Travel Plans 2020
It’s a new year with new travels. This year we are going to a part of the world that we’ve never been to and making an effort to see as much as possible! Our trip is coming up quickly and I am already feeling like we need to get itineraries finalized.
We are traveling to Asia this March! It will be the most and longest flights on a single trip I’ve ever planned, but to get to Asia, I think it will be worth it! We are planning to stay in Phuket Thailand, Siem Reap Cambodia, and Tokyo Japan.
Getting to Thailand
Our longest flight will be from LAX to Hong Kong with American Airlines. Once landing in Hong Kong, we will have to go through customs and quickly try to make our flight to Phuket. I have been nervous thinking about the long flight time to Hong Kong, but we made some changes to our flights to get Business Class seats. I’ve only traveled on long-haul flights in Economy, so I’m really excited to experience Business Class!
American Airlines would not allow us to upgrade our economy seats because we booked our flight with miles. We’ve booked long flights with American before and knew of their policy but figured it was worth calling to ask. We received no help from the AA agent and were even recommended to purchase Business Class seats at full price, which wasn’t something we were interested in. We ended up canceling our flights, purchasing some extra miles on top of the refunded ones and booked Business Class seats on the same flight at a significantly lower cost than the standard price.
Once in Thailand, we will have to work out if we are planning to shuttle or rent a cart to get to the resort. We will be staying at the Intercontinental Phuket Resort that just opened this past fall. We booked the beach resort with IHG points. I am hoping to snorkel and relax while eating some amazing Thai food.
A Quick Visit to Cambodia
When we realized that Siem Reap, Cambodia was a 45-minute flight away, we made plans to visit briefly before traveling to Japan. We discovered that if flying into Cambodia, tourists cannot fly out on the same day and we looked for a hotel to book. We booked one night with Chase Points at the Jaya House which is located close to Angkor Wat. We will spend some time touring the temples and checking out the town.
Ending the Trip in Tokyo
our final destination includes 4 nights in Tokyo. All of our visits to each destination will be on the shorter side, but I have found that it’s worth it to travel to places even if it’s quick. We are staying at the ANA Intercontinental Tokyo. This hotel was not booked with points, but we did use a 30% discount that was offered by IHG on Black Friday. I am looking forward to discovering the city and enjoying Sushi, Ramen, and plenty of Matcha tea. I have also read that it will be Plum Blosson season when we visit, so I’m excited to see the start of the springtime flowers in the city.
Action-Packed Travels
This trip in its entirety is only 2-weeks long. It seems pretty crazy, but we have gone on busy trips before and had a blast. This is the only vacation we have planned this year, and any other visits will be to spend time with family or to check out places in Colorado. I am most excited to see a new side of the world. I want to do things like go to grocery stores, order street food, and just walk around a lot to get a taste of what life is like in a different place. I am expecting Phuket and Siem Reap to have mostly tourist activities, but I feel like Tokyo will give me a whole new perspective of life in a mega-city in Japan.
I’m looking forward to exploring some new destinations and bringing you some new and informative posts in the coming months!
Check out Destination Details and Flight Information Here.
