A lot of us are unable to travel just yet, as the novel coronavirus is still affecting many other countries and these countries where people have not been fully vaccinated.
But in this 2021 version of “Questions I Receive About International Traveling”, I want to answer a few questions which I have received.
So, let’s go for it!
I really want to travel but how are you able to make it happen? It seems to be quite expensive!
Traveling requires money, the key things are: Flight, hotel/hostel/airbnb, food and transportation. One extra would be pocket wifi or sim card, in order to have Internet access for your phone or tablet, especially if you need Google Maps and Google Translate access.
The first two are the first things you need to estimate how much you will need to save in order to go for it. A lot of people I’ve known have used their credit cards to travel, which many credit card companies have targeted this demographic for rewards purposes.
But try not to use that credit card if possible. Focus on saving up for where you will stay, look at the current prices and work with the hotel to find out if there are any discounts and also information on what if you need to cancel. I would not stay in a hotel that is unable to cancel easily within 48 hours or even a week (esp. for international travel), nor would I stay in a hotel that will charge my card in advance. Hotels that I stay in charge when I get to the hotel and check in.
As for flights, I always ask for quotes. You can search online but sometimes you may find going with a travel agent may be even cheaper at times. But it’s good to do your research. Here is an example:
Greetings,
Thank you for contacting me. Can you please give me a quote for a flight from FAT to Haneda Airport (or Narita Airport) via JAL or ANA? Looking for the best price for the following days:
March 21 (departure from US) to April 13th (Departure from Japan) / if April 12th or April 14th departure is cheaper, please let me know.
The other is: April 4th (departure from US) to April 27th (departure from Japan) / If April 26 or 28th is cheaper, please let me know.
Looking for window seat or aisle (not interested in the center seats)
Sincerely,
Dennis A. Amith
Mr. Amith,
Here’s the airfare quote as of now. ANA is cheaper than JAL.
March 21 (22) ~ April 13
Airfare is the same when you come back on 12th or 14th
$1754.83
UA5723Q 21MAR FAT – SFO 940A 1050A * TH OPERATED BY SKYWEST DBA UNITED EXPRESS
NH 7Q 21MAR SFO – Narita 1200N 320P+* TH/FR
NH 106Q 13APR Haneda – LAX 1055P 445P * SA
UA5591Q 13APR LAX – FAT 730P 826P * SA OPERATED BY SKYWEST DBA UNITED EXPRESS
April 04 (05) ~ April 27
Airfare is the same when you come back on 26th
＄2319.83
UA 5723 Q 04APR FAT – SFO 905A 1008A * E TH OPERATED BY SKYWEST DBA UNITED EXPRESS
NH 7 Q 04APR SFO – Narita 1220P 325P+* E TH/FR
NH 106 U 27APR Haneda – LAX 1055P 445P * E SA
UA 5591 U 27APR LAX – FAT 730P 826P * E SA OPERATED BY SKYWEST DBA UNITED EXPRESS
Airfare is cheaper when you come back on April 28th.
April 04 (05) ~ April 28
Airfare is the same when you come back on 26th
$1954.83
UA5723Q 04APR FAT – SFO 905A 1008A * TH OPERATED BY SKYWEST DBA UNITED EXPRESS
NH 7Q 04APR SFO – Narita 1220P 325P+* TH/FR
NH 106V 28APR Haneda – LAX 1055P 445P * SU
UA5591V 28APR LAX – FAT 730P 826P * SU OPERATED BY SKYWEST DBA UNITED EXPRESS
Airfare above is as of today.
Price will change depending on availability, so please let us know soon if you’d like to make a reservation.
Have a wonderful holiday!
After looking at the prices above, I know that the previous year, I was able to travel under $1200 if traveling in the winter. For Japan, I knew that April is the big travel month, and in the end, the only way I could get it cheaper was leaving in mid-march, leaving mid-April in order to get the cheaper price but enjoy the April festivities.
So, I had to make a decision, travel in the winter at $1200-$1300 (round trip) or $1754 round trip?
I decided to request for another quote, holding out towards the winter holiday season. I knew $1754 was the lowest price, but I was willing to get another quote right at the end of November in hopes the flights went down and sure enough, it was $1389. A better savings and I knew that I had to get it at that price and a price I was willing to pay. Sure, it’s not $1200 but knowing that the average price is $1700, $1389 was great!
<< United airline : from Mar. 20th to Apr. 14th >>
Depart: UA 5876 S 20MAR FAT 8:35AM — SFO 9:49AM
OPERATED BY SKYWEST DBA UNITED EXPRESS
UA 875 S 20MAR SFO 11:35AM — HND 2:45PM (next day)
Return: UA 33 S 14APR NRT 5:10PM — LAX 11:10AM
UA 5563 S 14APR LAX 1:45PM — FAT 3:06PM
OPERATED BY SKYWEST DBA UNITED EXPRESS
Price: $1389 (tax included)
*** The departure date on Mar. 20th will be cheaper than Mar. 21st.
Japan Airline and ANA will be over $1700 now.
if you’d like to book a flight, then I need the following information.
1) your name on your passport (full name)
2) your date of birth
3) phone number
4) any request (seat assignment and meal, etc.)
As for hotel, I book my reservations in advance. A lot of these negotiations are done through e-mail and you can call if you don’t mind calling internationally but it’s best to have it in e-mail, as conversations on the phone may get lost in translation. Here is an example of e-mail negotiations:
Greetings,
I was wondering if I can get a quote for the following days: March 22, 20xx (Arrival) and April 13, 20xx (departure)
And the other is April 5th (arrival) and April 27th (departure).
Sincerely,
Dennis A. Amith
Dear Dennis A. Amith,
Thank you for your Inquiry.
Please let us know your request of room type and number of person.
We will offer you some rooms on these days you requested.
Please kindly reply us.
Thank you.
Best regards
Hello, thank you for contacting me. Just a single room, non-smoking. One person.
Sincerely,
Dennis A. Amith
Dear Dennis A. Amith,
Thank you for your reply.
We have a Single room available on these days you requested.
1)
Check in date : 22/March/2019
Check out date : 13/April/2019
Single room 6,650 yen(Weekly special rate) x 1 room x 22 nights = 146,300 yen
2)
Check in date : 5/April/2019
Check out date : 27/April
Single room 6,650 yen(Weekly special rate) x 1 room x 22 nights = 146,300 yen
*We will ask you for your credit card number for guarantee of your reservation when your payment is over 100,000 yen.
Please kindly reply us if you would like to book.
We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you.
It’s that easy! AirBNB can be easy but if anything, ask a lot of questions. Look at prices for flights and hotel and guesstimate how much it will be (you may pay a little less, a little more). Research on dates, as you do not want to travel during another country’s holiday season.
As for food and transportation, for food, you can test your tolerance if you want to each cheaply or if you want to enjoy a country’s cuisine and you are willing to spend more. There are people I know who can eat cheaply on fast food or convenience stores to save money. For transportation, some people rather walk to save money, while others will save up for transporation, especially if going to farther locations.
It’s important to note that this is for consideration of one person and you can double it if there are two. But if you are bringing an entire family, then of course, it will cost a lot more. And also, depending on health considerations can also affect things as well.
I’m traveling but I can’t speak the language. Will Google Translate be enough?
Yes and no. Many international locations can have areas with employees that can speak English but one should never assume it.
Assuming you got Internet access via renting a sim card or pocket wifi, Google Translate does help BUT depending on the area you are at, big structures or heavily dense metropolitan areas may affect Internet access and sometimes Google Translate sucks.
I recommend Pockettalk Plus because it has its own service and can translate over 80 languages for you and also take pictures to get an instant translation.
I want to travel with my mother, she is disabled but I want her to have a chance to see the world. Can I travel to different locations easily and cheaply?
My father traveled and he had disabilities. But there were certain airlines that don’t give certain things for free. Such as aisles with more leg room, some charge extra. When it comes to transportation from one area of an airport to a farther area to avoid walking, while there are airports that have employees who do that, certain areas may also expect a tip.
But I do know that it wasn’t always easy as my mother had to carry his luggage and that was tough on her but she wanted to travel with my father and knew what to expect. But also prepared to save accordingly, knowing certain things may cost them money.
I have seen people with disabilities traveling in different countries, but I would look for a hotel not far from the main transportation hub. Otherwise, you can use buses or taxi, that is possible but just know that some countries, that can be a bit expensive. Just know that major transportation hubs (train stations, etc.), research online to see or e-mail them directly to ask if they offer elevators.
But there are countries who really go out to help the disabled in terms of flights and also at transportation hubs, but if there are key locations that you or anyone with a disabled loved one want to visit, contact the location online and ask if they can accommodate people with disabilities.
It takes quite a bit of research but it’s no doubt possible.
Can I survive on $500 for two weeks while traveling to another country?
I have done it before during my college years.
If you can limit your spending to $25-$30 per day for food (breakfast, lunch, dinner and jug of water kept in your hotel mini fridge), that means you spend $350-$425. If you can keep your spending on food to $350, and that gives you $150 on just transportation costs. I know people who would walk far and they are cool with that.
If you can limit your spending on food to $15-$20, yes that will give you extra spending money.
In Japan, which can be expensive, depending on your eating habits, but if you dont’ have much money, going to a convenience store such as 7-Eleven, Lawson, Food Mart, etc., a very good meal costs around Y480 which is around $4.38 (US). A sandwich even cheaper at Y250 around $2.28 (US)
But you have to be disciplined, that includes going out to socialize. A drink or eating at a burger restaurant is different from the US. You are not going to get a $5 burger, you are paying for a $15-20 gourmet burger. So, if you can keep it to a convenience store or cafe, you can get cheap food and drinks.
But yes, you can definitely survive on $500 for two weeks, it doesn’t leave you much with spending money for gifts or souvenirs but it is possible as long as you keep your food and transportation costs down.
