While it is entirely possible to
arrange for flight tickets and hotel packages online, we found it better in
many ways to go with a tour company specializing in outbound travel services.
Moreover, our Holyland trip reservation prepared us to better deal with the
shortcomings of the tour company personnel. Even so, many surprises lurk for a
first-time South Asia bound traveler. Below is a list of gotchas to avoid when
reserving a trip to South Asian countries from Kerala:
a)
Travel agents offer vanilla packages that include a
city tour and/or one or more attractions, depending on the number of days
planned for a particular city. The standard packages are very economical. They
are only slightly flexible when it comes to adding/deleting items in the
package itinerary and upgrading hotels. Half-day city tours are a given for
many of these packages and are worthwhile only for first-time visitors. In
general, tour companies do not favor altering packages for it involves more work
on their part. We preferred Taman Nagara instead of Genting for the Malaysia
wing and it took the tour company a few weeks before getting back to us – the
quote was a whopping $2700 compared to the $1000 for the Genting package.
b)
When choosing packages, it is vital one is clear on
what exactly is offered. The itineraries provided tend to be on the cryptic
side. It pays to ask and verify what the offer comprises of before signing up.
Further, it is best to contact the tour providers with one’s concerns as
opposed to the local tour company. The local tour company representatives are
not the final authority and in many cases can be fairly inaccurate.
c)
August-September is a pretty good time to visit
Thailand, Malaysia, and other South Asian countries – though it can be a little
bit wet in September. For the Middle East, December through February is the
best time to go.
d) Phuket
is a lot more popular that Pattaya as a beach town. Our package offered Pattaya
although switching to Phuket was no big deal for the tour operator. That option
is slightly more expensive as a local flight is necessary to get to Phuket.
From our perspective, Pattaya worked just as well and we have no reservations
recommending it.
e)
The tour companies provide visa services at reasonable
costs – Rs 1500 and Rs 2400 respectively for Malaysia and Thailand. We didn’t
avail this option, instead decided to deal with this at the airports concerned.
As per the recommendation for the US consular affairs – there is no charge for
visas for US citizens in Malaysia and Thailand.
f)
The tour operators primarily offer packages with
full-service airlines. When we approached for a quote, we were routed through
Bangalore or Madras in either Malaysian or Thai flights. These options were
comparatively more expensive than direct flights through Air Asia. Furthermore,
Air Asia’s discounted fares when purchased directly from their website could
not be matched by our tour operator even after we informed them about the
discrepancy. Finally, we paid around $50 more per person going through the tour
operator for our Air Asia tickets – as our credit/debit cards were not getting
accepted when trying to purchase tickets directly from Air Asia website, we bit
the bullet and went with what the tour operator offered.
g)
Air Asia flight ticket rates can vary vastly depending
on the date chosen. So, it is worthwhile to play with the rated quotes, if
dates are flexible. Our initial quote from our tour company was with Thai
Airways flight via Madras for about $175 more per person compared to the Air
Asia flight they first quoted. After playing with the website, we suggested
different dates which brought down the pricing further by around $110 more per
person.
h)
Online check-in is a breeze and highly recommended for
Air Asia flights as otherwise one might end-up in crappy seats – online
check-in can be done 7 days in advance. There are pages to sign-up for seat
selection, seating upgrades, travel insurance, etc. But, there was no option to
purchase meals online. Better to do that via your travel agent or through the
website (not the check-in area).
i)
US dollars are generally not accepted by retail vendors
in both countries. Airport counters are generally not that competitive compared
to money exchange counters in the cities. Exchange minimal amounts at the
airport and do the bulk of your exchange needs once you are in the city.
j)
The LCC Terminal in KUL is exclusive to Air Asia and
facilities are very limited. A new one is being built with a tentative opening
date of April 2013. We had a long wait at LCC Terminal and transfer counters
didn’t open till 7AM in the morning. Even though we were on transit, we still
had to go through immigration and get a 30-day visa. They do have a 120-hour
transit permit option, but we were told to go through immigration – not sure
why. Departure gates open only 3 hours before the scheduled flight. That is a
bummer, as outside there is limited seating while many retail shops and much
better seating and food options are available once inside the departure gates.
We managed to find seats to spend about 5 hours overnight only to find special
waiting room and a premium lounge by the side of the transit counters later –
definitely a better option, if only we were aware.
k)
The 7 kg Air Asia cabin-baggage limit is enforced during
the first check-in and there were no other checks for the rest of the flights.
l)
It is preferable to ask men instead of women for
directions in Thailand. Possibly because of a lack of respect for women, being
rude is second nature to many women. Also, it is worth being aware that
Thailand is big on white-worshipping.
m) Alcohol
is readily available in Thailand. But, it is very expensive and harder to find
in Malaysia – it is heavily taxed and hence it is best to get it at a duty-free
before arrival.
n)
Accommodation can be iffy, if the travel agent’s
default package is accepted at face value. If one can afford, it is worthwhile
to get an upgrade to better hotels – online travel review sites can be a great
resource in this regard.
o)
For half-day city tours, marketing stops are mandatory
and it is best to hurry through them – their offerings are generally
overpriced. Sometimes cabs offer hugely discounted fares, if you volunteer to
go inside their client’s retail shop. This can be a good deal, if you can resist
buying their wares.
p)
Genting First World hotel can be a frenzied experience
although if you know how things work, things can go very smoothly: Check-in
counters in the main lobby uses a ticket-based system – take a ticket and wait
for your number to be called. Most places you would want to go are accessible
via the indoor walkways – sticking to them is preferable to going out into the
street and trying to locate the building. Check-out can be a breeze, if the
kiosk is used. The bell counters work OK but there can be a big line at certain
times of the day. Buffet breakfast can be very chaotic unless you go really
early (6:30 AM) – vegetarian section is usually empty.
Related Posts:
- Trip Report to Genting.
- Trip Report to Kuala Lumpur (KL).
- Trip Report to Pattaya.
- Trip Report to Bangkok.
Last Updated: 10/2012.
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