Ikimashou: Travel Tips and Hints

Ikimashou: Travel Tips and HintsIkimashou: Travel Tips and Hints

Emmett Jones

Hakata Seisho High School

My Hotel ExperienceMy Hotel Experience

Newport Beach Marriott Hotel

532 room hotel in Newport Beach, California.

Worked for 3 years.– 1　 year front desk.– 2 years accounting.

Common questions I am asked:Common questions I am asked:

“Will I get in trouble for taking towels, shampoo, robes, etc.?”

Individual containers of shampoo or soap are okay to take. If you take towels or robes, your credit card will be charged.

Common questions I am asked:Common questions I am asked:

“Has anyone famous ever stayed at your hotel?”

Dennis Rodman was a guest once, but the most high profile guests were the Marriott family. It was a big deal whenever they came to stay.

Common questions I am asked:Common questions I am asked:

“If I give the front desk clerk $20, will I get an upgrade?”

Nothing too fancy. You may get a room on a higher floor, but don’t expect a suite or anything. Suites are often controlled by management and need approval to have a guest placed in one.

Common questions I am asked:Common questions I am asked:

“What’s the best way to get an upgrade then?”

Being polite and friendly to the front desk clerk is good. Another suggestion is to approach a clerk who is of the opposite gender as you. A little flirtation actually helps.

Hotel TipsHotel Tips

Loyalty programs– Free to join.– Earn points for free nights.– Stay more than 10 nights and obtain first

level of elite status on some programs.– Greater recognition from hotel staff.

Loyalty pays off!Loyalty pays off!

Emmett’s Special Tip #1Emmett’s Special Tip #1

*Even if you think you will only use a particular hotel chain once, still sign up for the loyalty program.

Hotel TipsHotel TipsAdvantage to booking on a hotel

website vs. 3rd party website– Offer packages that include breakfast or

transportation.– Generous cancellation policies.– Room can be paid at checkout.– Better room assignment.

*Note: Some hotel websites are now offering discounts if you pay for your room in advance.

Hotel TipsHotel Tips

Know the hotel: business or leisure.– Business hotels can be expensive

Monday-Thursday, but half price on the weekend.

– Business hotels can also be cheap during holiday periods.

– Stay at leisure hotels on weekdays.

Hotel TipsHotel Tips

Where to find deals.– Travel agents.– Hotel’s website.– Hotel e-mail newsletters.

Emmett’s Special Tip #2Emmett’s Special Tip #2

*If you arrive on a date that is expensive, sometimes hotels will charge you that rate for the entire stay. Book two separate reservations to avoid paying the expensive rate everyday.

Airline TipsAirline Tips

Frequent Flyer Programs– Free to join.– Earn free flights.– Can earn miles from internet shopping.– Some programs allow you to obtain elite

status with as little as 20,000 miles.– Don’t always have to fly the same airline to

earn miles. (Just fly on their alliance partners.)– Beware of mileage expiration policies.

One World AllianceOne World Alliance

Star AllianceStar Alliance

Sky Team AllianceSky Team Alliance

Final Note About Airline AlliancesFinal Note About Airline Alliances

Each of the airline alliances just mentioned feature additional airlines not listed. The slides only featured the larger airlines in each respective alliance.

Check each alliance’s website for information on additional airlines.

Emmett’s Special Tip #3Emmett’s Special Tip #3

Hotels near the airport will usually offer complimentary transportation to the airport and in addition, may provide free rides to local attractions.

Airline TipsAirline Tips

Low Cost Carriers (LCC’s)– Can get you there for a fraction of the pric

e.– Usually new planes with young, energetic

crews.– Beware of extra fees…and cramped space

s.

Airline TipsAirline Tips

Stopovers– A good way to see a second city.– Prices range from free to ￥ 10,000.– Good stopover cities:• Singapore, Hong Kong, and Seoul.

Airline TipsAirline Tips

Air Passes– See many cities in one country or region

for a decent fare.– Pass works on a flight coupon system.– The 3 alliances all offer various passes.– Often, passes can not be purchased for

the region in which you reside.

However, there are a few However, there are a few exceptions to be had.exceptions to be had.

Asia Pass from Cathay Pacific Asia Pass from Cathay Pacific AirlinesAirlines

Fly to 22 cities around AsiaStopovers in Hong Kong and Taipei

permitted.6 sectors for ￥ 79,000.8 sectors for ￥ 90,000.Only available until March 31, 2011.

Discover Thailand from Thai Discover Thailand from Thai AirwaysAirways

Visit any city within Thailand.Pass comes with 3 flight coupons.Cost is $278 (US).

Discovery AirpassDiscovery Airpass

Run by Bangkok Airways, Siem Reap Airways International, Lao Airlines, and Berjaya Air.

Travel anywhere in these airlines’ network.

Must purchase minimum 3 flight coupons, maximum of 6 coupons.

Coupon prices range from $70 (US) to $200 (US).

Emmett’s Special Tip #4Emmett’s Special Tip #4

Consider departing from Tokyo. Flights can be cheaper and you will have a better selection when it comes to airlines and departure times.

Train TipsTrain Tips

Japan Rail Pass– Can use on all JR trains except “Nozomi”

Shinkansen trains.– 1 week pass: $340 (US)– 2 week pass: $542 (US)– Can only be purchased outside Japan.– Can only be used by people on tourist visa

s.

Train TipsTrain Tips

Korea Rail Pass– Purchase online at www.korail.com– Passes last 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days.• 3 day pass is 84,600 Korean Won ( ￥ 6,300)

– Receive a discount if traveling with 2-5 people.• 3 day pass is 76,100 Korean Won ( ￥ 5,700)

– One way standard fare from Seoul to Busan: 51,800 Korean Won.

Emmett’s Special Tip #5Emmett’s Special Tip #5

Not all rail passes are a good deal. Some passes will require you to travel extraordinarily long distances in order to make your money back.

Ferry TipsFerry Tips

JR Beetle (Fukuoka – Busan ferry)– Travel time of 2 hours and 55 minutes.– Round trip fare of ￥ 24,000.–Weekday round trip fare of ￥ 20,000– Sometimes specials as low as ￥ 10,000 ro

undtrip at jrbeetle.co.jp/english

Ferry TipsFerry Tips

Kitakyushu to Tokyo and Osaka– Departures out of Shin Moji Port– Kita “Q” to Osaka• 12 hour travel time.• Lowest class fare of ￥ 6,800.

– Kita “Q” to Tokyo• 34 hour travel time.• Lowest class fare of ￥ 14,470.

Helpful WebsitesHelpful Websites

tripadvisor.com– Reviews posted by everyday travelers.

kayak.com– Searches several travel sites at once to give you t

he best price. hostelworld.com– Great place to book hostels and boutique hotels.

flyertalk.com– Community website used by frequent flyers. Som

etimes, news of “accidental fares” and specials are posted here.

Books / MagazinesBooks / Magazines

English language guide books.– Frommer’s• Focus is more on families and those who don’t

mind spending some money.

– Lonely Planet• Geared more towards backpackers or budget tr

avelers.

Should I go to Huis Ten Bosch?Should I go to Huis Ten Bosch?

Frommer’s– “…I consider this the country’s premier th

eme park designed for adults.”

Lonely Planet– “…did you really come to Japan to spend

￥ 5000 to see a replica of another country?”

Books / MagazinesBooks / Magazines

Japanese Travel Guides– Available in most book stores.– Usually priced around ￥ 1,000.– Very colorful. Each page is full of pictures,

maps, and charts.– Focus tends to be on a Japanese tourist’s

favorite travel activities: eating and shopping.

Have a nice trip.Have a nice trip.

Questions? E-mail me at padrefan82@hotmail.com