I make yearly trips from the US to Asia to celebrate Lunar New Year that last between one and three months. I’ve done it several times, and I will continue for the foreseeable future. That said, although I have experience doing it I still feel that I’m not as “prepared” as I could be. Unreliable bank access…US SIM card deactivated…lack of good VPN…inefficiently packed bags. It’s never anything that “ruins” the trip, but it all adds up into inconvenient annoyances that I’d like to fix going forward.
Bank stuff:
My US bank is on the smaller end and they aren’t necessarily set up to accommodate international purchases / debit card usage
Purchases outside the US are often flagged as suspicious and require me to call them or they (and my card) remain frozen
Phone & computer stuff:
My SIM card stops working outside of US cell networks, meaning any site that requires two-factor authorization (such as my bank among other things) are inaccessible
I don’t know any good, reliable, free VPNs. A few sites are blocked even when I start up the couple VPNs I’ve tried
Airline stuff:
When booking tickets, I typically just Google [airport] to [airport] and pick a random travel site like Expedia or Kayak (whoever shows the best flight). But despite that, I never bothered signing up for any customer loyalty, so I’m probably missing out on a bunch of freebies
Also, since I typically book through travel sites I’m not part of any specific airline’s frequent flier programs. I usually fly to Asia via All Nippon Airways (ANA) or Japan Airlines (JAL), so I should definitely sign up for their programs to start accruing free stuff, right?
Big one: The airlines never let me complete online check-in when the window opens up 24 hours before the flight. They always say something like “This flight requires document verification - Please check-in at the airport” - I think because they need to check my passport and visa. The problem with that is that by the time I get to the check-in counter 3 hours before the flight, all of the good seats are picked and I’m stuck worrying if I’ll have a middle seat for 13 hours
Flight stuff:
I can never fall asleep on flights. ANA and JAL flights have enough leg room for me, but something about the fact that my arms/head not feeling “secure” (aka they can move around too much as I drift off to sleep) makes it just impossible to nod off for more than a couple minutes
Bag stuff:
I tend to bring too many clothes, which takes up valuable space when I’m making the return trip and have gifts for friends and family
My carry on (backpack) tends to be filled to the absolute brim with my laptop…toiletries…change of clothes…jacket…hat…tissue…wet wipes…anything else I may need on the flights but isn’t crucial enough to go in my smaller sling bag (as I write this section, I’m realizing that I should probably just upgrade from a backpack to a bigger roller bag)
Coming back to the US, my bags are always pushing the weight limit (usually 23kg per bag maximum). What’s the highest quality, lightest weight baggage that won’t break the bank (I realize the last qualifier limits the selection by a lot)
This post ended up being a lot longer than I expected, but I hope that a few people will take the time to read through and offer suggestions for areas they’re knowledgeable about. Thanks for taking time to read my post, and happy travels!
If you know this stuff already, then set up reminder to take of these items and go about correcting them before your next trip.
Packing - pack, then unpack, then repack until you get it right.
Banks - do what you have to, to be able to use your money as you see fit. Change banks if you have to.
Sim cards - if you’ve done this trip several times, then use a cell service over there and just have your phone calls forwarded to that number. Or buy the service for the number of months that you’re there.
@Bex
You can also do laundry so don’t pack as much.
Get a proper credit card and find one that has travel perks like an extra or free checked luggage. Try to stick to one airline and get loyalty - this might help with your issue on passport verification over time being a loyalty member.
Yes get a bigger bag or a carry on luggage or find more multi use items.
Learn to earn travel rewards through opening credit cards and learn to transfer the points to their partner airlines. There are lots of FB groups and sites dedicated to this like 10xtravel.
Read a tutorial about booking ANA/JAL with points.
Redeem points for business class seats with seats that turn into a bed, serve champagne and serve gourmet meals, it’s a game changer!
Bonus, you’ll arrive well rested and add a productive day to your visit.
You get priority check in line, priority boarding and airport lounge access with free food and cocktails when you fly First or Business.
Schwab debit cards have no international exchange/atm fees, neither does Fidelity.
Get a VPN like Nord through a portal that either earns travel points or cash rebate. Turn it off for a few minutes if you run into a site that won’t work.
In most cases, you’ll want to avoid booking through travel portals. If there’s a problem nobody is really responsible for fixing it. Book directly with the airline or through a partner airline with points.
Let your bank know that you’re traveling before you leave.
After a lot of research, I’m about to order an Osprey Farpoint 40L backpack. The Fairview is the women’s version.
Don’t be afraid to buy some extra inexpensive clothes and shoes in Asia if your trip is 3 months, then just donate them when you leave. It might be cheaper than the extra expense associated with more baggage.
You’ve started to do the most important thing. It is one thing that includes all things: make a list. Make several. One should be a pre-trip list of things to do. Another a packing list. A third should be a post-arrival list. And, finally, a list of reminders for during the trip itself.
Are you with one of the big 3 mobile carriers or an MVNO? It matters. Eg with ATT, you can turn on WiFi calling BEFORE you leave the US, then you can keep your US line open but turn roaming data off and then get 2FAs all with no charge while on WiFi. There are more details if you have ATT which are documented on Reddit and I’m sure the other carriers too. If you’re overseas for so long every year, I assume you have or get some local cell service.
As others have said, book direct with airline. I’ve never seen Expedia or Kayak cheaper than direct for economy seats. Sign up for loyalty points with ANA or JAL - THIS IS SO EASY just do it now. You may be able to claim for recent flights too (there’s usually a time limit you can go back). If you fly domestically, you can also use ANA’s number on United and JAL’s number with American or Alaska bc of their alliances.
Get a small lightweight roller (pay attention to ANA and JALs size and weight restrictions), keep backpack. Sling can go into backpack when boarding and they get touchy about how many bags you have. Then take it out on the plane if you like to keep the crucial stuff with you.
Lastly make sure you get a credit card with no foreign transaction fee. There are plenty of no annual fee cards that offer this. Go to r/creditcards and fill out info in the requested format if you want specific advice.
ETA: with many airlines you can add that passport info so you can check in. You don’t have to wait until you get to the airport. That’s how everyone else is doing it. Or if it stresses you out to be in a middle seat, do you have a choice to pay to select your seat in advance?