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alternative routing

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surviving Travel
In North America the all asia pass
(and Beyond)

beyond travelocity

alliances
contrarian travel

instant elite challenge

By Chris Guillebeau
1 »
»
Southwest Airlines
JetBlue
SURVIVING TRAVEL IN Most travelers are familiar with the Southwest model,
NORTH AMERICA but there are a couple of other good points about budget
airlines that are not common knowledge.
I prefer to avoid U.S. travel in favor of International Travel 1) Southwest and JetBlue are not the only
as much as possible. The major airlines have become so budget airlines.
poor that I would rather go on a ten hour flight to Asia or There are currently more than 20 budget airlines operating
the Middle East than fly from New York to California. every day in the U.S. and Canada. Destinations and
If you’re planning a vacation, there are still plenty of places schedule times vary, but the thing to remember is that these
around the world you can go where you’ll find great value. airlines do not usually show up in travel agency searches
(We’ll cover some of those later.) It’s true, though, that if like Travelocity and Expedia.
you live in the U.S. or Canada, there will probably be some
trips during the year that you’ll need to make for work or The reason they do not appear when searching for flights
family visits. is usually because they do not pay commission to the
agencies. Therefore, you’ll need to do some sleuthing of
Therefore, what should you do during those times? A few your own to find out which budget airlines operate from
ideas are below. your city.
Budget Airlines vs. Legacy Airlines Here’s a few links to get you started:
Legacy airlines are the traditional big, U.S. airlines,
including United, American, Delta, and Continental, as » Spirit
well as Air Canada up north. You probably already know » SunCountry
something about alternatives to these airlines, including » AirTran
budget carriers such as Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue. » Virgin America
» Allegiant Air
Together, those two budget airlines have been the leaders » USA3000
of the low-cost airfare revolution, and they’re still worth
considering whenever you travel. You can find their sites (Perhaps because it’s relatively new, Virgin America is
here: winning accolades for its service and overall experience.
Fares are often equal to or lower than other airlines. If you


Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
have a choice among several carriers, I’d recommend you can read more and see photos of that experience here.
check them out first.)
Unfortunately, most airline lounges in the U.S. aren’t that
2) Even if you don’t fly with a budget airline, having exciting. If you want to experience a truly amazing lounge,
them come to town brings down the fares for other you’ll need to head over to London. But even though the
airlines. U.S. lounges aren’t quite like Virgin’s, they can at least be a
peaceful place to have a drink and wait for your flight away
This is called the “Southwest effect.” Whenever Southwest, from all the crowds.
or sometimes another budget carrier, begins operating on a
route previously held by only the legacy airlines, prices tend But… how do you get in? Aren’t the lounges reserved for
to suddenly drop as the larger airlines realize they can no First Class passengers only?
longer squeeze out as much profit.
No, not entirely. There are a few alternatives you can use to
Having a variety of choices is always in the best interest of get your own spot in a quiet airline lounge in most major
the consumer, and the airline industry is no exception. This airports. Any of the following strategies will work:
is why even though Southwest is not my favorite airline, I’m
happy to see them expanding their network and leading the » Become an elite member
fight against legacy carriers. (see the next section for more info) and the airline will
usually send you a couple of free day passes. You’ll still
How to Get Airline Lounge Access need to pay for full membership, but you’ll at least get to
In the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in London’s Heathrow check out the lounge to see if it’s worth it for you.
airport late last year, I deliberately arrived four hours early
before a flight to Tokyo. Thanks to a Frequent Flyer ticket » Get invited by another member
that cost only $212 including taxes, I had the chance to Most members are allowed to bring at least one guest
enjoy the world’s ultimate airline lounge, which featured without charge, so if you ask someone nicely outside the
two full restaurants, an enormous bar, an office, a library, a door, they’ll probably let you in.
spa, a whirlpool, video games, and a whole lot of other stuff,
all complimentary for those passengers who were fortunate » Get Priority Pass
enough to get in the door. This alternative to branded airline lounges offers generic
lounges in more than 500 airports around the world. (Note:
I even got a free haircut by the same stylist who cuts
Richard Branson’s hair whenever he passes through! You


Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
be sure to carefully review the airport list before signing up flying than is normally required. Instead of needing 25,000
to see if it will really help you) or 50,000 flight miles, you can do it with as little as 5,000.

Priority Pass Each of these opportunities—the Gold or Platinum


challenge, and the elite gift bonuses that often accompany
» Get a Platinum AmericanExpress the challenges--are free to sign up for, and if you can do any
It costs $400 a year (discounts of $50-100 are sometimes flying at all on American or OneWorld partners (British
available in the form of statement credits), but this Airways, Cathay Pacific, LAN Chile, etc.), it’s certainly worth
AmEx will get you in the lounge with Delta, American, your while.
Continental, and Northwest whenever you’re flying one of
those airlines. The card also offers 2-for-1 premium tickets How To Do It:
to most major worldwide destinations. 1) First, get an AAadvantage number if you don’t have one.
You can sign up here for free:
AmEx Platinum
https://www.aa.com/aa/AAdvantage/enrollmentAccess.do
» Buy a yearly membership or a day pass
If all else fails, you can usually pay to get in. The price 2) Next, call AA at 800-882-8880 the month before you
ranges from $15 to $50 for a day pass, and since not all travel with AA or any OneWorld member airline. Tell them
lounges are created equal, be sure to take a look around you want to sign up for the elite challenge. You’ll have to
before swiping your credit card. specify whether you want the Gold or Platinum challenge.
For the Gold, you’ll need to fly 5,000 miles in the next three
AA Challenge to get months; for the Platinum, you’ll need to fly 10,000 miles.
Instant Elite Status
I recently qualified for Platinum status on American A Gold challenge costs $100, and a Platinum challenge
Airlines-- even though I wasn’t even an AAdvantage costs $200. After you sign up for a Gold or Platinum
member until a few weeks before qualifying. In fact, I challenge, you should receive this email from AA that
earned the mid-tier elite status on just one long flight from contains some important information:
Hong Kong to Los Angeles.

The secret is to use AA’s little known Gold or Platinum Gold and Platinum Challenge Details
challenge to quickly earn elite status with much, much less As discussed, we have put you on a Challenge


Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
for AAdvantage Platinum membership. • Earn 1.5 points per mile when the purchased
Congratulations – and Good Luck! fare on your American Airlines ticket is booked in
one of these booking codes: A F P D I J B Y
Here are some helpful tips:
• Earn 1.0 point per mile for these AA booking
• Remember that Challenges are based on codes: H K L M V W
points, not miles, and your goal is 10,000 points
in the three-month period we discussed. If you’re • Earn .5 points per mile for these AA booking
not sure how you earn points, read on. (That’s codes: G N O* Q** S (sorry, you knew there had
why you wanted this email, right?) to be an asterisk somewhere)

• Be sure to fly AA (we know you want • How can you determine what booking code
to anyway!) since only points earned on is used for the fare you’re purchasing? Simply
American Airlines, American Eagle and ask the booking agent, whether that’s your
AmericanConnection flights (including AA travel agent, corporate travel planner or AA
codeshare flights operated by other carriers) Reservations representative. Or, even better,
count toward Challenges. when you book your flights on AA.com, the
Flight Summary screen displays the booking
• Select fares with high point values. If, for code in the same column as the cabin booked.
example, you use Deep Discount Fares, get ready
to fly 20,000 miles because those fares earn A Challenge is intended for members who are
points at half the rate of miles. But if you buy in a hurry to get to the elite level they desire.
Discount Fares, the rate is one point per mile and Think of it as a shortcut to the status you would
you can meet your Challenge by flying 10,000 probably earn on your own during the normal
elite-qualifying miles. And if you select premium 12-month qualification period. Indeed, members
fares, you earn 1.5 points per mile and can meet cannot earn their elite status by fulfilling a
the Challenge by flying just – OK, you do the Challenge two years in a row, so when it comes
math! time to requalify, please be prepared to meet the
normal criteria. We know you can do it.
• Know the point values you’ll earn for the
booking codes you select. Yes it may look like
alphabet soup, but there’s a point to these
codes. In fact, there’s anywhere from .5 – 1.5
points!


Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
Now here are those pesky but important How It Works
footnotes: After you’re a Gold or Platinum AAdvantage member, you’ll
get a card in the mail along with a confirmation of your new
*O -- only eligible domestic fares booked in O status. You’ll need to send a photocopy of these items to
will count
the airline(s) you’re seeking a status match in.
**Q -- excludes transatlantic fares booked in Q
Write a brief letter (just one or two paragraphs) explaining
that you hope to begin flying the new airline more, but you
A Couple of Other Things You Should Know: would like them to “match” the same elite status that you
» Only sign up for the challenge when you’re going currently enjoy with AA or another airline.
to be traveling. The challenges start twice a month, so you
don’t want to begin too early or too late. At the time of this writing, the following airlines were
accepting status match requests most of the time:
» Pay attention to the fine print at the bottom of that
AA email. If you are traveling on a deeply-discounted Continental, Delta, United, Alaska, Frontier, and
Economy fare, it may not be eligible for the challenge. Be BMI (U.K.)
sure to closely check the booking code of any ticket you buy
while you’re trying to obtain elite status. (American will also do a status match, but usually only for
United flyers. If you’ve used another program before, you
» There is yet another bonus when using the AA can just do a Gold or Platinum challenge to achieve status.)
challenge: on your qualifying flight (the flight in which
you “make” Gold or Platinum status), you’ll get a nice 100% By the way, the status match is an undocumented benefit,
bonus from AA. Try to make that flight a long one if you meaning that the airlines can withdraw it any time or deny
can. the request without giving a reason. Therefore, it’s probably
smart to avoid saying that you received your AA status
Status Matching of other Airlines through a challenge.
After you get AA Elite status, you can use it to become
an elite member of other airlines as well. This is because Think of it as a two or three-for-the-price-of-one deal,
several airlines will quietly “match” your elite status once and the “one” isn’t even that difficult thanks to the non-
you have acquired it with another airline like AA. advertised AA challenge.


Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
Also, if you’re not able to become an AA elite member but
have elite status in a different program, that program will 2
also help you with a status match request. I focus on AA
here just because the program is so versatile and achieving BEYOND TRAVELOCITY:
elite status is relatively easy.
WHAT I USE
No matter how you get your elite status match, be careful—
you can usually only successfully request a match once The days of using a real-life travel agent to book most trips
every few years (if not once in a lifetime), and after the first are long over. Agents still fill an important role in more
year, you’ll need to re-qualify to maintain the status. complicated trips, but for the purposes of “discount airfare,”
you’re almost always better off on your own.
If you’ll be doing much traveling in the upcoming year, it’s
great to start off on the right track as an elite member. I hope The only question is, where to start? Most people are
to see you in the airline lounge or at the elite check-in desk! familiar with sites such as Travelocity, Expedia, and
Orbitz. All three of these sites are decent places for price
comparisons, but you shouldn’t usually end there.
Specific Issues for Canadian Travel
Traveling in Canada is much like traveling in the U.S. Air
» Travelocity
Canada is the primary legacy carrier, combined with the
» Expedia
U.S. airlines that offer connecting service to Europe and
» Orbitz
Asia through gateway cities.
The most important thing to understand about these and
The primary budget airline in Canada is WestJet. Like
other online travel reservation systems is that they are
Southwest, WestJet offers good, reliable service, usually
either owned by travel agents or owned by the airlines
at fares less than those from Air Canada. There are a few
themselves. In other words, they are hardly free of bias,
other budget airlines that you can check out below:
and you won’t always get the best deal by using them
because they actively promote (and demote) particular
» Air North
airlines based on how much commission they receive when
» Porter Airlines
consumers book.
» Sunwing Airlines
» Flyglobespan
» Air Transat


Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
In other words, you’ll need to go further, and one search full 10 days, and then shift the beginning and ending range
engine to start with is Kayak.com. Kayak is not the last stop around to look at even more.)
either, but it’s a good stop.
» FareCast.com
» Kayak » FareCompare.com

At Kayak.com you can compare airfare using a creative FlyerTalk


filter system where you can select your own preferences If you get serious about flying, you may also want to check
including airline, nearby airport, departure or arrival time, out the FlyerTalk community. Flyertalk hosts a number of
and so on. I use Kayak virtually every day, and overall it is a extremely active bulletin boards devoted to each airline, as
superior comparison shopping site than Travelocity et al. well as postings explaining how to maximize your Frequent
Flyer earning. It’s a free service that provides great value.
Be aware, however, that almost all of these search engines,
whether agency-sponsored or independent, do a poor job » FlyerTalk.com
of listing results from the budget airlines. In those cases,
you’ll need to remember to go directly to a couple of budget Some of the most popular forums include:
airline sites to check on your trip at the same time you’re
checking from Kayak or the other travel search engine of » FT General Forum
your choice. » FT Mileage Running Forum
» FT OneWorld Forum
FareCast & FareCompare » FT Star Alliance Forum
These three sites provide different information that is
sometimes helpful in deciding on your trip. FareCast Priceline Combined with Other Sites
attempts to project whether the fares you see now will rise I also use the services of Priceline.com, which you may be
or fall in the next few weeks (so you know whether you familiar with, but I use it in a very different way than 98%
should buy now or hold out for a price drop). FareCompare of their users do. Priceline’s unique selling proposition is
looks at all flights between two cities over a 10-day period “Name Your Own Price.” Priceline allows travelers to bid
and shows you which days will be cheapest to fly. their “own price” for the airfare or lodging that they want in
a particular destination. If the bid is successful (meaning
(You can use Kayak and other tools to look at a 4-5 day if it’s high enough), Priceline will accept it and book the
period, but only FareCompare allows you to stretch it out a traveler on whichever airline and routing is available at the
time.


Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
There’s just one problem—by not letting consumers know
which hotels or airlines they’ll end up traveling with, and 3
not letting them know much about other successful bids,
Priceline is holding all the cards. If you place a bid with ALTERNATIVE ROUTINGS,
Priceline under their rules, you may get a good deal, or you
may not. Savvy travelers call it Priceline Roulette, and since FREE STOPOVERS, AND
the odds are in Priceline’s favor, it pays for you to reduce
them whenever possible. UNUSUAL IDEAS
That’s where sites like BookingBuddy and BiddingforLess There are a few unusual routings available that most
come in. These great sites serve as community forums travelers are not aware of when they search for flights. By
where hundreds of other travelers post their successful (and knowing about these options, you can sometimes have a
unsuccessful bids), as well as exactly which airline or hotel much more enjoyable experience, and you can also pick up
they received for the successful ones. easy awards seats because these flights are lesser-known.

As you can imagine, this information is tremendously Here are the most important ones to know about:
important, because it effectively lowers the knowledge
barricade that allows Priceline to have such an upper hand. New York (JFK) - Frankfurt via Singapore Airlines
By knowing the detailed experiences of other travelers, you When flying to or from Europe, one of the best flights
can usually get a much better deal. available, especially in Business or First Class, is on
Singapore Airlines. Singapore? Yes, that’s right – the Asian
Here are the links you need: airline has one daily route that flies between the U.S. and
Europe.
» Priceline
» BiddingforLess Star Alliance elite members are eligible for upgrades,
» BookingBuddy and everyone on the flight enjoys superb service no
matter where they are sitting. If you have an award flight
opportunity with United and you want to go to Europe, ask
the reservations agent to check availability on this flight.
They won’t do it if you don’t ask!


Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
Los Angeles – London via Air New Zealand You should especially look at their vacation packages even
Air New Zealand (ANZ) is one of the world’s nicest airlines, if you don’t usually book hotels with your flights. Because
but unless you take the 14-hour flight to Auckland, you hotels are so expensive in Iceland, it is much better to get
might never know it. Last year, however, they became the the hotel included for your free stopover in Reykjavik.
first airline in history to offer its own complete Round-the-
World service. They do this by flying non-stop from L.A. to Free Stopovers
London—making this a very nice flight to pick up if you’re One of the favorite tools in my travel arsenal is free
going to the U.K. or anywhere else in Europe. stopovers. Whenever you are traveling on an award ticket,
and often even a paid ticket, you should fully research your
New York (JFK) – Hamburg via Emirates stopover options.
Another new alternative that is similar to the Singapore
flight, Emirates now offers non-stop service between NYC If you thought that a ticket was only valid from one city to
(JFK) and Hamburg, Germany. The same deal applies – this the next, you’re often missing out on a very clever loophole.
is a better choice than any U.S. carrier and most European The loophole will allow you to see more cities, rack up more
carriers. Quick transfers are available to fly on to Dubai, mileage, and possibly even save you money – even though
or you can just use the route as your termination point in you are flying more.
Europe.
Yes, it’s paradoxical. But just like with Circle Pacific fares,
East Coast to Western Europe via Icelandair which we’ll get to later, airlines are not usually known for
I once flew into Reykjavik Airport, Iceland and had to make making sense. You can sometimes arrange a “stopover” to a
a mad dash to a local airport for a connection flight. I city that is actually nowhere near your intended destination.
ended up seeing about 45 minutes of Iceland along the way.
Don’t do what I did, but do check into deals with Icelandair. Read that sentence again, because it really doesn’t make
sense. But on the majority of award tickets, and many
Icelandair flies from Halifax, Orlando, Minneapolis, paid tickets, you can often stop over in a city that has no
Boston, New York, and Baltimore – all good cities that are relation to your eventual destination, and you may even be
sometimes underserved with international flights. All able to take extra flights to get there. One of the important
flights land in Reykjavik, but then you can fly on to nearly terms to be familiar with is known as maximum permitted
15 cities in Europe. A stopover in Iceland is free! The best
part is the price, because flights on Icelandair are usually
less expensive than those on larger carriers.


Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
mileage. This refers to the limit (yes, there usually is I flew to Seattle in First Class, transiting through Atlanta
one) on the number of miles you are allowed to fly on one airport just as I would a few weeks later on the way back.
ticket—but this same limit often allows you to get a free Does that sound like a stopover to you? Probably not, but
stopover in a completely different location. the airlines will often consider it that way.

I have personally used this strategy several times with Delta The free stopover strategy works with more than just Delta.
award tickets from Europe. While flying to or from Brussels, I used similar routings with a United ticket earlier this year
Paris, or Amsterdam, I have been able to visit friends and will be doing the same with a Continental ticket in
and family throughout the United States after beginning later on in the fall. The next time you plan a trip, be sure to
my awards trip. Even though Delta flies to Europe via check into stopover opportunities – it can literally help you
Atlanta and New York, I’ve also visited cities like Nashville, save hundreds of dollars.
Washington D.C., and Miami as part of the same award with
no additional fee. Less-than-free HAWAII Stopover
This option is also exciting. It is possible to fly from the
Even better, because a lot of my overseas award travel is in East Coast to the West Coast (either Canada or the U.S.) in
Business Class, Delta automatically upgrades me to First First Class and get a less-than-free Hawaii stopover as part
Class for the extra domestic flights. It’s like a truly free First of the same trip. In other words, it will be cheaper for you to
Class ticket. take the Hawaii stopover than to avoid it.

You probably think it couldn’t get any better than that, but I’m grateful to Matthew Bennett at First Class Flyer for first
actually it does. The “stopover” (I use quotes because it’s analyzing what he calls the “Hula Loophole” by using this
really like a separate trip) does not always need to be done example:
within a few days of either side of the trip. A couple of years
back, I wanted to fly to Seattle from the East Coast before On a flight from Boston to Los Angeles, the published First
going back to Europe. Even though Seattle was all the Class fare on American is $1608. However, the Boston-
way on the West Coast, and pretty much as far away from Honolulu fare is $1434 – less than the flight to L.A., and the
Atlanta as you could get, Delta approved the free flight. The flight to Honolulu allows a stopover anywhere in California.
timing for the extra flight was more than a month after I had This particular stopover requires a fee of about $50, but
landed in the U.S. (on the first leg of the international ticket, even with the fee, the fare is still more than $100 cheaper
from Europe) and several weeks before I would return. than the direct flight. You can think of it as American
Airlines paying you $100 to take an extra trip to Hawaii.
Not bad, huh?

10
Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
4 Overland Travel
While this report focuses on discount airfare, I also
CONTRARIAN TRAVEL recommend traveling overland as much as possible.
You’ll get a better experience most of the time (and when
overseas, overland travel always guarantees you’ll be a part
In short, contrarian travel refers to traveling against the
of the local culture), and usually save money.
crowds or traditional wisdom. You can go to popular
destinations during unpopular times, or lesser-known
The key phrase is usually, because the new budget airlines
destinations anytime. The ironic thing about traveling
in Europe and Asia (more on that soon) have lowered
this way is that while you’ll almost definitely save money
prices in some cases to be a lot less than taking the train.
by going against the tourist flow, you’ll also likely enjoy
In Europe especially, trains are not the bargains that many
yourself much more too.
people assume.
Instead of going to the Bahamas, try St. Kitts & Nevis or
Otherwise, though, overland travel is a great alternative to
Dominica for two great, lesser-known Caribbean spots.
flying. I like to fly into one country or region of a country,
then travel overland for a couple of days en route to another
Instead of Paris, London, or Rome in the summer, try
city. I fly out of the second city using an open-jaw ticket,
visiting any of them in the winter.
which does not usually cost more than a simple round-trip
ticket, and I’ve been able to see far more of the country and
Instead of Singapore, take a 30 minute bus ride and head
meet local people much easier thanks to the overland travel.
up to Malaysia for a more authentic Asian experience. (You
could also head over to Indonesia by ferry.)
These resources are helpful when planning overland trips:
Instead of Las Vegas, keep your money. But if you really
want to gamble, at least head to an American Indian casino
» EuroLines.net
where the profits go to education on the reservation.
» Busstation.net
» BusAbout.com
You get the idea, so consider applying it to the next trip you
» RailEurope.com
end up planning. I am a big fan of contrarian travel, and I
» Europe for Visitors
hope it helps you as well.
» India Rail Guide

11
Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
Don’t forget about ferries, either—there are some great
ferry trips throughout Scandinavia, Southern Europe, and » A current MVR (motor vehicle driver’s record) for
Southeast Asia. The best bet for finding ferry schedules ALL drivers will be needed when you arrive at the office to
is to use Google to search for the name of the city you are pick up the vehicle. If you do not have a MVR, one can be
interested in followed by “ferry schedule.” generated in the office for a small fee.

Free Rental Cars? » Foreign travelers must bring a current Motor Vehicle
One side note before we get back to discount airfare. If Record from their home country.
you’re up for driving across the U.S., or between any two
major cities, you may be able to get a free rental car. Auto For more information about how this works, check with
Driveaway, a service that helps move private vehicles Auto Driveaway.
around the country, has cars in many cities that need to be
driven to faraway distances.

AutoDriveaway 5
There are a few restrictions to be aware of: SURVIVING EUROSHOCK
» You must be at least 23 years of age with a valid IN EUROPE
driver’s license. Foreign travelers are allowed to use the
service with a passport and a valid exit visa. Euroshock is the phenomenon of losing a great deal of
money upon exchanging dollars for euros or pounds. No
» A refundable security deposit of approximately one has died of it (yet), but a lot of travelers have gone
$350.00 is required (check with the specific office that you broke. To make sure it doesn’t happen to you, you have a
end up driving for to get the exact amount and acceptable few options:
methods of payment.)
» Stay out of Western Europe
» You will be allocated a certain number of days and » Stop eating
an appropriate amount of miles to complete your trip. » Sleep on the street, or perhaps in an airport
(On the bright side, you’ll also receive the first tank of
gas free of charge.)

12
Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
If those aren’t too appealing (oh, why not?), there are a Unlike the U.S. and Canada, where there are only three
couple more serious things you can try: major discount airlines and a few smaller ones, Europe
is teeming with discounters. At last count, more than 80
Arrange alternative accommodation carriers offered regular international flights throughout the
As of summer 2008, the average London hotel price was European Union and to outlying countries as well. For the
more than $300 a night. Ouch—I try to avoid that whenever most part, you’ll experience good service, or at least service
possible. A future report will look at accommodation that is no worse than what you’re used to anywhere else.
in more detail, but for now, I recommend you look at
guesthouses, hostels, universities (this is a great idea—the In some cases, flying on discount airlines can be extremely
London School of Economics usually offers cheap summer cheap. Promotional flights are frequently offered for only
rooms, for example), shared housing, and even couchsurfing pennies (or a euro or two), plus the cost of taxes, which are
if you can handle it. usually around $25-40. Most of the time, it doesn’t work out
quite that well, but you can still fly for a lot less than taking
Here are a few resources to help with that: the train.

» Homelink Some of my favorite European discount airlines are listed


» HospitalityExchange below:
» Couchsurfing.com
» BMIBaby
Flying Within Europe » EasyJet
If there is any good news about Europe these days, it’s that » AirBerlin
once you get there, you can still travel cheaply from place to » SkyEurope
place… just don’t take the train. » AirBaltic
» Condor (also has flights to North and Central
Train voyages are the traditional approach to European America)
travel, but for better or worse, they don’t really make as
much sense as they used to. It may be nostalgic to take the Another classic carrier is RyanAir, which has a ton of flights
train, but you can usually get around quicker and pay a lot throughout the continent. To be honest, though, I don’t have
less money by choosing to fly on a discount airline. a great opinion of RyanAir. I’d take them if I had no other
choice, but first I’d spend a lot of time looking elsewhere.

13
Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
Don’t stop at the links above—you can see a full list at the
great web site AttitudeTravel.com. Attitude Travel lists 6
virtually every discount airline, and you can search for
specific destinations or see route maps reflecting your own ACROSS THE PACIFIC
interests.
TO THE WORLD’S
Attitude Travel - Europe
BEST AIRLINES
Thriving in Eastern Alternatives If you’re headed to Asia, the fun begins on the flight over.
You can combine the European discount airline strategy
Asia has most of the world’s best airlines, including Cathay
with the strategy of contrarian travel, or staying in less-
Pacific, ANA, and Singapore Airlines. These three airlines
visited places. Be aware, however, that Eastern Europe isn’t
are renowned for the fantastic service they provide to
as cheap as it used to be. If you want super-cheap, you’ll
travelers in any class. Expect multiple choices for meals,
need to skip most of the continent and head elsewhere.
complimentary cocktails, 30+ movies you can watch on
But as prices have put Western Europe across the charts,
demand, and more—even when you’re seated at the back of
Eastern Europe is still a lot more affordable if you go to the
the plane.
right places.
The U.S. carriers also fly to gateway cities in Asia, but do
By way of general recommendations, I’ve found that
yourself a favor the next time you head over that way: make
Slovenia, Hungary, and Macedonia are a few incredible
sure you reserve a seat on one of the Asian carriers. Even
places you can visit where tourist standards are high but
the second-tier carriers usually beat U.S. standards hands-
prices are a bit lower than most of Western Europe. If you
down. (The only exception to the rule of outstanding
can handle a bit of adventure (nothing too serious), then I
service, at least for now, is most Chinese carriers. I prefer to
recommend you also check out Bosnia and Albania.
fly on any other Asian airline before I travel with Air China
or China Airlines.)
Scandinavia is extremely expensive, along with the cities of
London, Dublin, Paris, and Rome. Slightly more affordable
are Amsterdam, Brussels, most German cities, and most Discount Airlines
Spanish cities. In almost all European countries, if you can Once you arrive in one of those gateway cities (typically
get away from the capital and travel to a second or third city Bangkok, Tokyo, Singapore, or Hong Kong), the good flying
somewhere in the interior, you’ll end up saving a lot as well. doesn’t have to stop. While it’s often cheaper to book your
final destination on the original airline you flew in (as long

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Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
as the two tickets are connected to one itinerary), if your Asian Alternatives and
plans are flexible or you’re visiting more than one place, the All Asia Pass
you are in luck. Just as the classic Asian airlines beat the As with most of the world, if you can head out of the
traditional U.S. airlines in every category, Asian discounters most-traveled spots in Asia and on to the lesser-visited,
also set the standard for the rest of the world. you’ll have a better experience and also save money. I
recommend spending time in Malaysia, a great place
You can go virtually anywhere in Asia on the discounters, that is often bypassed for Thailand or Singapore, and the
even off-the-grid spots such as Burma (Myanmar), Brunei, Cambodia / Laos / Vietnam subregion, another place that
or anywhere in Indonesia. is relatively easy to travel in and also more affordable than
surrounding areas.
I personally like these Asian carriers and frequently
recommend them to other travelers: Speaking of Malaysia, if you’re looking to head to Asia for
one fun and well-rounded trip, you may want to check out
» Tiger Airways (Singapore) the All Asia air pass produced by Cathay Pacific. A while
» JetStar Asia (Singapore) back, Malaysia Airlines produced an “AccessAsia” air pass
» Bangkok Airlines (Thailand) that offered North American travelers the chance to fly into
» JAL Express (Japan) Asia (in this case, Kuala Lumpur) and then head out to five
or more cities over the next few weeks as part of the same
In India, I had great experience from both Kingfisher and ticket.
Jet Airways recently:
Malaysia’s pass has been suspended (hopefully
» Kingfisher Airways temporarily—we’ll see), but Cathay Pacific started its own
» Jet Airways Asia pass called “All Asia.”

But just as with the European discounters, don’t stop You can read more about it here:
at my list—there are many more options. Head over to
AttitudeTravel.com whenever you travel, and they’ll have an http://www.cathayusa.com/offers/allasiapass/subdefault.asp
updated list waiting for you:
For just $1199, you can now fly from Los Angeles, San
Attitude Travel - Asia Francisco or New York to Hong Kong and up to 4 other
destinations within 21 days. It’s not as good as the original

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Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
passes which did not restrict the number of flights you passes like this is that they don’t allow you to earn Frequent
could take, but it’s still a nice deal. As part of the basic pass Flyer miles while traveling on them. That’s too bad,
(the $1199 one), you can go to any of these great cities: because heading to Asia and back always involves a lot of
flying hours, and I like to earn the miles. But for the price
» Bangkok and available options, you can’t complain too much.
» Busan
» Cebu
» Denpasar
» Fukuoka 7
» Ho Chi Minh City
» Hong Kong PREMIUM TRAVEL
» Kota Kinabalu Jakarta
» Kaohsiung Most people who are looking for discount airfare are
» Karachi naturally looking for Economy (Coach) seating. After all,
» Kuala Lumpur if you can afford to pay $3,000 or more for a plane ticket,
» Manila you’re probably not concerned about saving a couple of
» Nagoya hundred bucks.
» Osaka
» Penang However, there are a few things about Premium Airfare
» Phuket you may want to be aware of. Premium Airfare does not
» Phnom Penh mean only First Class; it’s usually broken down into First,
» Sapporo Business, and Premium Economy classes. (Not all flights
» Seoul will have all these sections—in fact, more and more airlines
» Singapore are moving to a two-class configuration of Economy and
» Surabaya Business only.)
» Taipei
» Tokyo I have the following general recommendations for premium
tickets:
You can also “add-on” many other cities by paying a bit
more, and the pass is fairly flexible if you need to make
changes along the way. The only thing I don’t like about

16
Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
» Premium Economy can be really nice, for much Upgrade Tips
less than Business Class fares. Virgin Atlantic, Air New The most commonly-asked question about travel is usually,
Zealand, and British Airways all other excellent Premium “How can I get upgraded?”
Economy cabins. Several other airlines, at least the major
international ones, are following suit and creating this new Well, I have good news and bad news on that subject. The
class of service. good news is that I do have the answer; the bad news is that
it’s not that easy. As airlines have tightened up on a lot of
» Book premium tickets far in advance to get things, upgrades have become extremely tight as well. If
substantial discounts, because most business travelers book you are not a premium or elite traveler, it is very hard to
on short notice when the fares are much more expensive receive a complementary upgrade without a good reason.
And no, dressing up and asking nicely is not usually a good
» The benefits of premium travel extend beyond the reason, although you can still try it (it does work from time
nice wines and comfy seats. Premium tickets are almost to time, but not that often).
always changeable without fees, and many are fully
refundable up until the day of travel However, as long as you keep your expectations low, there
are a few good things you should know:
» Booking travel in premium classes is often much
cheaper outside the U.S. and U.K. (But watch out for » Upgrades are sometimes assigned systematically,
India, which imposes a hefty “luxury tax” that negates the sometimes arbitrarily, and sometimes not at all. The
discount) systematic ones are based on a computer algorithm that
factors in your Frequent Flyer status with the airline along
» Many of the passengers flying in Premium cabins with other variables
have not paid full-fare for the privilege. I have flown in
Business class many times on a lot of long-haul routes, but I » There are several links in the chain where upgrades
have never paid much more than Economy prices. can be assigned. The most common is at the gate, and
agents try to steer would-be upgraders that way, but they
» Airlines do discount Premium fares just as they do are sometimes pre-assigned in advance over the phone and
Economy fares, but they tend to be quieter about the fare at check-in
sales. To sniff them out, you’ll need to visit the airlines’
web sites directly on a regular basis, or pay attention to the
respective airline boards in the FlyerTalk community.

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Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
» If you’ve been bumped from a flight, experienced 8
weather delays, or anything unusual, this automatically puts
you in the “Ir-Ops” (for Irregular Operations) category with FARAWAY PLACES
the airline, which can dramatically help you in the upgrade
shuffle Most readers of this report will be planning short trips
within North America, or perhaps longer trips to Europe
» Many discounted tickets that Economy travelers and Asia. Therefore, I won’t include much content about the
purchase, as well as virtually all Awards tickets, are rest of the world, but in case you’re planning to go further,
ineligible for upgrades. To get in the upgrade game at all, here’s a few specific tips.
you can’t have one of those
Africa
» Even if you are only flying a foreign airline once, you I lived in West Africa for four years, and have traveled
should always be a member of its Frequent Flyer program. throughout many countries in East and Southern Africa as
For some reason I don’t understand, many people never join well. I love Africa, but traveling there is usually expensive
Frequent Flyer programs, so by simply filling out a form and and can sometimes be difficult as well. Your best bet
getting a card that you may end up throwing away, you’re is usually flying from Europe directly to the capital of
ahead of the crowd. whatever country you are headed to, although South African
Airways, Kenyan Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines do
» If you have access to an airline lounge (see the provide good connecting service.
second section of the report), lounge agents are often more
senior and have more authority to improve your seats. Even Fares are expensive, usually beginning at $1500 from
if you can’t score an upgrade, you can usually get an exit Europe or North America, and going up to as much as
row or front-row Economy seat $2500 for round-trip Economy travel. Whenever I travel
back to Africa, which is usually at least once a year, I avoid
this high cost by using an Awards Ticket (taxes are usually
less than $150) or by incorporating the continent into a
Round-the-World trip I’m already taking.

If you’re traveling in Africa, you’ll also likely need a yellow


fever card, or any proof of being immunized from yellow

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Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
fever. This is usually only checked at land crossings, not For travel in the South Pacific, you’re best off getting there
in airports, but once in a while an official will ask for it from Hawaii on one side or New Zealand on the other.
upon arrival. Fares are expensive, but can be reduced a bit by using a
South Pacific travel pass in conjunction with an arriving
Latin America flight to the region.
More than anywhere else in the world, almost every Latin
American airport requires departing passengers to pay an
airport tax of about $20 that is not included in your ticket
even if other taxes are. 9
Copa Airlines provides good service throughout Central ROUND-THE WORLD &
America. You can also take the bus from country to country,
which is super-cheap and safe. (Well, mostly safe.) REGIONAL PASSES
Australasia and South Pacific A Round-the-World trip is the pinnacle of worldwide
It’s not as remote as Africa, but Australasia (especially travel. Since the time of Phileas Fogg, travelers have
Australia and New Zealand) takes a long time to get to and spent countless hours planning their Round-the-World
fares are usually high. You can reduce the fares by picking adventure. It’s now easier than it ever has been, and even
up the great AussieAir pass from Qantas Airlines, which fairly affordable, if you know how to plan. The first decision
allows you to visit Sydney or Melbourne plus three domestic you’ll need to make is whether you use an airline alliance
flights after you arrive. to book the trip, or if you strike out on your own and book
individual tickets to and from each destination. We’ve got
The price changes from time to time, but you can often both options covered, along with a few important tips.
get it for about $1099, which is a great deal since tickets to
Australia can sometimes climb up to $2,000 without any The One World Explorer fare, available from any OneWorld
free flights once you get there. airline alliance member, was the first great Round-the-World
option that allowed travelers to visit a ton of great cities
Read the details here: on every continent. Star Alliance followed it up with a nice
Round-the-World product of its own.
Qantas Airpass

19
Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
If you’ve curious about how Round-the-World trips work, I
recommend that you download the Star Alliance Mileage Numerous consolidators specialize in RTW travel,
Calculator for an addicting immersion to world travel. stringing together tickets on numerous airlines to create
You can get it for free by using Google to search for “Star a customized itinerary for you. Some of the consolidators
Alliance Mileage Calculator” or by following the resource with a good reputation are listed below:
links on the Star Alliance web site:
» Airtreks
Star Alliance Mileage Calculator » Bigworldtrips
» Airbrokers
This amazing tool lets you plan out an imaginary (or real)
Round-the-World trip. I have probably spent at least 40 When I was first interested in Round-the-World travel many
hours with this tool, creating dozens of itineraries. Most of years ago, I always assumed I would end up booking the
them I will never travel on, but it is fun to dream and I do trip the old-fashioned way by using one of these brokers.
use portions of the itineraries for other trips and research. Over time, however, I have come to believe more and more
in using a Star Alliance or OneWorld ticket. They offer
Among other benefits, the Mileage Calculator allows you to greater flexibility, better benefits, many more flight options,
check on every Star Alliance flight in the world. This is very and depending on where you depart from, can be cheaper
helpful when you have multiple options with one airline as well. Consider both options and make the choice that is
group like the Star Alliance. By using this tool, I’ve been best for you.
able to pick flights that are more likely to offer upgrades,
and it also saved me from flying overseas on United once Circle Pacific &
when another routing was available on Asiana (a much Single-Airline Passes
better airline that is based in Korea). In my first year back in the U.S. after four years overseas
(2006), I was able to get a great deal on a fall trip to several
If you don’t want to use a Star Alliance or One World round- destinations. Booking a trip to Asia, I ended up paying less
the-world ticket, you can also strike out on your own. In than the average price of a ticket to my initial destination
fact, if you Google “round-the-world travel,” this will likely (Hong Kong), and received three free stopovers throughout
be the first (and sometimes only) option you’ll see. the region as well.

Thanks to some creative ticketing, I went to Vietnam,


Singapore, and even New Zealand before flying back to
San Francisco to end my journey. The funny thing is that

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Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
you can actually fly to more places for less money, and the SAS “Visit Scandinavia” Pass
airlines are happy for you to do it. The pass from SAS is valid only when you fly across the
Atlantic with them – but that’s not bad news, because SAS is
The secret? Using a little known booking called a “Circle a comfortable airline with relatively cheap fares. In addition
Pacific” fare. For reasons that make sense only to the to major East Coast cities, they also fly non-stop from
airlines, you can often find great value in booking an Chicago and Seattle.
international trip as a Round-the-World (RTW) or regional
pass such as this one. Regardless of which class you fly in, The great deal with the Visit Scandinavia pass is that
you’ll likely save a lot of money. you can buy up to six flights valid anywhere in Denmark,
Norway, and Sweden for just $110 each (at press time).
When I booked the ticket, I asked the agent at Star Alliance Flying in Scandinavia – or actually, doing anything
if she did many Circle Pacific bookings. “Hardly any at in Scandinavia – is usually super expensive, so this is
all,” was her reply. Apparently most people don’t realize definitely the deal to go for if you’re headed to the region.
the huge savings (not to mention extra stopovers) they can Be sure to bring your credit card for the restaurants, though.
realize by booking a ticket this way. I once spent $24 on a medium-sized, takeout pizza in
Denmark! To get the pass, call SAS directly at 800-221-2350
It doesn’t make sense, but since when did the airlines make from within the U.S. or Canada.
sense? The next time you fly overseas, you can visit two or
three times as many places for less than the price of visiting South America Air Pass
one... and the airlines will thank you for it. with LanChile
This fare by OneWorld relies on its star airline in the
Visit each of the airline alliances to learn more about region, LanChile, and the hub of Santiago (airport code
various Circle Pacific and Round-the-World options: SCL). Prices are charged on a zone system with a minimum
of three flights and no maximum.
» Star Alliance
» OneWorld You can buy the Visit South America pass through any
» SkyTeam OneWorld airline, including LanChile, British Airways,
American, or others. Prices are standardized, so if you’re
The next best thing to a Round-the-World or Circle Pacific in the States or Canada, it’s probably easiest to book with
trip on an airline alliance is a one-airline pass. Several of American. You can reach them by phone (after holding for
these exist, but they often make it difficult to find. Here are a while!) at 800-433-7300.
a few of the better ones that I recommend:

21
Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)
Air Canada Unlimited Travel Pass Alternatively, check out the Air Canada site:
Air Canada sells an Unlimited Travel pass on a 3-month and
6-month basis. Before you get too excited, pay attention to Air Canada
these details:
(From the home page, click on “Discover our flight passes”
» Prices vary depending on class of service and on the left-hand side.)
whether you want full North American travel rights or only
Eastern or Western Canada (it starts at $2100 for three Finally, there are many other Air Passes available that cover
months). destinations from Africa to New Zealand and everything
» When flying the Latitude class, you'll get in between. For a comprehensive directory, visit the site
complimentary upgrades confirmed 24 hours prior to below and click the links on the left-hand side to view many
departure and free access to the nice Maple Leaf lounges. different options:

» If you don't mind restricting your flight days to 4 per AirTimeTable


week, you'll get an additional discount.
I’m still dreaming of a worldwide pass that gives the same
» When you enroll in the six-month subscription at privileges. As soon as it arrives, you can be sure I’ll be the
the Latitude fare level, you'll get immediate top-tier Elite first to pick it up. 
frequent flyer status and receive 15,000 frequent flyer miles
monthly. Travelers enrolled in the Tango Plus unlimited
pass receive 10,000 frequent miles per month.

» Unfortunately, no other Frequent Flyer miles are


accrued when traveling on the pass, so you can't do a big
"mileage run" to load up your account.

To learn more about the pass and get your unlimited ticket
to ride, call Air Canada at 888-247-2262 and ask for the
North America Unlimited Pass.

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Surviving Travel in North America (and Beyond)

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