Sunday, June 23, 2013

So you want to move to China: Flights

Air travel/ flights:

Get a round-trip ticket, it's worth it. I booked my ticket only a few months out and by then a one way ticket was about $1,000 (you can get them cheaper if you plan further ahead which I recommend) and the round trip was a little less than $1,300. It was a no-brainer to pick the roundtrip.

Yes, I was a little worried I would want to stay in China and I was waisting the extra money. But to be honest most schools in China reimburse your airfare (sometimes only up to 8,000 or 10,000 RMB this is something to look for in your contract or ask about/ clarify), I knew my contract didn't have a limit so I wasn't worried about paying the few extra hundred, and I knew it could end up saving me in the long run.

Here's the process. When you book your ticket you can book a return flight for any date up to a year from when you're purchasing the ticket. This means your return flight is not the actual time you're coming home and you will have to change the return flight -eventually. This is a simple thing to do but it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with your air carrier's policies before it's two months before you want to leave and they tell you you're no-longer eligible to rebook! Lets be real - Airline companies suck! But that's exactly the reason you should know as much information about them and the process as you can so you don't get caught off-guard. 

Note that it's often the policy that booking agencies (aka a travel agent) can't change your flight, you have to do it yourself. When you change your flight you can change it for any date up to a year of when it was purchased, but again you can only book a flight up to a year from the time you're booking it as well. This means it's unlikely you can use your return ticket after two full year contracts, but there are many holidays during the year that you could come home during, and I'm sure it'll help you get your luggage - aka souvenirs - aka awesome cheap Chinese stuff home!

Two bags. I highly advise you find a company that gives you two free bags when you're traveling economy class. It's great if you only want to bring one bag there (though it's hard to do, remember most suitcases weigh up to 10 pounds by themselves!) then great, but you'll want more than one to come home with, I promise. Also, a lot of air lines have a policy where a second additional bag costs more than the first. What do I mean by this? Maybe you book through a company and you only got one free bag then you pay the $200 to get a second bag on the way there, then you'll have to pay $500 to get a third bag home.

If you need to take a domestic flight with all of your luggage that is not a connection flight where your luggage is checked through... I had to do this. You should know that domestic Chinese flights have a check bag limit of about 40 pounds. They weigh all of your checked baggage together then subtract 40 pounds and have you pay for the rest. I thought that it would be like America where if a bag is over weight you pay more for it than you pay for a second bag so I packed two 40 pound bags. WRONG! The best thing to do is pack a big suitcase with 50 pounds and then a duffle or something with the extra weight for your international flight then put it all together for your domestic flight. You can always buy a second suitcase in China, they're really cheap. They might not be great quality, but if you only have to use it the once it's worth it. Or hey, just repack the duffle. Having said that, overage fees for domestic flights in china is cheap. I had to pay for forty pounds and it cost less than $75 (as in my bank account showed a charge of about $70, meaning this was the price after all the fees). So, don't stress about it too much! But if you do have one bag and it's around the right weight they won't charge you for it - I know this from experience  Meaning your 50 lbs international bag will most likely not cost you a cent. Another note about luggage - checked luggage for international flights. It can be hard to get your belongings that you will have for a whole year down to just 50 or 100 lbs - a lot of airline workers know this and will be lenient on you if you tell them your situation. You might be that person who gets a person having a bad day... But from experience I know a few lbs here or there are generally over looked. Just keep some heavy stuff on the outside that you can shove in your cary-on if need be. Or if parents or friends are coming prepare them to maybe take some stuff home with them. A lot of my friends who came to China at the same time as me got lucky and had bags around 60 lbs, just remember that people can sympathize. 

Rescheduling your return flight. Every company is different! Make sure you know the rules before you leave. Call the company and ask if you have to. I've heard some bad stories about people losing their return flights because they were caught unaware by some regulation. Rebooking is cheap, it should only be few hundred dollars all together, and again it's cheaper the further out you book it. There is usually a $100 flat fee for changing your flight, then you have to cover the difference in price between your old ticket and your new one. For example, you book your first ticket way in advance then you rebook closer to your flight - you might have to pay one or two hundred dollars for this. I will tell you, I lucked out with the rebooking. Not only does my school (as I already mentioned) pay for my entire flight - but I also booked through Korean Air and was able to add in a one week stop-over in Seoul for next to nothing. The best part? They gave me two free bags for both legs of my journey. This cost less than $500 to rebook. 

Chinese companies don't like to give you dates. Make sure there is an end date for your contract on your contract so you know when to set your return date for. They will try and change it, they won't be clear about it, and they don't think it's important. For your own sanity just make sure you have an end date to stick to. Also, remind the school of the end date before rebooking, at that time they might want to prolong your stay and you can re-negotiate, but make it clear that you're buying a ticket. 

Talk to your school before booking your ticket. I know plenty of people who are glad they didn't book till last-minute because they didn't get their visa till after the school said they would get it - dor no real reason and without warning. Also, a lot of school will buy your tickets for you, especially your return ticket. So you don't have to stress about how much money the ticket will cost, because they're paying it. Though you can get a good deal if you book a round-trip, like I did. I was able to have my school pay for a whole other leg to my journey for free. Why? Because the ticket was way cheaper than if they booked one last minute for me! So it pays to think ahead. 


Now, having said all this. I do know that if you buy your ticket really close to your departure prices are as cheap as if you book further out. So booking between two to four weeks out is a safe bet. If you want to go this route you can do the same thing for your return flight 

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