How to Travel Cheaply Between Asia and South America

Face it. Anyone who’s traveled between Southeast Asia and South America knows it’s a pain in the wallet to purchase air tickets. This is because there are generally few direct flights between the two continents. Also, it’s a far off dream to have a budget airline doing the flying salsa between them. That said, there are ways to get cheap flights so you don’t cry Argentina every time you see the prices.

1. Know the popular hubs

Peru and Brazil are the most popular hubs in South America thanks to their Wonders of the World status. They also have the highest Asian population that makes the staggering 30 hour haul between the two great continents.

If you’re looking for a cheap way back to Southeast Asia from Latin America, fly from either Lima or Rio de Janeiro into Hong Kong and then hop on a budget airline from Hong Kong to any Southeast Asia country. Not only do you save thousands of dollars but you also have more choices of the flight schedules that will take you back into the country.

Another choice is to scout promo flights from Lima or Rio de  Janeiro to Los Angeles or Barcelona and then to Hong Kong.

2. Budget airlines in Southeast Asia

With Hong Kong as your central hub, there are a plethora of budget flights in Southeast Asia that costs peanuts compared to South American airlines.

Choice of airlines are

The go-to Southeast Asian budget airline. Also flies to Abu Dhabi and London: Air Asia

From Singapore to Southeast Asia, India, Sri Langka and Darwin, Australia: Tiger Airways, Jetstar, Scoot,

From Thailand to Laos, Cambodia and Xian, China: Bangkok Air

From the Philippines that not only go to Southeast Asia, they also have cheap budget flights to Japan and South Korea: Cebu Pacific Air, Zest Air and Philippine Air Express.

Other resources: The Budget Airlines in Southeast Asia

3. Know when to travel: Peak Season vs the Off Season

Since they are sitting on opposite hemispheres, what’s high season in Southeast Asia is Latin America’s low season. Travelers between the two distant continents can use this to their advantage.

You can score really cheap tickets flying into South America during its slow winter season which are around May to November. This is Southeast Asia’s summer peak season. Then when returning to Southeast Asia, aim to travel during it’s off season which are generally from September to November. That said, do not travel during international global holidays like Christmas and New Year’s.

4. Do your research

Compare prices on online travel search engines like Hipmunk, Skyscanner and ITA Matrix Search. These sites have cool features that enables you to see the range of airfares in a month so you could choose the cheapest priced date. Check out Hipmunk’s price graph and Skyscanner’s calendar feature. Hipmunk also allows you to put a fare alert on your desired flight and dates so you can be notified if there’s been a price drop. This feature saved me thousands of dollars and allowed me to travel on Christmas day to Hong Kong.

5. Don’t forget your miles.

With thousands of miles covered by your Southeast Asia-Latin American flight, it’d be a shame not to register for miles. Multiple trips can eventually reward you with a short holiday spree in a neighboring country or a free flight back home.

Consider signing up as a member for either One World, Sky Team or Star Alliance. These are global airline alliances that have several airlines registered in their networks. Cathay Pacific, LAN, COPA, Singapore Airlines, KLM and United are just some of the members.

One World’s partner airlines are: Cathay Pacific, LAN, Air Berlin, American Airways, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines

Star Alliance: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asian Airlines, Austrian, Avianca/TACA, Blue1, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Egyptair, Ehtiopian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAM, TAP, Thai, Turkish Airlines, United, US Airways

Sky Team – Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, AeroMexico, AirEuropa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Czech Airlines, DELTA, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean air, MEA, Saudia, Taron, Vietnam Airlines

The nifty thing about these is that you can transfer and redeem your miles from one airline to another partner in their group.

With these money saving tips under your belt, it’s a guarantee you won’t be crying whenever you see those prices. Or your wallet for that matter

Photos by Well Heleed Blog and World Atlas

How to Navigate Chilean Bureaucracy + Koreans- And a Big Thank You to My Readers

Today is a big day for celebration in this blog (and also the 2012 US election but more on that later). For years I kept looking at the stats for May 6, 2008 as the highest record of readers in this blog which I’ll be honest is 186. Today I finally exceeded that. On Nov 07, 2012 I had 199 readers visit this blog. Thanks to those who shared my blog and articles- you’ve been very helpful in spreading the message of inspiration, culture and the wonders of travel. This is my vision – to undergo a thousand journeys, write stories, share them with the world and educate and inspire others to fly.

If you’ve been lurking for a while, drop a comment below or email me.  I always respond to emails and love meeting readers there. This blog’s mission was to connect with people around the world and I’ve met wonderful folks through Live Out of the Box. I have already met some of the people personally and I hope to meet more in the future.  :)

US elections - looks like Obama wonfor the second term. I  was getting nervous as my beloved Mormon friends were naturally voting for Romney and he did quite well during the debates.  What this would mean for the world global economy, the Euro crisis and US relations with China, we shall see. Elections have been held all over – Greece, Chile, the States  and this December – South Korea (their president 2MB is not well-loved. Dec is the deciding factor for their relationship with Nuclear happy DPRK North Korea). 2012 is the turning point ladies and gentlemen. 

Today’s post is a travel article I wrote on my experience in dealing with Chilean bureaucracy and tips on how to cope with it.  The story is about numerous trips to the police sans handcuffs,  punching someone or something, paperwork and meeting lovely South Koreans to boot. What they’re doing in Chile – no one knows except a lot of kimchi and shoju are surely involved.  감사합니다  (Thanks to)  박원주, Donghun Yun, Ho Seok Kim and 박원주!

Below is an excerpt of the article.

I tried not to punch a wall.

Really, I did.

The officer looked at me with her unforgiving eyes in the Civil Registry office. She told me in Spanish that I need to register in their system over again. It would have been totally fine except she has already asked me to do that before.

Twice.

Welcome to Chilean Bureaucracy.

Tramite is a pretty common term in Chile. Its most innocuous meaning is paperwork but we all know what that really means. Evil vindictive pointless bureaucracy is what it should say. Everyone in Chile undergoestramite and woe to those who get stuck in them.

Like me.

In order to register as a temporary resident here in Chile, most foreigners apply for what is called a carnet. A carnet is an ID that registers you in the government system. Think of it as your country’s ID, passport or Social Security number. All locals are required to have them and you cannot do anything in Chile without it. Unless you’re a new born baby, there comes a point where you have to go through long hellish period of paperwork to get that bit of plastic.

Take my case for example. I was asked to travel to the capital of Santiago to fix an “error” with my family name. Apparently, placing surname first on your visa does not sit well among Chilean bureaucrats. Mind you, it’s two hours travel to Santiago from my city. So I went ahead and did that. Then when I went back to the Civil Registry, I was told to go to the police to register the new placement of my surname.

Strike one.

To continue reading the article- click HERE. 

Travel as a Journey of Transformation- My Quest from Asia to South America

I dedicate this piece to Bryan and Mafey  And of course to Jessica for giving me this inspiration

“You start dying slowly if you do not travel. You start dying slowly if you do not allow yourself at least once in your lifetime to run away from sensible advice…”

–Pablo Neruda

It started with a wish.

At the beginning I didn’t quite know what I was seeking. All I know is I was fed up with China and wanted a huge dramatic change.

So fed up that I moved into a country and a continent that I’ve never been to before. Hence I found myself at the end of the world in South America that is Chile.

And you know my basis for moving here? It was seeing the Latin American culture that I saw on T.V. and movies.

It was only when I moved here that I realize those South Americans that I saw on T.V. –those happy carefree Latinos dancing on the streets and shaking their maracas were in the Caribbean- 10 hour away by plane. And South America Chile had the most far removed image than what I had seen on Latino TV.

Dancing in Carribean Cuba

It didn’t help I came here in the middle of winter where everyone was bundled up. Few people wore bright colors- they prefer somber black or grey. Also people were quite cold outside – remnant of post dictator Pinochet era.

somber black in Santiago

Oops.

If you were to ask me why I came here then, I still can’t give you an answer. I’ve stopped looking.

Later I realize I came here to focus on a writing career not learning Spanish. This I could have done in my own backyard. But the romantic in me wanted to start it in a foreign country. I dreamed of being a Hemingway in exile, writing by the light of my dusty garret. Instead I found myself on my PC surrounded by co-workers hunched on their Macs working for a start-up.

Not exactly a lofty garret but at least I was creating stories – emails and product descriptions.

My South American journey was characterized by a lot of ups and downs.

When I first started settling down, I pushed through boundaries of loneliness and battled nights of depression. I had pulled out the rug of comfort from my own feet. I didn’t have the tight-knit support system I took for granted in China and the Philippines. For the first time, I really was alone here. Everything was different. I’ve never been so far from Asia before and I had to learn and start anew again. My whole world was shaken and I had to rebuild it piece by piece.

Not knowing where we are, what to eat, how to speak the language can certainly make us anxious and uneasy. But anxiety is part of any person’s quest to find the parameters of life’s possibilities. – Reclaiming Travel

The first two months of moving to a new place are always the hardest. But once you push through that, you find that you’ve established for yourself a routine and start to feel “settled”.

When a hero in his epic quest finds a new village, he immediately seeks a new trade while perhaps waiting for news or biding his time before the next adventure. So did I and this opened doors to meeting many interesting characters and ventures. I met many mentors and acquired new skills. I also stumbled upon something totally exciting by accident. Where it would lead me professionally, I don’t know yet but the knowledge on what it can do fills me with anticipation and I can’t wait to see where that door might lead.

This is the paradox: we set out on adventures to gain deeper access to ourselves; we travel to transcend our own limitations.- Reclaiming Travel

I set out on a quest on an unknown land, not knowing where it will take me, not knowing what will happen. I guess you could say I was a fool for chasing a dream that turned out not to be what I wanted (I wanted maracas not empanadas, dammit!). But I did grow and learned a lot here and pushed through my own limitations, jumped out of my comfort zone. It also gave me something else that I hadn’t expected – another door to another dream. This time less foolish, less reckless.

Travel is a search for meaning. But in the end our wandering is meant to lead back towards ourselves. -Reclaiming Travel

I also didn’t realize I would miss Asia a lot. Living here in Chile made me realize how much I miss good cheap delicious food and cheap airlines. I also didn’t understand the depth of how far I really am from my family and friends till I came here and living literally at the end of the world.

But it did provide a lot of insights of my own limitations and what I can and can’t do. It made me realize lifestyles around the world are different and that I’m more likely suited to others than the one here. Which brings me to the decision of closing my South American chapter and deciding to return to Asia.

This is my quest. My journey and it is almost over.

It’s like I had a brief affair with a sizzling hot South American salsa dancer. She sauntered up to me with her bright red lipstick and swept me away from what was comfort routine drudgery. She and I danced all night and it was passionate, sensuous – dangerous even but I know I can’t keep it up for long. At the end of the day, I can’t wait to go back to my domestic Asian housewife where I know delicious steamy wontons are waiting for me.

The sails are poised to change direction, ladies and gentlemen. This time it won’t sail on the wild erratic winds of change. It would not wander. It would have a compass and a direction on where it would go. This time back to home, back to Asia. Herein lies the paradox of setting off on your journey, for in the end you return to where you started.

photo by 365daytumblr, worldmusic and cnn

See where it all began

I QUIT!

North Korea is the Real Matrix- the DPRK tour

So You Want to Move to South America?