The Boarding Call – Page 3 – Stories from the Window Seat

48 Hours in Seoul – From Hong Kong to Korea

Seoul is one of the easiest destinations to travel to in Asia. You can get by with knowing little to no Korean. Most people in Seoul either spoke some English or Mandarin Chinese. In fact – it was surprising to me that there were so many Koreans that spoke Chinese!

It’s also a city where getting around is insanely easy. The subway metro system connects the whole city together, Taxis are abundant, and everything is affordable.

One of the benefits to Inter-Asia travel is the vast amount of culture you can experience from a 5-hour flight. Hong Kong is one of the most central locations you can pick as your origin city. A 5-hour flight gets you to Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mainland China, and all of Southeast Asia.

And thus, Seoul is one of the premier destinations as it is extremely tourist friendly, without tourist traps and gotchas.

Booking your flight and hotel

Although I flew Hong Kong Express for this trip, I cannot recommend it as it’s not the most comfortable budget airline. Deals can be found usually starting 1-2 months before your expected travel date. I really recommend looking for package deals on Ctrip, or package deals on Expedia.

Though both sites have the same choice of hotels, the airlines are different. I found more major carriers such as Asiana and Korean Air on Expedia, while finding more local airlines such as Dragonair, Hong Kong Express, and Hong Kong Airlines Ctrip.

View from Four Points Sheraton Namsan Seoul

The best areas to stay in are near train stations with more than one line – Seoul Station, Dongdaemun, Chungmuro, and most places in downtown Seoul, north of the river.

Getting to Seoul from Incheon Airport

Like most major Asian cities, Seoul has an airport that is a bit of distance from the city center. The most convenient way to get into the city is taking the KTX airport train, which costs 12,500 KRW, or roughly $12.50 USD. However, if you arrive after 11:45pm or so, you’ll be taking the late night bus.

Incheon Airport will have signs in English and Chinese to guide you to the right transportation after you leave customs.

Getting around Seoul

Immediately after arriving at Incheon Airport, you’ll find a CU convenience store that’s open 24-hours. Buy a T-Money card and load it up with enough to get you into the city. The T-Money card is the single tap-to-pay card for public transportation and certain merchants.

With this, you’ll have access to buses, trains, and even taxis. It’s really a must have.

What to eat, see, and do

You’re probably no stranger to Korean food. Kim chi, Korean BBQ, spicy tofu soup, and bulgogi are probably all things you’ve heard of before. In Seoul, you’ll find all of that. Here are a few snippets of food, tourist attractions, and places to visit.

Hyundai Department Store

If you’ve been to Japan, you’re familiar with the multi-level department stores that have everything from furniture, electronics, to clothes, food, and beyond. Well this is the Korean version. ranging anywhere from 8-12 floors of non-stop shopping. You’ll find amazing everything at the Hyundai Department Store (Yes, THAT Hyundai). They have locations all over Seoul.

N Seoul Tower

Formally called Namsan Tower – This is the best skydeck view of Seoul. There are many ways of getting up to the top, including a paved hiking trail. The recommended way is to take a taxi from Seoul Station to the Namsan Cable Car. From there – you can take the tram if the line is not long. And if it is – just walk up. It only takes 30 minutes.

At the top, you’ll see a plethora of love locks, food, and drink. Visit the ticket office to buy a pass to go up.

Majang-dong Alley and Meat Market

Here you’ll find the highest quality of Korean meats, and a selection of the best Korean BBQ restaurants that focus on the quality of meat. Definitely do not miss it. Here’s how to find it.

Dongdaemun Market and Myeong-dong Shopping

Go to Dongdaemun for traditional Korean street food. And Myeong-dong to get your shopping on.

Excited?

Yeah! You should be! Click through to find package deals on Ctrip, or package deals on Expedia, and get over to Seoul!

A Quick Overview of United Airlines Premium Cabins

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.

United Global First on a 3-Cabin 777-200

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.

How to Survive Economy on International Flights

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.

Filter routes by aircraft type on FlightAware

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.

The Vapur bottles roll up to take less space.

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.

12 Days in Hong Kong on a Budget

Hong Kong is one of those cities that can appear expensive on the surface. However, dig a little deeper, and it can be done on a slim budget easier than you would think. The overwhelming choice of hotels and high competition for flights make the biggest cost of your Hong Kong trip more affordable than Europe, Japan, and even many US destinations. It is entirely possible to do 12 days in Hong Kong on a budget.

Make a free visit to the Chi Lin Nunnery.

Flights from the US

On the West Coast, the two US airlines with flights to Hong Kong are United and Delta. United flies out of San Francisco, and Delta out of Seattle. If you’d like to fly on an Asian airline, EVA flies to the West Coast, with a transfer in Taipei.

All flights out of the West Coast are normally $800-900 roundtrip. Anything under $600 is a great deal. Recently, there was a price war between United and Delta, with flights edging under $400.

United Flights from Seattle to Hong Kong

United has flights out of Chicago, and Newark for slightly more. For alerts on flight sales, create a deal alert on SkyScanner and subscribe to our newsletter on the top-right side.

To book flights, head on over to SkyScanner to start searching for your travel dates.

Hotels in Hong Kong

We recommend staying in Hotels over AirBNB for Hong Kong. Our preferred choice for Hong Kong is IBIS in Sheung Wan. It’s a short walk away from everything. They’re also part of the Accor Hotels family.

Stretch your budget with the extended stay rate.

The Extended Stay rate offered by IBIS makes it a great choice for a 12 day trip. A comparable AirBNB costs approximately $400 more.

To take advantage of the extended stay rate, you’ll need to book a minimum of 11 nights and at least 10 days before your arrival. Go to the Accor Hotels website to start your reservation.

Transportation in Hong Kong

The cost of getting around in Hong Kong is amongst the cheapest in all developed cities. Before leaving Hong Kong International Airport, make a visit to the MTR counter to purchase your round trip Airport Express ticket for $180, and an Octopus card. For a 12 day trip, around $500 HKD will be enough. You can always add value later in any MTR station.

After taking the Airport Express to Hong Kong Station – there are free hotel shuttles every 15 minutes.

Budgeting for Food and Activities.

Take the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak for US$10

One of the amazing things about Hong Kong is the quality of meal for $5 USD. Budget for $20-30 USD per day for food. OpenRice is the recommended way to find local restaurants in Hong Kong. There’s also iOS and Android apps.

There are many things to see in Hong Kong, most of them are free or for a few dollars US. Check out this guide and also check out LonelyPlanet for their Hong Kong travel guide.

Total

Flight: $400-$600
Hotel: $1250
Transportation: $80
Food: $200
Activities: $200

Total: $2180-2380

Hong Kong is not as expensive as you think.

Honolulu from New York and Washington DC for $501 Roundtrip

Delta is having a sale to Honolulu from New York and DC with connections in various cities (Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles). The sale applies to departing flights from Late September 2016 to December 2016. You’re saving around $200-250.

To book this deal, head over to SkyScanner and input the following:

From: NYC
To: HNL
Dates: Your dates between September and December 2016

Here’s an example fare in late September:

Honolulu Accommodations

Search for hotels on SkyScanner. Honolulu is a popular destination so expect to find quality hotels.

14 Days in Iceland and keeping it under $3,500 USD

Iceland is a dream for many photographers, it almost feels like cheating when you’re photographing the beautiful landscapes. Iceland however is not a cheap destination. Luckily, there are some way to reduce the cost of the trip. Here’s how I cut about $2,000 from my trip to Iceland. At the time, I couldn’t transfer American Express Membership Rewards or Starwood points to Iceland Air. In fact, until recently it was impossible to book Iceland Air using points. That has since changed, Iceland Air is a partner with Alaska Airlines and you can book using Alaska miles. The value isn’t great and there’s surcharges making it a mediocre value, at best.

Skógafoss Waterfall in Iceland – Click to see the full gallery (External Site)

I booked a round trip flight from SFO to KEF for only $103.10 and 60,000 American Airlines miles. The routing was SFO, ORD, DUS and KEF. I didn’t mind spending a full day in Germany, considering I have a friend to show me around Dusseldorf. The way I acquired these miles was pretty simple: sign up bonuses. Credit card sign up bonuses make it really easy to have thousands of miles with little effort. Citi sent me a generous offer for one of their American Airlines co-branded credit cards: spend $500 in 3 months and receive 30,000 AA miles. With the 30,000 AA miles I had generated with very little spend, I transferred an additional 25,000 SPG points to American. Transferring Starwood points in 20,000 points increments to American adds a 5,000 point bonus, totaling 30,000 miles. This is how I reduced the cost of my trip by about $2,000.

The Road Trip of a Lifetime

If you are visiting Iceland, renting a car is a must. Public transportation is available but it’s only available in the city and it’s impossible to do the ring road via train. I rented a Toyota Yaris from BlueCarRental for 12 days, totaling somewhere in the range of $750 USD. To save money on insurance, I suggest reviewing the car rental coverage your credit card offers and go with that. American Express and Chase offer car rental insurance. After renting the car, I started driving to a super market to pick up peanuts and mandarins. Food in Iceland is expensive. Any stop at a restaurant usually reached $20 USD with very little effort. Picking up snacks was essential in keeping this trip relatively affordable.

Iceland Panorama — Click through to see the Iceland Story at RicardoDelToro.me

The next biggest expense, apart from accommodation is fuel. Fuel in Iceland is expensive, specially for an American and that’s coming from someone living in California. At the time, I remember paying 192 ISK per liter. In gallons, it was reaching about $6.00 USD per gallon. There’s petrol stations all throughout the country and they all take credit cards. Most take American Express, but some don’t. This applies to the entire country: everyone will take your credit card. I didn’t withdraw any Icelandic Kronar at the airport. I just used credit card to pay for things and didn’t need cash throughout the trip. If you use an Amex card, carry a Visa or MasterCard in case Amex isn’t accepted.

Accommodation

Accommodation in Iceland is not cheap and I suggest you book ahead of time. I used Booking to find accommodation and booked directly with the hotel, when possible. Each night was at least $100.00 USD, usually with breakfast included and free really fast Wi-Fi. Prices ranged between $100 and $170 per night. These prices generally get you something pretty nice in most parts of the world but Iceland is not really about luxury. Hotels in Iceland are small with very little luxury.

My Final Thoughts

Iceland is incredible and I cannot wait to go back. Iceland is expensive but it’s not impossible to do, specially if you go with a partner and split the cost of the trip. I would definitely recommend you visit and explore the country. I spent 14 days in Iceland and took a lot of photos. You can see the rest of my trip at: Ricardodeltoro.me.

Deal Alert: Los Angeles to Tokyo Haneda – $397 RT

Anything under $500 USD to Tokyo is considered a great deal. Under $400 and to Haneda is an amazing deal. Haneda is the airport closest to the city. Unlike Narita, it doesn’t involve a 90 minute train ride, and you’ll save around 3,000-4,000 JPY in transit costs to and from the airport.

Airfare sales only last 24-48 hours and can disappear at anytime. If booking a US airline, take advantage of a 24 hour fee-free cancellation period.

There’s a sale on United tickets, operating on ANA and United flights. It’s not searchable through Kayak and Google Flights, instead use Momondo to find your fare.

Here’s how to search:

Booking Site: Momondo.com
Airline: United and ANA
Routing: LAX to TYO (HND and NRT)
Dates: Departures on September 2016 – December 2016

Why AirBNB is No Longer My Preferred Choice

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.

An overview of Expedia's reward program. Earn 2 points per $1 and rewards start at 3,500 points. — An overview of Expedia’s reward program. Earn 2 points per $1 and rewards start at 3,500 points.

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.

Look through the recent reviews of a host to see if they are running multiple properties.

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!

Welcome to The Boarding Call

Until 2015, I haven’t left the country in over 15 years. Since then, I haven’t been back.

I’ve created tools to scrape the internet for airfare deals, shuffled credit card bonuses, and learned how to book award travel. Here, you’ll find the best of everything. From deals to insider tips.

Share my view from the window seat.