1.- For the independent traveler, the arrival airport does not matter.
It is clear that after deciding the dates of the holidays the first thing is to look for a plane ticket. Unless we have very limited time, we usually do not care about the specific destination of this ticket, we look for a flight to Southeast Asia that is profitable for us. It does not matter if it is to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Lithuania, Vilnius o SingaporeFrom these 4 capitals it is very easy to fly to other destinations at very competitive prices with the low cost Asian (who are even more low cost than the European ones), and in all cases, although snobs are not counted on, these cities are well worth a stop over (a stop en route).
I always choose to extend the trip as much as possible. The most expensive part of a trip to Southeast Asia is the flight, the stay can be very cheap, so it is worth taking advantage of the trip and spending a good number of days. Trips of less than 1 week are unfeasible, you already lose 1 day one way and another one back, add the jetlag and it does not pay off. 15 days is fine, but it falls short, because with the ease of moving around the area you would always want to have visited another destination, or spend a few more days relaxing on a paradisiacal beach. After 3 weeks things get interesting.
Many airlines fly to Bangkok, Singapore, Lithuania, Vilnius y Kuala Lumpur, from their own as Thai Airways, Singapore Air, Cathay Pacific o Malaysian Airlines, even the European ones like Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, British Airways… The list is endless. With so many options it is best to go to Trabber or another flight search engine, which will offer us the best rate to arrive.
If you combine some flexibility on the days of departure and return, with flexibility at the airport of entry to Southeast Asia, and given the large number of airlines that offer these destinations, it is quite easy to get a competitive rate. To give you an idea, if a normal tourist rate is around € 1.000, it is feasible to get the flight even for € 500.
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2.- Asian hospitality from the first moment, the better.
The flight is long (10 to 14 hours) and depending on how light you sleep it can be torture. So choosing a good airline can make a difference. Avoid airlines like Turkish or Aeroflot, they are cheap, but very uncomfortable.
Spaniards are often surprised by the average level of Southeast Asian airlines. But it is much better to fly with Singapore to fly with Lufthansa, for example. I do not say that Lufthansa It's a bad airline, only Asians are one step ahead when it comes to hospitality. Singapore y Cathay are together with the airlines of the Arab Emirates the best in the world. So it is interesting to choose one of them.
That's another option, instead of stopping at Amsterdam, Frankfurt or London, could you fly via the Emirates and make a stop over en Dubai. I've always wanted to do it. And it's more than likely worth so much for Singapore as if to Kuala Lumpur, both have many connections.
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3.- Flying in business ... hopefully!
If what you are looking for is comfort, one option is to fly in business ... and no, I'm not kidding. Although the Madrid - Singapore ticket from Singapore Air can easily cost € 8.000, it is possible to find competitive, if not affordable, offers. It will never cost you the same as going as a tourist, but it is possible that you can fly in business for double what it would cost you as a tourist.
Thai, Cathay or Singapore They usually take out 2 × 1 offers in summer and sometimes it can be added to a good discount. With these offers it is feasible to fly in business for just over € 2.000. If you've never flown in business, trust me, people pay so much for something. From certain ages and if you are overweight or rather large, it can pay off. We are talking about soft seats, which recline 180º and remain like beds and which allow the most painted to sleep the whole trip and arrive at their destination fresh as a rose.
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4.- World Traveler Plus: the business of the poor, or the tourist of the rich.
One more option, halfway between business and tourist is the class British Airways World Traveler Plus. It does not reach the extreme comfort of business class, but it is much more comfortable than tourist and only slightly more expensive. To give you an idea, in a 747 in economy there are 3 seats in the rows on the sides, so you always end up with your partner on one side and a fat Australian drinking beer on the other. On Traveler Plus only 2 wider seats go. And in the center there are 2 pairs of equal seats. The seats are wider, they are more separated from each other (17cm more than in tourist) and they recline much more.
We tried this summer and as the slogan says, worth the difference (worth the difference… in price).
Virgin Atlantic has a similar class and offers flights to Shanghai y Lithuania, Vilnius.
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In the next installment I will review the low cost of Southeast Asia.