Saving Moola -- Part II

Airfare

So both of us fly fairly often...not as often as those of you that needs to fly for work. But when we do fly, we are usually pretty aware of the cost, since it's coming out of our own pocket. Here's a couple of observations that we notice...traveling between US & Taiwan:

1. When comparing airfare and getting quotes, be sure to include tax & other fees. They can easily add up to a hundred or two.
   
2. We never get in on those super duper low-airfare deals. Usually, by the time, we find out about it, and get approval from work that we could go, all the seats are already sold-out. But if this is something that you want to try your luck at, check out Travelzoo.
   
3. Most of the online travel website (like travelocity, orbitz, etc) have problems finding a competitive price for international flights. Instead, check the airline website directly. Historically, we also get the best price from a travel agent, or rather from several travel agent. Note that this doesn't mean that you should skip directly to the travel agent, but rather in addition to checking the price online, check with a couple of travel agents.
4. Travel agent price may be negotiable, especially those found in Chinese newspaper. ;) We found that oftentimes, they are willing to cut into their commission to get your business, especially if you are buying multiple tickets.
   
5. Since you are considering traveling almost half way around the world....why not visit multiple countries instead of just one? Here's a trick that you might not know, using stopover.
   Let's say you're traveling from SFO, and you want to visit HKG & TPE. Instead of booking a flight from SFO->TPE, and then TPE->HKG. Find a flight that goes from SFO->HKG with a stopover in TPE. A stopover generally could be any number of days (check w/ your flight rules). It may cost a little more for stopover, but overall, it is a LOT cheaper than two flight tickets.
   We had friends that use Taiwan as a stopover to Singapore. And a lot of flights also stop by Japan on its way to Taiwan.
   
6. For those that really travel a lot and earn lots of miles. Don't overlook the airline miles partners. For example, Delta & China Airline are partners. Starting with 60k miles on Delta, you can redeem for a ticket to Asia from China Airline.
   
7. Last but not least: We found that the seats & services are better from Asian airline companies, as compared to US companies -- at least in economy class. And if you happen to be flying EVA, see if you can manage to fly on their Airbus 330 or Boeing 777 on the long international leg. You see, with those planes, you get your own personal TV/Entertainment display and slightly bigger seats... even in the economy class. Whereas on the Boeing 747, it's a toss-up whether you will end up on the older ones with the tiny monitor in the aisle that is shared by all. (Reference: Eva Wiki)
   

Well, hope that you find the above helpful. If you have any tips to share, please let us know!