Simple Tips to Get Cheap Air Fares

Photo by Suu Amran 

Nowadays, everybody would want to stay on budget. As the world’s economy continues to fluctuate, it is a must that people learn how to keep their expenses low. However, it does not always follow that cutting on a budget means denying oneself of the quirks of life, especially traveling. Taking a break is as necessary as being thrifty; and with that, cheap airfares are rendered as delightful treats.

But how to land these wonderfully economic deals?

1. Consider when to buy the tickets.

Usually, sales on airfares are held to introduce the promo and/or to clear the product. That is why many people are advised to buy early or buy late in order to enjoy the probable sales from travel agencies or airline companies. However, one just has to make sure that buying early or late will not cause conflicts in his travel plans.

2. Take advantage of the off-peak seasons and hours.

One needs not always find a sale to land on budget airfare deals. Sometimes, it depends on the travel date and the hour of the flight. Usually, flights scheduled during off-peak seasons (non-holiday periods) are cheaper compared to other dates. Also, flying during late hours like midnight to dawn could be way more inexpensive than when flying while the sun is up.

3. Weigh the options.

There are a lot of travel agencies offering nice and attractive airfare deals and package tours. However, is the price alright? Are the destinations interesting? Are the benefits worth it? All these questions should be answered satisfactorily for a choice to be good. It is then not bad to canvass options among different travel agencies. Who knows? There could be something better than what you plan to settle for.

4. Subscribe for discount notices.

It is not always that one has the time to check every travel agency for their most recent discount offers. That is why it is advised to sign up for newsletters and announcements from the company. This way, notices about great deals will be delivered personally. Online ticketing sites usually have this ‘Subscribe’ button which people can click so announcements can be mailed to their e-mail regularly.

5. Use points to cut airfares.

Most airline companies or travel agencies offer pointing systems to their loyal customers. These points, often called flier miles, may be used to pay for the air tickets. It is often as good as cash. This means one can pay cheaper prices, or not pay anything at all. 

6. Check the benefits of the deals.

Some flight promotions have this buy (quantity)-get (quantity)-discounted or free method. It is a great thing to take advantage of. People can pay less for their airfares when booking is done in groups. Also, discounts are given when tickets are for senior citizens or children.

Finding cheap flight promotions online is surely not as difficult as how it seems to be. There is always an online ticketing website of a respected travel agency to surely provide all the abovementioned deals.

Quick Facts about the 2012 London Olympics

After four years of enthusiastic anticipation (and thousands of air tickets to London sold), the 2012 London Olympics has finally set to light the torch at the Olympic Stadium.


Although some events had already started prior to the opening ceremony, the excitement didn’t die down a bit. So to heighten it up, why not learn some quick facts about the 2012 London Olympics, and the whole sports competition, itself?

• The Olympics is believed to originate from Ancient Greece but the truth is no one knows where it had started. The most popularly accepted legend though was that it was started by Heracles, a Roman and Greek mythology character 



• During ancient times, the Olympics served as the symbol of peace as joining cities would set aside their feuds and wars just so they could compete properly


• The term ‘gymnasium’ was derived from the Greek word ‘gymnos’ which means nude. This was used because the participants in ancient Olympics were required to complete their events with their clothes off


• During the Olympics in 1900, there were only a few spectators who attended the event. (Perhaps, the airfares were too high?)


• At least one of the colors of the Olympic rings is used in every national flag in the world


• During the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, the gold medals were really made out of pure gold

• The tradition of holding opening ceremonies for the Olympics started with the London Olympics in 1908


• London has been host to the Olympics three times already: 1908, 1948, and the present, 2012


• The 2012 London Olympics is also referred to as the Games of XXX Olympiad, and London 2012


• So far, London is the only city in the United Kingdom to have hosted the Olympics


• The oldest torchbearer ran a 12,000-km distance without her cane for the 2012 London Olympics. She is Diana Gould, 100 years old



• Olympic mascots were first used in the summer of 1972 after it was approved by the International Olympic Committee in Munich, Germany


• Almost four billion people were expected to grab air tickets to London to watch the events


• For the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics, the stadium will be transformed into a British countryside – complete with meadows, fields, rivers, and even herds of sheep. The production is entitled The ‘Isles of Wonder’ and is directed by award-winning directors Danny Boyle and Stephen Daldry


• There will be a total of 205 nations participating in the 2012 London Olympics

The 2012 London Olympics is a remarkable event for everybody as it is another manifestation of the unity which binds the different nations in the world.

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How to Stay on Budget when in Beijing

Photo by Ling Tang 

Contrary to the belief of others, it is definitely not a difficult thing to go around Beijing, China without shedding so much cash. Spending a fortune and making the most out of the experience when in this beautiful city could be rendered as an option as long as you know what to do. And mind you, the list of tips on keeping your trip to Beijing low-budget and worth it does not end after you purchase cheap air tickets.

Here are the top three suggestions to make your flights to Beijing really economical:

      STAY AT BACKPACKERS' INN

Photo by zhang kaiyv

If you can go on without too much luxury in terms of accommodation, why not grab the chance? Sure, there are a lot of opulent hotels in Beijing and each offers very tempting packages. But there are also a lot of simple dormitories and inns around the city which provide the same comfort and security. Although it would require more effort in finding nice and cheap places, at least it would save you from paying a lot for a place you would most likely see only during the night.

      SETTLE FOR CHEAPER FOOD

Photo by zhang kaiyv

First-class restaurants are abundant in Beijing; but if you want to stay on budget, skip those lavish places and resort to the clean canteens and street food stalls around the city. The presentation of the meals may not be as pretty, but the taste of food sold in those smaller establishments could totally rival those in classy ones.

      PLAN AN ITINERARY BEFORE THE TRIP

Photo by Clay Banks

Being impulsive will surely make you spend more money. Thus, you should design an itinerary prior to your tour around the city. Plan ahead and find the places where entrance fees are cheap, if not free; and if possible, categorize these destinations according to their place so you won’t have to pay so much for transportation.



It is easy to stay on a budget as long as you want it. So buy those air tickets and do not hesitate about your trip. Just relax and enjoy.

TRAVEL NEWS: Banyan Tree in Kerala, India Opens on December

source: Google Images

Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts will be opening ‘Banyan Tree Kerala’, its first resort in India by December of this year.

Banyan Tree Kerala is situated in Nedithuruthu, midway between Kochi and Alleppey in the southern state of Kerala. It will feature 59 villas and one houseboat for a maximum of four guests. All villas will have two private pools – one lap pool and one regular – in addition to a common outdoor swimming pool.

The resort will also offer four meeting rooms, two F&B outlets, a kid’s club, a gym, and a spa with six treatment rooms.

Assistant Director Key Accounts of Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, Manas Sinha is quoted saying: “Our focus for Banyan Tree Kerala will be on the domestic luxury market. We are adopting a different business plan from what we practice elsewhere.”

Meanwhile, in order to boost brand recognition in the domestic market, Banyan Tree has organised a series of one-on-one meetings between high-end local tour operators and marketing representatives from its resorts in Asia, starting with one such meeting in Kolkata on March 20.

“Banyan Tree opening in India is very welcome, as we now have an option to send our high-end clients to a resort within the country. This will be handy for last minute decision-making by clients, and we will not have to bother about visas as in the case of overseas destinations”, Managing Director of Gainwell Travel Leisure Kolkata, Manoj Saraf said.

Banyan Tree had just acquired a plot of land in Goa for its second property in India which will be a 50 to 60-key resort, scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Within this year, the group will be opening a total of four resorts worldwide, including two in China and one in Vietnam while 2013 will see the launch of one Angsana in Vietnam and one Banyan Tree each in China and the Philippines.

TRAVEL NEWS: Making the Distance between Seoul and Chuncheon Closer through ITX Cheongchun High Speed Train

Image source

With the operations having officially begun on February 28, 2012, at 6:00 PM, the ITX Cheongchun High-Speed Train marked the reality of faster travel from Yongsan Station in Seoul to Chuncheon in Gangwon-do Province.

As the train speeds off to 180 km/hour, passengers could expect to cover the distance between the two places in just 73 minutes. A train departs from Yongsan Station every hour, and ten minutes after, one from Chuncheon would leave.

The route intersects four stations: Cheongnyangni, Pyeongnaehopyeong, Gapyeong and Namchuncheon. During rush hours on weekdays though, every train stops at Sangbong Station in Seoul and Sareung and Maseok Stations in Namnyangju.

The double decker-train is provided with facilities assuring every passenger of utmost convenience. There are restrooms and nursing rooms for mothers.

Train tickets are sold through easily-operated ticket vending machines positioned at every station. A trip from Yongsan to Chuncheon, and back, will cost 6,900 won while a trip starting from or to Cheongnyangni will cost 6,000 won.

ITX Cheongchun High-Speed Train operates daily from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Revised Flight Surcharge Rates from Emirates, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Starting March 1, 2012, there will be a slight increase in the number of fuel surcharges of airline companies Emirates, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Air. This applies to tickets issued on or after the given date, including those of infants and children.

A summary of the revised amounts of fuel surcharges is charted below:

EMIRATES (one-way surcharges only) From UAE to GCC, Middle East, South Asian Region	Economy Class : Dh60 First Class/Business Class : Dh390
From UAE to Africa, Europe, Far East, Australasia	Economy Class : Dh120 First Class/Business Class: Dh500
From UAE to the Americas	Economy Class : Dh170 First Class/Business Class: Dh610
CATHAY PACIFIC Between Hong Kong, Southwest Pacific, North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Indian Subcontinent	USD 133.20 HKD 1039.00 CAD 135.80 NZD 162.00
Between Japan and Korea Between New York and Vancouver	USD 29.50 HKD 230.00 NZD 36.00
SINGAPORE AIR Between Singapore and Hong Kong	USD 29.50
Between Hong Kong and San Francisco	USD 133.20

The revision on the amount of fuel surcharges is implemented with the guarantee to improve the facilities of the said airline companies. 

References:

Emirates Flight Surcharge Rates 2012

Cathay Pacific Flight Surcharge Rates 2012

TRAVEL NEWS: Hainan’s Duty-Free Stores Enjoy Huge Popularity

Image sources: China Daily

Duty-Free Stores in the Hainan province are enjoying huge popularity and profit as off-shore duty-free shops. Sanya and Haiku airport duty-free stores are drawing crowds of cash-rich Chinese who are eager to splurge on branded goods.

Unlike outlets in China international airports which can only offer duty-free goods to Chinese travellers leaving the country, the Hainan stores can sell to local tourists without requiring an outbound ticket.

The tropical island is treated as an off-shore location where Chinese returning to the mainland can buy tax-free branded goods with a wider selection, often available at lower prices.

Launched early last year, this pilot programme exempts Chinese tourists in Hainan from paying import duties which can be as high as 40% for cosmetics.

Branded goods in China are usually more expensive than the same products abroad. Coupled with hefty consumption and value-added taxes, the average total levy can add up to about 60%. This jacks up the prices of luxury goods in China and they end up costing about 70% more than similar goods in France and 50% more than those in the United States.

“Hopefully, more Chinese people will be able to enjoy better prices and convenience offered by off-shore duty-free stores without having to leave the country,” said the Sanya store’s spokesman Ms. Jessica Zhao.

The Sanya store racked up an impressive 800 million yuan (S$159 million) in sales in its first eight months of offering 100-plus brands of luxury items duty-free to Chinese tourists last year.

Experts expect to see more duty-free stores mushrooming across China in the next three to five years.

“The central government had set the trend and the conditions are in place,” said the Central University of Finance and Economics Professor Li Huan, who noted that are applying to become duty-free havens.

China’s southernmost island province hopes to take advantage of its “4S” reputation – sea, sand, sunshine, and now, shopping.

Because of the huge popularity of these duty-free stores, several travel agencies have included duty-free shopping in their Hainan tour schedules.

“We have added duty-free shopping to all our tour packages to Hainan and will arrange regular shopping-themed tours in the future,” said Zhang Lingjie, Deputy Director of the Domestic Tour department at China International Travel Service (CITS) in Beijing.

Hotels nearby the stores are also benefitting from the influx of guests, noting that the number of bookings has increased dramatically since the opening of the Sanya store.

Airline companies, too have added extra flights to meet the growing demand for Sanya flights.