Travelling - Flights Question - Asia/Oz/NZ

LFC5Times

Hi,

I plan to get out of here in the New Year probably late January/February at this stage. I will be going on my own.

Ultimately I want to go to Oz for anything up to a year but do some travel in Asia first.

The thing with China is the weather in Janaury/February/March is going to be very cold and it will be hard to see alot of the sights I wanted to see so I am considering bypassing that and maybe heading straight to Thailand.

When it comes to Thailand/Laos/Vietnam & Cambodia - I don't want to do any internal flights - trains,boats,cars etc for me. I seriously can't stand flying(which I no sounds mad because I want to go travelling). I don't trust those internal airlines especially from what I have heard from a pilot friend I have who pretty much avoided them when there.

So what I want to know is, am I better off booking all my own flights individually?

Say Dublin to China or Thailand, then travel down through Asia (trains/boats/cars/bus) and fly from Malaysia or Singapore to Oz. Then possibly get a return flight to NZ before flying home to Ireland from Oz whenever my Visa runs out or I'v had enough. All the time booking my flights as I go.

So should I book my flights individually as I go or would there be some type of flights package that would suit what I want and be better off price wise.

I know I don't really have an exact plan but I kind of what to play by ear and see how I go along without sticking to a strictish itinerary.

Thanks in advance

dory

It's usually cheaper to buy all in one go. You pay for flexibility, so if you want to hang on and book later, you'll pay for the privilege.

Check out deals on USIT and Trailfinder's website. Maybe the cheapest RTW ticket would do what you want. When you say 'travel with boats, cars, trains etc down through Asia'. It really is just a case of getting one train from Thailand to Kuala Lumpur, an you'll be flying to Oz from there (or Singapore). That's not much land travel, mostly air.

LFC5Times

dory wrote: »

It's usually cheaper to buy all in one go. You pay for flexibility, so if you want to hang on and book later, you'll pay for the privilege.

Check out deals on USIT and Trailfinder's website. Maybe the cheapest RTW ticket would do what you want. When you say 'travel with boats, cars, trains etc down through Asia'. It really is just a case of getting one train from Thailand to Kuala Lumpur, an you'll be flying to Oz from there (or Singapore). That's not much land travel, mostly air.

Thanks for your reply dory!

Well I suppose when I meant travel through Asia, I meant going to Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia as well as Thailand ( but doing no flights between those countries - assuming there is the option flights) before heading down to Kuala Lumpur.

Would USIT & RTW have all their deals on their website or would I be better off going into them? Rather not go in but if I'm better off I would.

Also would you have any opinions/experience on visiting China in February and seeing the sights despite the usual very cold weather?

dory

Never been to China, sorry. I've never let cold weather stop me thought. In Moldova last January it was -25, we just jogged instead of walked to keep warm.

USIT usually has sample fares on their site, and then you have to ring to book. You should be able to do it all over the phone. Trailfinders woud probably be the same.

mickoneill30

dory wrote: »

USIT usually has sample fares on their site, and then you have to ring to book. You should be able to do it all over the phone. Trailfinders woud probably be the same.

I've done a couple of big trips using Trailfinders & Usit. I always got a better deal when going in than I could find on the internet.

It's handy saying to a rep to check a day or two either way. It takes ages doing that yourself on the internet and you can miss stuff.

There are loads of sites that check multiple airlines so check them too. They're not always the best price but it's handy when you're talking to someone in a travel agents so you know if they're pricier or cheaper.

killbillvol2

LFC5Times wrote: »

Thanks for your reply dory!

Well I suppose when I meant travel through Asia, I meant going to Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia as well as Thailand ( but doing no flights between those countries - assuming there is the option flights) before heading down to Kuala Lumpur.

Would USIT & RTW have all their deals on their website or would I be better off going into them? Rather not go in but if I'm better off I would.

Also would you have any opinions/experience on visiting China in February and seeing the sights despite the usual very cold weather?

China's a huge country so it won't be freezing everywhere. Beijing will be very cold but the plus is that there's less smog in winter so it's a better time to see the main sights. Go for it, it's a fascinating country (and very cheap!).