Newbie With a Few Questions

[Ray]

Buying plane tickets early has little effect on prices. A couple of months at most is fine.
 
 
Plane fares are largely seasonal. June-August is high. December is high. Try some different dates and different airlines to compare prices.
 
 
Try Oct-Nov or Jan-Mar...
 
 
Ray
 
 

[robert angel]

Hey Robert,


Yep, still focused on the same lady. We chat twice a day each and every day. Once before she goes to work and once after she gets home after she eats. just taking my time and enjoying every bit of the conversation. Trying to pick up a little Tagalog along the way. The really nice thing about technology these days is I've already met one sister, two nephews. one niece and her neighbor all through video chat. They all seem like very nice people. Another niece lives here state side (GA) now and I've talked to her on the phone a couple of times, another very nice family member.


Actually we have never talked about money, hers or mine. The 100,000 PHP was on her profile so that may very well be understated. I think if anything that may be her base salary and she has said that her work day is actually only 8 hours but she works a 12 hour shift for the overtime. In any case, she does work very hard, long hours. I am a little concerned about her asking for time off but she "says" it's not a problem. But I think at this point this is just another good reason for just a week to 10 days for the first trip.


So here I sit waiting for my stinking "Certified" Birth Certificate before I can even send the paper work in for my passport. I had a certified copy from 2005 but because my parents name wasn't on it, it is no good. Until I have passport in hand I really can't make any plans of a trip. The heads up about the Nyquil is great advice and once again I appreciate the info. It makes good sense and may help me to be able to hit the ground running. How far ahead of time yields the best airfare price? Or is it more like "it is what it is"? It seems like the further out you plan the more expensive it is. I'll be sure to either update this thread or start a new thread under Trip Reports when the time comes. I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions.


By the way Robert I'm not really worried about "tribal head hunters, armed gangs or terrorists looking for ransom" I'm more worried about not wanting to leave and being convinced to stay.


Thanks Again,
George

George,

Sounds great! Nice and steady as you go. Yea, technology is wonderful. Paperwork's a hassle. I'm renewing my expired passport and I hope they don't give me a hard time. I think I'll be OK because I still have the expired one--they require you hand that one over to get a new one and if you don't have it, they make a real big deal out of it. I am thinking of taking my wife to Montreal (they speak French and it's a lot cheaper than Paris) and nowadays, you need a passport for just about everyplace outside the USA.

As for: 
By the way Robert I'm not really worried about "tribal head hunters, armed gangs or terrorists looking for ransom" I'm more worried about not wanting to leave and being convinced to stay.

I'm glad you didn't take that seriously. As Johnny B pointed out recently and as you anticipate, you'll feel so safe and well taken care of, you won't want to leave! (Until you want real pizza and cheeseburgers quite badly anyway)

If I can help you out, contact me here in the open, or if you want to give me a call, send me an offline. 

The waiting is the hardest part!

[robert angel]

Buying plane tickets early has little effect on prices. A couple of months at most is fine.
 
 
Plane fares are largely seasonal. June-August is high. December is high. Try some different dates and different airlines to compare prices.
 
 
Try Oct-Nov or Jan-Mar...
 
Ray

Try calling late at night, early mornings on different days of the week. We're on eastern seaboard time and that's worked for us. Cheap seats open up and they unload them at the oddest times. We've gotten lucky most on late Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Try different airlines using different search engines. There's ticket sellers called  'Consolidators' who sometimes have a line on cheap airfares. The longer the flight and the more connecting points, often the cheaper. Not so bad if you have a twelve + hour layover in some cities--you can see a lot of San Francisco, Seoul or Hong Kong in that amount of time and still not miss your connection.

Keep track of the airfares over weeks/months, until you've gotten a feel for it, then bite. Sign up for their miles programs ASAP. We don't rely on credit cards per say--in fact we're wary of them and pay them off in full each month (well, 'almost' every month), but maybe hook up with a credit card and airline that offers points towards airfare, hoping they synch with an airline you eventually use. It kind of sucks, but next time we go to the Philippines, my wife and I will fly separately, using different airlines, because we're using our accrued points, the flights are pretty much free this next time. Another credit card (that -one--Citi Bank Am Ex, does have a $75 annual fee) give us points, plus two free tickets a year to anywhere in the USA that US Airways flies and they've merged with AA.

TheKfc has a TON of info on how to score best on airfares and credit cards in the archives here--that fella has probably forgotten more about tickets and connections to the Philippines than I KNOW...
 

[robert angel]

Also switch browsers such as Internet explorer to Mozilla Firefox, empty your cache, cookies - - history, as the airlines and agencies track, record and will 'tailor'  to their benefit, the fares that show up on your computer. See a fare on line,  perhaps call on the phone to see if they ll beat their own price unknowingly.

[pchip]

I am thinking of taking my wife to Montreal (they speak French and it's a lot cheaper than Paris) and nowadays, you need a passport for just about everyplace outside the USA.

Montreal, hey that's my neck of the woods!!!  Give me a howl when you're around, always good to meet a fellow member!  Cheers!!

[robert angel]

Montreal, hey that's my neck of the woods!!!  Give me a howl when you're around, always good to meet a fellow member!  Cheers!!

Thanks, Pchip! You seem like a nice fellow. When we've had PL members come visit, we've always had a good time. Met them, their wives, family etc. Sometimes just to grab a meal, sometimes to hang out for days--whatever, it's been positive.

Not 100% certain, as we have two free US Air tickets a year through American Express and I know they fly to Montreal, but not certain if our 'deal' includes north of the USA. Also that city has soo much going on in the summer that we'll need to make our arrangements pretty soon. If not, we may do Las Vegas. I have a lot of family in the Detroit area and although I've been to Toronto a hundred times, Whitey and Nazly's place is enroute and a train stop on the way, and we'd love to get together. But Montreal sounds great.

Some day, we want to take the train from coast to coast, stopping in Banff enroute to Canada's Asia--Vancouver. Seems that aside from NYC, most Canadian cities have more of an international flavor than do US cities, seem safer and the people are typically a bit friendlier too.

Canadian trains really rock--cheese and croissants for snacks, even in the cheap seats--gratis!

[whitey]

Rob, if you and "Mrs. Angel" pass through, FOR SURE you'll have to visit us, eh?!

[pchip]

Thanks, Pchip! You seem like a nice fellow. When we've had PL members come visit, we've always had a good time. Met them, their wives, family etc. Sometimes just to grab a meal, sometimes to hang out for days--whatever, it's been positive.

Not 100% certain, as we have two free US Air tickets a year through American Express and I know they fly to Montreal, but not certain if our 'deal' includes north of the USA. Also that city has soo much going on in the summer that we'll need to make our arrangements pretty soon. If not, we may do Las Vegas. I have a lot of family in the Detroit area and although I've been to Toronto a hundred times, Whitey and Nazly's place is enroute and a train stop on the way, and we'd love to get together. But Montreal sounds great.

Some day, we want to take the train from coast to coast, stopping in Banff enroute to Canada's Asia--Vancouver. Seems that aside from NYC, most Canadian cities have more of an international flavor than do US cities, seem safer and the people are typically a bit friendlier too.

Canadian trains really rock--cheese and croissants for snacks, even in the cheap seats--gratis!

Hi Robert


Yes, US Airways flies to YUL (Montreal Airport, used to work in the Airline industry).  And YES, Montreal has a LOT of festivals and shows, and every summer night is a party.  Since summer's so short, we pack it all in!!


Start of June is Grand Prix week, it's pure madness and beautiful creatures are walking all over the place; one would think he's in Medellin.  July you have the Francofolies and Festival Juste pour Rire.  Old port is nice as well.  I'm a stay at home workaholic, so I'm not privvy to all the exibits and availabilities but still know of these.


If you like the train and have the time, hop over to Québec City, as it's also a nice place to hang out for a day or even a few.


I'd love to meet with Whitey as well eventually and I'll have to set something up once my wife arrives...


PM me and we'll exchange contacts


Cheers!

[benjio]

A little computer geek tip I meant to mention in FT's thread when he was looking for bargains on airline tickets. Download Google Chrome and install Hola. Hola is a free VPN plug-in that is primarilyy used for videos on Netflix, Hulu, etc. to access content that's not available in the user's country but is available in other countries. But it also works very well with any site where IP addresses dictate the content that you're viewing. At times I've found a huge difference in airfares depending on which country's IP addresses I'm using. For instance, purchasing Avianca tickets online from a U.S. or Brazilian IP address is usually more expensive than purchasing a ticket on the same website using a Colombian IP address.

[thekfc]

Yep, as Ray mentioned buying tickets very early have little effect on prices - airline do not start releasing their cheaper seat until 4 months out.
 
Also, airlines DO NOT publish their cheapest fares on the searh engines - you can only get those through a good travel agent or directly through the airlines.
 
In addition to the dates mentioned, some other Asia peak travel time are:
 
Late January to mid February: Chinese New Year - huge amount of travelers going back to asia to be with family.
 
Mid to late August: Back to school/end of summer holiday.
 
September: Mid-Autumn festival
 
The reason why early Wednesday morning is the best time to buy tickest is because airlines release the lower fares between Sunday night and Monday night and most people grab them but they have 24 hours to purchase these tickets and all the tickets that were not purchases during the given time frame goes back in the airline inventory midnight Tuesday.
 

[robert angel]

Yep, as Ray mentioned buying tickets very early have little effect on prices - airline do not start releasing their cheaper seat until 4 months out.
 
Also, airlines DO NOT publish their cheapest fares on the searh engines - you can only get those through a good travel agent or directly through the airlines.
 
In addition to the dates mentioned, some other Asia peak travel time are:
 
Late January to mid February: Chinese New Year - huge amount of travelers going back to asia to be with family.
 
Mid to late August: Back to school/end of summer holiday.
 
September: Mid-Autumn festival
 
The reason why early Wednesday morning is the best time to buy tickest is because airlines release the lower fares between Sunday night and Monday night and most people grab them but they have 24 hours to purchase these tickets and all the tickets that were not purchases during the given time frame goes back in the airline inventory midnight Tuesday.

Wow, The KFC AND Piglett back in the same week! Let me look out the window--is it a perfect eclipse of the sun or what?

Thanks Kfc--to be honest, I wasn't sure if staying up past mid night, eastern USA standard time was or is, still a good idea for cheap airfares. Glad you're checking in. That method worked for us last summer.

Travelers, don't forget to always sign up for free travel plans, frequent flier miles and to look for credit cards (not saying load up on CCs) that give you a lot of miles for signing up. A while back, we got a card that gave us 75,000 miles for signing up--enough for RT coach from east coast USA to Manila. 75K is unusual, but 25 to 50K aren't that unusual.

It's real easy when flying, being out of sorts mentally to blow it off or otherwise forget to sign up, but it's worth it.

[robert angel]

TheKfc--do you know how workable it is if you have a 12 hour or so layover in Tokyo  to get into Tokyo, see a bit and still get back to a connecting flight to Manila? I hear you can be in Tokyo for 24 hours tops w/o additional paperwork. I have brother in law who works not too far from there and it'd be fun to meet up there and see the lights and sights a bit.

I've heard that sort of deal works well with Hong Kong, another place I'd like to check out, but of course that's China VS Japan in terms of rules...

[thekfc]

TheKfc--do you know how workable it is if you have a 12 hour or so layover in Tokyo  to get into Tokyo, see a bit and still get back to a connecting flight to Manila? I hear you can be in Tokyo for 24 hours tops w/o additional paperwork. I have brother in law who works not too far from there and it'd be fun to meet up there and see the lights and sights a bit.

I've heard that sort of deal works well with Hong Kong, another place I'd like to check out, but of course that's China VS Japan in terms of rules...

12 hours is more than enough time to do a few sights/eats in Tokyo before continuing - I have done HK in less than 6 hrs (clear customs, take the Airport Express, grab a few bites and head back to the airport, clear customs... with time to spare).
 
Be mindful that depending on the length of your stay outside the airport, you may be subject to additional (airport) fees - so check the rules of your ticket/airport.
 
On one of my upcoming trips I want to try an different airline other than Cathay Pacific (have done them 10 times during the past 4 years) - I am looking at ANA, Singapore Air, Asiana & JAL but I may want to stay in my Alliance (for point purposes) so my main option would be and JAL. I want to experience their service compare to Cathay's.
 
Sorry but Delta, American & United are not on my long haul list.
 

[piglett]

Wow, The KFC AND Piglett back in the same week! Let me look out the window--is it a perfect eclipse of the sun or what?

Thanks Kfc--to be honest, I wasn't sure if staying up past mid night, eastern USA standard time was or is, still a good idea for cheap airfares. Glad you're checking in. That method worked for us last summer.

Travelers, don't forget to always sign up for free travel plans, frequent flier miles and to look for credit cards (not saying load up on CCs) that give you a lot of miles for signing up. A while back, we got a card that gave us 75,000 miles for signing up--enough for RT coach from east coast USA to Manila. 75K is unusual, but 25 to 50K aren't that unusual.

It's real easy when flying, being out of sorts mentally to blow it off or otherwise forget to sign up, but it's worth it.

I ended up with around 18k in F.F. miles with Delta but never ended up using them
(i needed at least 25k)
i donated them to this group that would fly wounded service members family's 
back & forth from their home state to wherever the soldier was being treated.
so yes sign up for the miles even if YOU don't end up using them yourself


I think i did the "stay up past midnight trick"


it saved me almost $300 on my 1st trip to the PI


i guess i better do an update for you folks over on the Asian side


do i have some stories to tell 

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[/size][size=78%]pig  [/size]






   

[robert angel]

I ended up with around 18k in F.F. miles with Delta but never ended up using them
(i needed at least 25k)
i donated them to this group that would fly wounded service members family's 
back & forth from their home state to wherever the soldier was being treated.
so yes sign up for the miles even if YOU don't end up using them yourself


I think i did the "stay up past midnight trick"


it saved me almost $300 on my 1st trip to the PI


i guess i better do an update for you folks over on the Asian side


do i have some stories to tell

[/size]
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[/size][size=78%]pig  [/size]

As "The Pig"--the original, one and only "Piglett" can tell em! We've been waiting, man!

[Bob_S]

TheKfc--do you know how workable it is if you have a 12 hour or so layover in Tokyo  to get into Tokyo, see a bit and still get back to a connecting flight to Manila? I hear you can be in Tokyo for 24 hours tops w/o additional paperwork.

Be sure to fill out the customs form before you land.  Don't waste time doing that outside of passport check.


If you're not claiming baggage (it's getting forwarded to your connecting flight), you can probably get from Narita to central Tokyo within 2 hours.  That's stepping off the plane to stepping onto the sidewalk.  The Narita Express train is about 70 minutes, a limousine bus can take about that long if traffic is heavy.  If you fly into Haneda, 30 minutes (that's taking the monorail to Hamamatsucho where you can connect to the Yamanote loop train to anywhere).

[william15011]

A whole lot of the women there, young and old alike, have been strung along by supposed internet Romeos, bums full of sweet promises, cads who were looking for free sex cam shows and so on. Even if they are new to the web sites, the girls probably have already heard about all the 'no show Joes'--guys--'players' who left women waiting for hours, even days, at airports, all for naught .

Some guys who string women along demand the women announce on their profiles that they are committed--same on facebook--effectively taking them off the market, then these guys keep doing the same thing until they've filled up their meat market locker and then maybe go over and try to pick up the choicest cuts, hopping from island to island. Again, word's out that too many women have shown up at airports waiting for Romeos who never show. Sometime the bums even have sent some sums of money to hedge their bets. Meanwhile, they women may have told all their friends and family, some who may have seen the guy and chatted him. The woman is left in despair, feeling shamed and disgraced. No wonder she has an axe to grind.

It really leaves a bad impression and makes anyone on whatever side, wary. Sometimes the guy actually does show, then the bad doesn't come down until they've had sex, when the dude leaves awkwardly. Sure, sometimes they just weren't 'compatible' and parting is a necessary sorrow, but all too often the extent of the damage done is unnecessary. Win lose or draw, word gets around.

So no wonder they want you there yesterday, but don't let that make you make a hasty, not to mention expensive move. All good things--truly good things--take time. Position yourself carefully and have a clear, not too complicated goal before you get on the plane.

AND--there are women out there who play games just as nefariously and will be out to steal your lunch and money from the git go. Some may have been 'conditioned' into doing guys dirty by the behavior described above, but there are others who seem to have been born to scam. Some have guys and other females--boyfriends, family members etc., all in on the scam, maybe pushing them--a real 'cottage (nipa hut?) industry'. It's made the national news numerous times in various Asian countries--the scam operations. Some will take a long time to 'set the hook' and separate a guy from his money. I've seen sexy--really 'hot' looking chicks 'chatting' with four poor suckers on-line, playing them all at the same time in internet cafes, with their tight, low cut blouses and Mona Lisa smiles. Maybe the guys got a rise--an ego boost out of it, I don't know, but I doubt they got anything long term from it.

Some women, just like us guys, will leave a number of potential mates 'in play', but once you get down to choosing time, remember that "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush."

They say 'All is fair in love and war" and this endeavor tests the assertion. I wonder if "The Agony and the Ecstasy" title should've been used for a subject/title other than Michelangelo's biography. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. Be smart, don't bite off more than you can chew. While walking out the front door to go to work, or hopping on an international flight is a calculated risk, so is pursuing a serious, long term committed love relationship overseas. But I honestly feel the risks are worth the potential gains. Typically, even if you come back single from a trip overseas, you'll still have some great memories.

This is hypothetical, but given how much better my wife treats me compared to every guy I know who shares tales and overviews of his 'situation' with his American born and raised wife, I feel triply blessed. I've been burned before in a previous, far too long a marriage and as such, still cynically tell myself that 'nothing lasts forever', but if for whatever reason (most likely it'd be my own fault) that this one fell apart, I'd still feel it was worth it all. I'd like to think I'd be thankful for the great times already lived.

Take your time, but when the moment is right, seize it and enjoy your time thereafter.

This really good advice Robert.  I have met women that are almost throwing themselves at me.  I try to be honest and say I am speaking with several women, you might be the person I pick for marriage. 

[Josephymip]

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[Josephymip]

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