Traveling out of the country and seeing the world can be more than just a dream. Like most, I used to think that travel outside of the US was extremely expensive and it prohibited me from traveling. However, the truth is the opposite. You can have amazing experiences on a budget. You just need to know how and where to look.

Travel involves sacrifices…

…But it doesn’t have to feel like it. Just like any other project, travel has goals. Ask yourself “what I do I want to get out of this trip?”. If you cannot understand what you want out of travel, it will never be fulfilling.

Whether you want to experience new cultures, try amazing new foods, or get away from the office with a beach holiday, it starts with understanding what you want and need.

So, before deciding on any destination, before booking any hotel or flight, understand what you want out of your next trip. Without this, you’ll never feel satisfaction or fulfillment.

 

Understand the bulk of travel costs

Everyone talks about airfare deals. However, deal or not, airfare is not the majority of your travel expenses. Hotels and lodging are. Hotel prices and deals are less visible, less frequent, and more predictable than airfare. Read on to learn how to find the best deals.

Most people are deterred from travel because of airfare costs. Since it’s often the first purchase in a trip, it’s also the first cliff to climb. Unless you find a sale on airfare that is 50% of the normal prices, work backwards to plan your trip.

Some places are cheaper than others

Developed destinations such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai cost more than those that are not. There’s amazing experiences to be had in Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Because these places are still considered to be developing, it simply costs less.

How to travel to Asia (and beyond) on a budget and still have amazing experiences.

You understand your goals, you understand your budget, and your understand the source of travel costs. Now you’ll learn how to find and plan a trip full of amazing experiences.

First: Find your destination

I love to use TripAdvisor to find interesting things to do in any city. Although there are other, more city specific websites out there, TripAdvisor aggregates the best info from millions of travelers for a first search.

Based on that, here are links to the most popular destinations in Asia:

• Things to Do: Bangkok
• Things to Do: Japan
• Things to Do: Hong Kong
• Things to Do: Taiwan
• Things to Do: Shanghai
• Things to Do: Beijing
• Things to Do: Vietnam
• Things to Do: Singapore
• Things to Do: Cambodia

When you do this, you can get an idea of the relative expense of a particular city or country. Another handy thing that I use to estimate the cost of a trip to somewhere is the Big Mac Index. It’s a great baseline comparison for the overall food/lodging for two different countries.

 

Second: Find your hotel on multiple booking sites

Different booking sites will have different prices on the same hotels. It’s highly recommended to check a couple different sites before you book.

Generally, I start my research on Hotels.com. From experience, they have the best website, and best options in finding hotels. After finding a couple hotels I like, I will then check Expedia and Travelocity.

One of the most commonly known secrets is member-only pricing. If you create an account on any of those websites, you’ll be able to access secret prices to different hotels. They are generally 10-20% cheaper than the normal price, and are limited time. And, almost always, the secret prices are the cheapest of anywhere on the internet, if there are not a lot of rooms remaining, it’s safe to book right then and there, without needing to compare prices.

This is always a rule. The only exception is if I have loyalty to a particular hotel chain.

 

Third: Airfare is its own game

Because airfare is a huge barrier, it’s easy to change your perspective. Understand where the hubs are, and how flying to a different country first can open up possibilities.

If you’re locked into vacation days and traveling certain days, flight deals won’t help. But there are two ways to help find a great deal.

The easiest thing to do is use SkyScanner’s flight prediction and monitoring tools to know exactly when to buy, when to wait, and what prices might look like in the future.

The other thing is to purchase packages on Expedia. Package deals have built in savings. You also have the flexibility to choose flights, and choose the hotel. These have led to some extraordinary deals that seemed almost too good to be true. But because you’re booking from a reliable site, it was true.

 

Credit cards can help you towards a free trip

Credit cards with rewards for travel are commonplace. But it may seem like it would take forever to earn enough miles for a free trip.

This is where bonuses come in. Put all of your everyday expenses on a credit card, meet the bonus minimum spending, and earn bonuses up to 50,000 miles – enough for a whole trip!

This is my recommended card:

Chase Sapphire Preferred: 50,000 Bonus Miles after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months

With this card, I’ve flown business class on ANA, absolutely free.

 

Final tip: Make it a group trip

Since lodging is the most expensive part of the trip, bring friends or stay in a hostel. When you take part in ‘group’ activities, you divide the costs, and you’ll get more experiences for your money. Maybe you’ll meet new friends in the process too, if that’s your type of thing.

Here at The Boarding Call, we travel. We travel a lot. Much of that time is spent flying inter-Asia routes, which means choosing a Low Cost Carrier (LCC), for flights under 5 hours. It just simply isn’t worth it to burn miles on these short flights sometimes. What that means for us, is flights outfitted for a Spartan, lack of creature comforts, and a more bring-your-own mindset. We love our travel accessories.

So, starting off with the easiest to buy, no brainers – to the more well thought out items. These are our must have items in the travel accessories checklist.

The Absolute Must Have Travel Accessories and Equipment Checklist as recommended by the folks at The Boarding Call who have flown way too many LCC flights for their own good, list.

 

A space saving, collapsible, rollable, water bottle.

First on our list is hydration. If you’ve read our guide on How to Survive Economy on International Flights, hydration is a top priority. Since the security restrictions were put in place after 2001, you can no longer easily bring liquids through security. Now, it’s also been adopted in Japan, and other countries as well. Our favorite, and we have three of them, is the Vapur Eclipse Water Bottle.

Surprisingly durable, easy to clean, and easy to stow away. This bottle earns our recommendation. Buy it on Amazon. Scroll on for more travel accessories.

 

A head cushion that’s also an eye mask, a scarf, and a makeshift neck pillow.

We don’t like neck pillows. They’re awkward to use, push your head away from the seat back, and really don’t offer that much support. The good ones are bulky and a pain to carry around, the easy ones to carry around never satisfy. Our solution is to just not use one. Use the bendable wings on the head rest, use the cabin of the plane if you’re in the window seat, and use one of these.

Since we’ve purchased our Studio Banana Things Ostrich Pillow Light, our neck pillows have been collecting dust. We’ve even started using these on our commute on the train. They’re not terribly ugly, not weird like the original one, and definitely does all the things we want. Oh yeah, and it’s definitely comfy.

Because of how versatile it is, and how small and light and easy to carry, this saves our weight and space. It earns our recommendation for creature comforts when the airline didn’t give you any. Buy it on Amazon.

If you really need a traditional neck pillow, we recommend this one, it’s tried and true. We just think the Ostrich is better. Interested in more travel accessories, scroll on!

 

The “oh no, I need all this stuff but don’t want to purchase checked baggage” magic bag.

If you’ve flown LCC’s before, you know exactly what I am talking about. Purchasing checked baggage defeats the purpose of flying an LCC. Once you’ve added two ways of checked baggage, you might as well have flown on a flag carrier or full service airline. Fortunately, the Japanese have invented vacuum pack storage bags that don’t need a vacuum cleaner to use. It’s quite ingenious, and we love ours. We have more than we can count.

Medium is the perfect size for your carry on, Large is great when you need to tackle bulkier items, like winter jackets and fluffy, bulky gear you take with you when you travel to Inner Mongolia in the middle of winter. This kit comes with 4 Large and 4 Medium. Buy it on Amazon. Scroll down for our favorite travel accessories for power.

 

My phone is dead and I can’t find the USB ports on this plane, oh wait! There are none because it’s an LCC!

Yes, we’ve been there and we’re used to it. Fortunately, power banks exist. Although there are many, we recommend two. A big one for when you need power for the whole flight, and a small one for when you don’t.

There are many brands that you can buy, but we trust our devices and our sanity to Anker. They are hands-down, the best, most reliable, and durable power banks we’ve ever used. They have all the right markings on them, so when the security agents in Bangkok thoroughly inspect yours, they won’t chuck it in the rubbish bin.

First, the big one:

This 20100 mAh Anker Power Bank has been with me for two years now. It’s powered my phone, my seat-mate’s iPad, and my MacBook for long-haul flights. All at the same time. It’s taken falls onto concrete, and even served as a makeshift hammer when I needed to pound a hinge pin back in place. You would not catch me without this on a trip, ever. Only available on Amazon.

Next, the small one:

Just like the big one, this has all the right markings to make it past security. It’s durable, too. However, this is the one I carry with me in my pocket, and every day. It carries multiple charges for my phone, enough to last me two days without needing a power outlet. About the size of a large lipstick for ladies. Once again, only available on Amazon.

As a side note – this one pairs best with a tiny Lightning cable.

 

We like nice travel accessories and things, too.

Now that we’ve gotten the must haves out of the way, there are a few things that we find are less disposable, and more researched purchases. Although we try to use all of our items until their end-of-life, the ones below are the ones we have sentimental value with.

 

A wallet that holds everything, including the kitchen sink, but small enough to fit in a jacket pocket.

Our search for the perfect wallet ended with this. Paired with a slim card holder to quickly tap at train station gates, this is our recommendation for the do-it-all, and look doing doing it, wallet. The Bellroy Carry Out.

This thing does it all. It holds your cards, your cash, another country’s cash, your passport, and coins. It even holds your phone, and has a place for a sim ejector and an extra SIM card. It has a magnetic smaller wallet that you can detach and take with you on lighter days.

We can recommend no other wallet. This is the one. Get one for yourself, or two. Keep scrolling for more travel accessories.

 

Have you ever tried sleeping with those big Bose Headphones? Yeah, doesn’t really work well, so try these.

I’m just not sure how people do it. Especially when you need to lean your head on anything. Sleeping with any big headphones just doesn’t work. We prefer earphones here at TBC, but sometimes you just need some isolation from the cabin noise. We recommend the Shure In-Ear-Monitors for flying. Everything, else – the AirPods I just got are mighty nice.

When it comes to Shure, any one in their range of models is fine. Just get the one that fits your budget. They all have replaceable cables, great noise isolation, and a plethora of tips for you to find your perfect fit. Not to mention a great warranty and excellent service. Our happy medium is the SE425.

My favorite is dual driver, great sound staging, excellent bass, clear and non-fatigueing highs. Yeah I’m a bit of an audiophile. Find the best deal on Amazon.

 

The iPad doesn’t fit into my workflow, but the MacBook Pros are too big and heavy to carry around.

Honestly, this is the best laptop I’ve ever used. Even though my workhorse is a 15″ MacBook Pro, I don’t feel like I miss out on anything when I travel only with my 12″ Retina MacBook.

It’s light, it’s powerful enough, has a great battery, and most importantly, runs all of my MacOS apps. It comes in many different colors. But my favorite feature is that I can use my big Anker power bank to keep this thing running for days when I’m away from an outlet, or on a plane. That’s the power of USB-C.

All I need is this and a few dongles. I’m set for being on the move. You can get it on Amazon, but you really should buy it from Apple directly.

 

What credit card should I use to make these purchases?

It’s also no secret that we travel a lot with miles here. Luxury, BusinessFirst cabins on ANA, United, and more. We’re trying to get on Singapore suites next.

Our highest recommended card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred – Earn 50,000 bonus miles (good enough for international business one way, or domestic first round trip!). When you meet the minimum spending requirement in the first 3 months.

Sign up here!

 

Did I miss anything?

These are almost all of my travel necessities, minus for photography gear, luggage, and some odds and ends. Those are all personal preference and should be felt and touched before purchasing. Just email me if I missed anything.

Want the latest updates? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Boarding Announcement on the right side of the page.

Over the past few years, United is starting a transition from 3-cabin to 2-cabin international flights. With the exception of a few routes, more and more routes are 2-cabin.

With that said, Global First will eventually only be found in history books. Leaving only Business First as the highest available premium cabin.

All Business First is not Created Equal

This is the key distinction! All equipment the same (777-200), 2-cabin and 3-cabin configurations do not have the same Business First seats. Where Global First is found in a 1-2-1 layout. Business First in 3-cabin flights is 2-4-2, while in 2-cabin flights, it’s 2-2-2. This is a huge difference.

Although both types of Business First are lay-flat seats. 3-cabin 2-4-2 Business First seats are 20 inches in width, and 76 inches in pitch/length. While 2-cabin Business First is 23 inches in width, and the same 78 inches in pitch/length as Global First. In fact, 2-cabin Business is 1 inch wider than Global First.

Having flown on 2-cabin 787-900’s, and 2 and 3-cabin 777-200’s. 2-cabin Business First seats are not far off from Global First in terms of overall comfort. Aside from marginally better privacy, an extra seat pad, and more storage, it’s not far off. I do not mind 2-cabin Business First at all.

A Secret to Global First

However, there is one secret to Global First seats that you won’t find on Seat Guru or other seat information websites.

There is a hidden 6 inches of seat width in Global First. The armrests can be pushed down and made flush with the seat. This made a huge difference when sleeping. Although Seat Guru lists 2-cabin Business First as 1 inch wider than Global First, they do not have height adjustable armrests. Simply put, you have a total of 30 inches of width where it matters – your hips.

How to Find 3-Cabin Flights

More and more routes are being replaced with 2-cabin flights. Older 3-cabin 777 routes such as ORD-HKG, and SFO-HND will eventually be replaced by 2-cabin 787s. Two example routes you can search for on Expedia are SFO-HKG on the 747-700, and ORD-HKG on the 777-200.

Global Services is not Going Away

Global Services continues operating as usual. And with United Polaris eventually coming into service, the 2-cabin experience will be elevated.

International flights can be 8 hours long. With the longest routes pushing 16 hours. You can survive economy by preparing ahead of time, spending a little money, or picking the right plane. International journeys will be made easier, and all you have to do is a little preparing.

Survive Economy on a Boeing 787

If you have the option, fly on a 787. New technologies make surviving economy easier. The same technologies are coming to the new 777X, and Airbus is following suit with the composite A350. They all have higher cabin humidities, higher cabin pressure (lower pressurized altitude), and are noticeably quieter than previous generation planes.

Everyone knows the desert-like feeling of flying. The moisture being sucked from your skin, your nose and mouth get dry, lips get chapped, and dehydration kicks in. What you don’t realize is what it’s doing to your body. It leads to altitude sickness and jet lag. The first time you fly on a 787 – it’s an amazing feeling.

I didn’t realize how much better the cabin air was on the 787 until I flew on a 737 immediately after for a connecting flight.

You can use FlightAware to search routes, and filter by aircraft type.

You can then search for those specific routes on SkyScanner.

Upgrade to Economy Plus

Although it’s the main selling point, the secret to flying in upgraded premium economy isn’t the extra legroom. On international flights that aren’t overbooked and depart full, it may be worth the small upgrade to premium economy. You can get a whole row to yourself, lay down and sleep. However, don’t choose to upgrade at check-in. Talk to the gate agent, and ask if there are any empty rows in upgraded economy.

The worst case scenario is you’ll share a 3-seat row with one other person. If you have status, most airlines will upgrade you to premium economy for free. If you don’t, it’s available for a small charge – sometimes worth it.

Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine, and Bring a Water Bottle

Aside from disturbing your body’s internal clock, alcohol and caffeine dehydrate you. The effects of alcohol are also more intense at altitude. Avoid consuming tea, coffee, and alcohol on the day of your flight. You’ll arrive in better shape.

On most international flights, the cabin crew will hand out small bottles of water before they turn down the lights. It’s recommended to bring your own large bottle of water, and when you finish it – the cabin crew will refill it for you (don’t toss out that bottle!).

Alternatively I recommend the Vapur Element Bottles. They roll up to take less space, and you can fill them up before your flight, and during your flight. Not to mention, they’re quite TSA friendly.

Bring Your Own Headphones

Unless you’re flying in business or first, the headphones in economy class are utter garbage. If you don’t already have headphones you love, you have two types to choose from: Noise Isolating and Noise Cancelling.

The main considerations for choose one or the other is whether you can sleep in them. Noise Isolating Earphones are small earbuds that won’t get in the way.

Our recommendations for each:

• Noise Isolating Earphones: Shure SE425
• Noise Cancelling Headphones: Bose QC25 or Bose QC35 (Wireless)
• Best of Both Worlds: Bose QC20 Noise Cancelling Earphones

Be Comfortable

It’s completely okay to wear your comfortable clothes. Sweatpants, yoga pants, whatever works. Wear breathable clothing that you can layer. This isn’t just a recommendation to survive economy, but the same applies if you’re flying business or first. Don’t wear jeans, don’t wear dress shirts. Stick with what’s comfortable and something you can sleep in.

Main photo by Martin Deutsch

Do you have any tips to survive economy? Share your stories in the comments below.

 

AirBNB is a revolution in the hospitality industry. Without going into the politics of vacation rentals and how they affect the market for locals, find out why AirBNB is no longer my preferred choice.

I have stayed in many AirBNBs. In Asia, in the US and Canada, and even while traveling on business. In the early days, I stayed in them as much as possible, avoiding hotels. The local living image that AirBNB promotes is something I no longer experience.

AirBNB is not Always the Cheapest

AirBNB’s goal from the start was to acquire as many hosts on their platform as possible. As the company matures, they continually shift focus on experience from guests to hosts. This is something that I have experienced since first using the service in 2013. With the introduction of Smart Pricing and pricing guides that help hosts react to market trends, there is no longer a large pricing gap between hotels and vacation rentals.

As for short stays, such as weekend trips or trips for business, it is almost certain that you will find at least a 3-star hotel with a lower total cost. There are two fees that you won’t find while casually browsing. First is the service fee charged by AirBNB, the other is the cleaning fee charged by hosts. While sites like Booking.com and Orbitz show you the total cost per night while browsing, AirBNB does not.

This is especially true in countries and cities where tourism is a primary source of revenue. Destinations such as Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and other countries in Asia. You will almost always find a better deal staying in a Hotel.

Hotel Flash Sales

Taking a look at an upcoming trip I booked for Seoul through Booking.com, the price differential between a 4-star hotel and a comparable AirBNB is $9 USD. When you consider the added benefits of a hotel (daily cleanup, 24-hour staff, etc.), the choice is clear.

Although there are cheaper options for AirBNB, I picked one with a reasonable number of reviews, and an overall higher quality.

Lack of a Loyalty Program

If you are a frequent traveler, loyalty programs have proven useful time and time again. You no longer have to book with a Hotel directly to earn points. Expedia, Orbitz, and Hotels.com have all launched loyalty programs that let you earn free stays at most hotels listed through their respective sites.

Neither AirBNB and their competitors, HomeAway have launched anything resembling a loyalty program.

AirBNB Moguls

Cost aside, this is my #1 gripe. AirBNB has been revising their user profiles to hide this. There used to be a section that showed all available properties from a host. I had the worst experiences from hosts that use the platform to run a business. Here are just some of the problems I’ve dealt with:

• No mirrors in an apartment.
• Broken washer.
• No actual washer in the unit or building, instead a “laundromat next door”.
• Refrigerator not plugged in.
• No hot water.

All of these issues are easily resolved with a hotel.

In the past, you would be able to call AirBNB directly, and have them handle your issue. They’ve transitioned to a resolution center for you to work out these issues with your host, and negotiate compensation on your own. This is not something I want to deal with while vacationing.

Longer Stays

In the event where AirBNB is slightly more expensive, hotels offer benefits that you otherwise give up: Daily cleaning, personal hygiene amenities, fresh towels and linens, “I lost my key”, and concierge service, etc..

On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I opted to spend 3 weeks in a hotel. I managed fine without a kitchen and using a wash-and-fold service. I misplaced my keycard a couple times, and would be in an uncomfortable situation had it not been a hotel.

Recommended Travel Accessory:

I’ve been using Anker Powerbanks to keep my devices topped up and they have earned their stay in my bag. I cannot recommend them enough – I recently purchased two of their PowerCore 5000 to keep with me on the go.

 

Do you have any stories on choosing between AirBNB and hotels? Share in the Disqus comments below!