[Terry's Tale] Would You Like to Travel to Asia?

Have you ever thought you might want to try something such as I am doing - traveling to Asia?  A trip from the US to the orient can prove rather inexpensive.  In times past it was possible to earn money as you made your way via working a merchant liner that plied the appropriate route.  Though it might take as long as three months you would reach your destination with additional monies in your pocket.  It may still be possible to do this but probably more difficult arranging it than in days gone by.  Passage across the Pacific is now commonly done by flight and, while you arrive in just a day or so, your pockets are a little poorer for the process.

 Early to mid-twentieth century merchant ship.

Modern merchant ship.

Surprisingly, passage may cost far less than you might expect as relative costs continue to drop.  Back in 1935, when Pan-American Airways inaugurated its first trans-Pacific run, the ticket cost was $675.00 – considering the value of the dollar then and now, this is an astounding amount of money!  Moreover, commercial jet aircraft had not even been dreamed about at that point.  In fact, there were still a great many bi-winged aircraft still in use (aircraft that used two primary lift wings, one sited above the other).  It could take three days or more to make the Pacific crossing and you were just as likely to fly aboard a craft that would take off and land on water as you were to fly on one that performed these functions on land!  Further, if you have never experienced the noise and vibration of a piston engine, propeller-equipped aircraft, you would quickly find the experience to be, at best, different (though I doubt the uninitiated would consider it to be exhilarating).

Pan-American used this type of aircraft, a Fokker F-7 

trimotor for their first transPacific run.

OMG!  A real Biplane! 

A modern commercial jet, the Boeing 747-400.

This is the kind of aircraft I crossed the Pacific in.

At any rate, my flight cost was less than $600.00, tax and all, and I flew straight into Korea Inchon Airport from San Francisco, though I did have two internal stopovers in the US.  In addition, I flew aboard a very large jet aircraft and the flight time, from San Francisco was only thirteen hours.

If you should decide to travel to the Philippines or Asia, I would recommend that you arrange to purchase your ticket in the off-season as was my case for your costs will be almost one half - as you might imagine, an enormous savings.

Travel outside the US should never be attempted without some preplanning.  The first thing you will need is a passport issued by the US government and this is arranged through your local post office.  If traveling to Korea the passport is all you will need.  If you are traveling to countries other than Korea you will be required to obtain a tourist visa from the country(ies) you will be visiting.  These are available through the auspices of that country’s embassy in the US.

Your US Passport is an absolute necessity.

The next thing to do is to make sure that all of your inoculations, such as for tetanus, are up to date.  In addition, there are probably some special shots required for the country(ies) of your planned visit.  Get those as well.

Have an absolutely wonderful time getting these things!

Next, pack with care, as little as you absolutely need for each country.  Remember that you will be carting your luggage around and the more of it that you have the greater the burden you will bear.

Finally, make certain that your itinerary (all places of visit and/or stay) is tight, yet retains some flexibility and that the funds you have to cover the trip are more than adequate.  The internet is a wonderful source of information for this purpose, especially since the costs of visiting different countries will vary – in some cases, considerably.  You never know what unexpected twists may come your way and you will have to make allowances for them both timewise and moneywise.  If you are sufficiently uncertain of arranging things yourself and can afford to pay for the advice of an expert, contact a local travel agent.  They will arrange most of the necessary details, and for those they do not, they will offer advice and recommendations about.

Whatever the country(ies) you may visit, as long as you speak standard English to some degree, you will not need to speak the local languages, though if you do speak them, you will find your visit much more rewarding.  I do recommend that you brief yourself on the cultures and customs of the peoples of the country(ies) of your visit so you can be fully respectful of them and that you do not commit some faux pax that you may come to regret for legal or other reasons and/or would reflect poorly on the US.  Remember that wherever you may visit you do in all ways represent the US and you actions can leave a trail of either positive or negative impressions of the US. 

If you are thinking to come to South Korea, you will find that in many ways it has become a small first world country that still retains an appreciation of high regard for its very lengthy history yet is rolling headlong into the highly technological future.