As you all now know, I am off to Singapore in only 2 short months. Before this can occur however, there is the process of booking an international flight….an ordeal that I have never encountered before - until now. When one decides to fly to Singapore, the normal course of action is to fly over our dearly, beloved Canada and stop over in Tokyo or Hong Kong, and then head down to Singapore. In my case (never doing anything simply or easily) I have decided to fly over Europe so I can have an extended stop over on my way home and take in some crazy European adventures as well. WHY NOT? This led me to encounter a few dilemmas and issues.
First MAJOR difference is the price. A return flight to Singapore the normal route is somewhere around $2000 after all taxes and fees. In my case…$2500 or more, depending on where, when, etc.
Secondly, my itinerary changed so many times.
#1 Toronto - Frankfurt - Dubai - Singapore
#2 Toronto - Frankfurt - Hong Kong - Singapore
#3 Toronto - Vancouver - Singapore (started to feel frugal)
#4 Toronto - New York - Singapore - Frankfurt - New York - Toronto
#5 Toronto - London - Dubai - Singapore - $2696.41
Now, who gets to go to Dubai? Me? Yes I do indeed. I am pretty excited about this stop over. I can see a lot of gold, a lot of camels, and a lot of luxury; it is in abundance. I can get within 1km of one of the world's only 7 Star hotels, the Burj Al Arab. Apparently every room has a butler or a team of butlers to assist you with all of your needs. If you need to land your helicopter on the roof there is no problem as it has the landing pad ready and waiting. I would need to pay $54.00USD in order to see it though. Ummm…maybe I'll stay in the Royal Suite for $28,000 a night. Sure.
Initially I was going to be flying on Singapore Airlines which is known to be the world's best. Now I will be flying the only airline that apparently rivals it- Emirates Air.
Something I didn't really know before booking this flight was that all airlines are connected to different alliances. There is the Star Alliance, Oneworld Alliance and the Sky Team Alliance. Basically, all I really understand about them is that when it comes to frequent flyer miles, you can only get them if the airlines you are connecting to along your journey all fall into the same alliance which, in my case, they do not. BOOO!!! Oh Well I am going to Dubai!!!
Also, because of some sort of craziness and Frankfurt being the only place that Singapore Airlines will fly to Singapore from in Europe ( I think that's what the travel agent said) Almost ALL flights out of Frankfurt are SOLD OUT as far away as August 2nd… CRAZY! Hence all of the changes and stresses.
BUT, I digress. I do know that I will have an amazing time flying in three 7 hour chunks on the way. If anyone knows what I can get up to in London with a 12 hour stopover, I am all ears. I also am excited to visit some friends in Hong Kong before the school year starts. I will go to Macau and do some gambling…very little, but some. On the way home I can stay with friends in Paris and London and also with family in various places in Germany and Holland. How traveled I will be.
Enough…DONE…LATER.
I was long winded, but I am ultra-super-crazy-magnifico exicted!!!
First MAJOR difference is the price. A return flight to Singapore the normal route is somewhere around $2000 after all taxes and fees. In my case…$2500 or more, depending on where, when, etc.
Secondly, my itinerary changed so many times.
#1 Toronto - Frankfurt - Dubai - Singapore
#2 Toronto - Frankfurt - Hong Kong - Singapore
#3 Toronto - Vancouver - Singapore (started to feel frugal)
#4 Toronto - New York - Singapore - Frankfurt - New York - Toronto
#5 Toronto - London - Dubai - Singapore - $2696.41
Now, who gets to go to Dubai? Me? Yes I do indeed. I am pretty excited about this stop over. I can see a lot of gold, a lot of camels, and a lot of luxury; it is in abundance. I can get within 1km of one of the world's only 7 Star hotels, the Burj Al Arab. Apparently every room has a butler or a team of butlers to assist you with all of your needs. If you need to land your helicopter on the roof there is no problem as it has the landing pad ready and waiting. I would need to pay $54.00USD in order to see it though. Ummm…maybe I'll stay in the Royal Suite for $28,000 a night. Sure.
Initially I was going to be flying on Singapore Airlines which is known to be the world's best. Now I will be flying the only airline that apparently rivals it- Emirates Air.
Something I didn't really know before booking this flight was that all airlines are connected to different alliances. There is the Star Alliance, Oneworld Alliance and the Sky Team Alliance. Basically, all I really understand about them is that when it comes to frequent flyer miles, you can only get them if the airlines you are connecting to along your journey all fall into the same alliance which, in my case, they do not. BOOO!!! Oh Well I am going to Dubai!!!
Also, because of some sort of craziness and Frankfurt being the only place that Singapore Airlines will fly to Singapore from in Europe ( I think that's what the travel agent said) Almost ALL flights out of Frankfurt are SOLD OUT as far away as August 2nd… CRAZY! Hence all of the changes and stresses.
BUT, I digress. I do know that I will have an amazing time flying in three 7 hour chunks on the way. If anyone knows what I can get up to in London with a 12 hour stopover, I am all ears. I also am excited to visit some friends in Hong Kong before the school year starts. I will go to Macau and do some gambling…very little, but some. On the way home I can stay with friends in Paris and London and also with family in various places in Germany and Holland. How traveled I will be.
Enough…DONE…LATER.
I was long winded, but I am ultra-super-crazy-magnifico exicted!!!
1 comment:
I think it's so funny that you started out flying via Dubai, went through about a hundred different permutations and combinations of cities, and then ended up basically right where you started; flying via Dubai.
While I'm thinking about it, here's a list of some places to hit in Hong Kong and Macau.
H.K.
Star Ferry ride between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island
Street markets on HK Island
Double-decker streetcar
Macau
Largo de Lilau and Penha Church (great views)
Taipa Village (Like a slice of Old World glued onto South China)
UNESCO World Heritage tour
Post a Comment