How to Travel ANYWHERE for Less Money, Including To Asia and The Philippines

We're going to discuss how to travel anywhere for less, including international destinations, and why you might want to do just that. Whether yours is domestic or international travel, for recreation or for business, it just makes good sense to spend as little as possible. Let's discuss the best way to do exactly that, shall we?

The first step is to plan ahead. You'll want to take at least 2 or 3 weeks' vacation time to truly take advantage of this experience if you're planning to travel a long distance. For example, it takes at least 12 hours to fly to The Philippines from America and the same to return. If you decide to go there, you'll want to take in the breathtaking views, the culture and the tropical climate for as long as possible. Speaking of culture, be sure to check out my related article on culture shock in the Philippines.

When traveling to the Philippine Islands, an American can stay for up to 21 days without a visa of any kind. After 21 days, another 38 day tourist visa is easy to obtain by going to the Bureau of Immigration offices and paying the required fees of less than $100 American.

Now you need to make those transportation reservations. Reservations for both domestic and international flights can be made online. Using the internet will usually save you a bundle. That's even more important for those of us with a limited income. Numerous specials are on the web sites of these air carriers which you can't get over the phone or through a travel agency. If you have a small budget, saving money is ultra important.

Go online and look at a map of the areas you might want to travel to so you can find the major airports, whether domestic or international, which offer the largest number of options regarding airline companies.

Be sure to research the discount airlines like JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines - among others - when planning domestic travel, whether inland or to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Should you want to travel to Asia, you'll find such airlines as Air China, Korean Air and Eva Airways usually offer the best deals on flights from the American coast.

Also check Northwest and Delta, as well as any other American carrier which services your destination.

For example, after considerable research, I learned that Eva Airways and Southwest Airlines were my best options for getting to Manila from Jacksonville, Florida.

If you're flying to a smaller city in Asia (or anyplace else), you'll need to connect out of one of the larger airports to get there. Asian countries, like all others around the world, have some real deals on domestic and regional flights. I found Zest Air was a real steal for this leg of my journey from Manila to Legaspi in The Philippines. For that flight of about 300 miles, I paid roughly $15.00.

For those who are more concerned with staying with one airline throughout their flight, you can do that but the cost is usually much higher. For example, Philippine Airlines offers extensive international options as well as domestic flights within The Philippine Islands. That price? MUCH higher.

Book your flights and reserve your seat(s). If you're travelling as far as Asia from the United States, keep in mind the trans-Pacific flight alone is about 12 to 15 hours. You might want to reserve a bulkhead or exit row seat if possible due to the expanded leg room.

There you have it, my friend. No matter where you plan to visit, you can now do it for less. Bon voyage!