to compare availabilities or prices.
02. I choose the best options according to what is comfortable and convenient for me. These can be departure times, transit (waiting) times, AND of course the price!
Take this trip as example. Note that I was going to Danang, but my flight from Cebu passed by Taipei. Then I had another flight to Hanoi, and one more flight to Danang!
Those are flights #2, #3 and #4 on the map above. Why? Because it was cheaper by about half the price than if I went via Manila, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or HongKong.
Tip#2: too many connecting flights does not always mean it is more expensive!
How does that happen? Ah, it depends on so many factors, some of which, only the airlines know! But in my case, I knew that the Cebu-Taipei flights of AirAsia were on promo at P2,350 lang being a newly opened route! Mas mahal pa ang Cebu-Manila!
Di ba?! So I started searching if there were Taipei-Danang flights. There are! But the departure times were/are afternoon or evening. No can do, I had a Christmas Party that night! So I checked Taipei-Hanoi, then just get a domestic flight Hanoi-Danang.
P3,500 yan from Taipei to Hanoi, plus P1,500 yung flight from Hanoi to Taipei. Wala pang P8,000, three flights na yan, arriving Danang at 6:30PM, pasok sa Xmas Party!
Imagine that two international flights and 1 domestic flight, all abroad, P7,350 lang. While yung TAC-CEB ko na halos 25mins lang was already P2,054. Mahal sa Pinas!
Tip#3: Always Read and Understand Completely every flight or flight combinations that interest you. Be wary of Day Change/s and Hours Of Wait - versus your patience.
Baka nakamura ka nga, kaso 18 hours ka pala maghihintay sa connecting flight mo.
Tip#4: Also check if you need a visa for the transit city/airport. It might be a hassle trying to secure that visa, eh dadaan lang naman for a few hours. Ako, I avoid them.
This trip as an example, I could have looked at flights from Cebu to Mainland China, then get flights from there to Hanoi or Danang. Kaso, we need visa to China. Hasol!
Ikaw, kung keri lang? Go!
Tip#5: Comfort & Convenience is Personal. Do not always rely on what others say. If you don't like this or that, don't. Kapakanan at pera mo yan, ikaw ang masusunod!
Anyway, once you have eyed your most convenient flight or combination of flights...
03a. Just Click to Book? Yes, that's what many people do. But I take this extra step:
03b. Just Click to Book? Not yet. I copy (or memorize) the flight details of all those that I got from my google search. Then I go to each airline's own website, and book there, using their own booking systems. Ay if there are 3 airlines, I go to 3 websites!
Ah, that is a VERY matter important (to me at least), so I'll mark it as...
Tip#6: As much as possible, book with the airline's online booking system. Yes, the airline's website itself. If it's AirAsia, VietJet, JAL, PAL, etc., go to each of their sites.
Why is that? Let me first qualify this by saying that OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) or Booking Platforms, Aggregators, 3rd Party Sites, whatever, are not necessarily bogus.
But there is always a big advantage in doing business direct with the provider of the product or service you are availing of - i.e., the airline for flights, the hotel for rooms.
That advantage is: primarily, help and/or assistance during flight disruptions.
If you bought your tickets directly from the airline itself - meaning their own website booking service, or their offices - their staff at the airport are "obligated by contract" to assist you in getting to other flights or airlines, in case of delays or cancellations.
If you bought your tickets at 3rd party booking sites, all the airline's airport staff can do is tell you: "please get in touch with your booking agent" (ex.: agoda, expedia, etc.)!
Eh nasa airport ka na, nagkakagulo na, paano/saan mo sila tatawagan? Me sasagot ba in the first place? As in now na?! Have you ever tried calling any of them before?!
While if you got your tickets from the airline itself, their check-in staff, or their ticket staff at the airport can and will help you find the best alternative flights, right there!
Note that during dispruptions, it's not that an airline's airport staff don't want to help change or re-arrange your flight/s ruined by a disruption. They're just not allowed to.
By airline industry standards, and I think it's also by law (of any land), only the seller (i.e., agoda) and the buyer (you) can agree-to, therefore execute any ticket changes.
That's why all an airline could do is say "please get in touch with your booking agent".
And you think they are rude, irresponsible, heartless, etc., etc.! No, they're not haha!
It is more likely that, you did not bother to know 'what it really means' when you buy your tickets from those 3rd party online vendors (or travel agencies for that matter)!
Now you know! And that's the only reason I don't buy my tickets from them! BUT...
Tip#7: Yes there's an advantage with buying tickets from online resellers: PRICE! It can be cheaper (by a few pesos), especially for inter-connected international flights!
And there's even another convenience, if I can call it that...
Tip#8: Connecting flights (even on different airlines) are lumped together! All that you do is one single-click, and the connected flights on various airlines are booked.
You need an example?
Try googling "Iloilo to Caracas". Then click the phrase that says "Show flights". When you click any flight in the results shown, it actually expands into so many connected flights via many airlines. But when you select that flight all those are booked as one!
A further advantage: all those flights, via separate airlines, are in one single booking record, therefore just one ticket. And, you pay for all of those in a single transaction!
How? By clicking the booking options at the bottom of the page (e.g., gotogate). So, you're transacting with gotogate, not directly with any airlines. Gotogate will pay the airlines via their own arrangement that we don't anymore know about. That simple!
Ang dali, di ba?
Pero eto na nga... the catch!
Let us say you are already on your way to Caracas, kasi me dinner-date ka with Miss Venezuela! But while transiting in Spain, your flight on Iberia gets cancelled. Ayayay!
Who can help you? Not the airline people. They will just tell you to please check with your booking agent! Huda? Yes, who the hell is that?! Yung tumanggap ng bayad mo.
In our example, it is gotogate. Nasaan ba sila? Aba malay ko dyan, sa America yata. Alam mo ba ang number nila? Nasa ticket ata yan! Anong oras na, will they answer?
Extra phone charges, not even sure if anyone will answer. Eh, you need the help now na, sa airport, sa Spain, cancelled ang flight, naghihintay si Miss Venezuela. Dinner!
Samantala, if you bought your ticket from an airline's own website, you just ask help from their airport staff, tapos! THAT, is why I don't buy tickets from 3rd party sites.
Let us go back to my circle trip. Oo nga pala I was going to Danang hahaha!
After google showed me results of flights that would connect me from Tacloban to Danang, I went to each airline's website and booked there. Paano? Isa-isa! Ganito...
For my Tacloban-Cebu leg: I went to the PAL website; for my Cebu-Taipei leg: I went to AirAsia site; for my Taipei-Hanoi-Danang trip: I visited the VietJet website. Ganun!
First 4 flights pa lang yan. Eh, I had 13 flights hahaha!
A little tedious though I enjoy it. Plus, if anything is wrong at any airport or flight, the airline staff in front of me has no choice but to assist me. No need to call anywhere.
That, for me, is a very important part of traveling - yung walang stress sa airport!
Oi there are more pros and cons about whether to book via online resellers or direct with the airlines like I do. There are airline alliances too. Ah, I treat them as an airline.
But let's cover them in my later stories, as we all travel along!
For now, there goes my little "1, 2, 3 secret" when looking-for and booking-flights to destinations that don't have direct flights from where I am. And I always opt for 03b!
Those are so many flights I'm doing around the northern parts of South East Asia.
Aw, you already know the drill... "let's start from the very beginning"!
That's next!
Comments
Post a Comment