Travel Costs

Let's talk about arranging a trip and expenses. The purpose of this site is to share information for those of you who might be interested in a similar journey, and to be, it is hoped, educational.

Start by accessing sites on the web for the most economical flights, like Expedia or CheapOair. You enter dates and destinations and they will list a plethora of flight possibilities and costs within seconds. The quoted price is surprisingly reasonable but does not include taxes and fees. For example, this writer's flight started @ $764 round trip. Taxes and Fees are $470. Flight insurance is highly recommended, which means you could change your tickets under certain emergency conditions with a penalty of 3 to 4 hundred dollars. The insurance was $55 for a grand total round trip from Cedar Rapids to Ho Chi Minh City @ $1289.

Likewise, google the web for hotel reservations. For very decent hotels in Viet Nam, they average about $50 per night. See their on-line brochures for amenities, such as complementary bottled water, transportation services, etc.

Some people get shots for preventing hepatitis B and malaria a month in advance. Call up CDC.gov for more thorough information. This writer's nephew lives in Hong Kong and has traveled to VN and feels that shots, other than the usual tetanus, etc. are not necessary. For example, malaria is not prevalent in the coastal cities, as the .gov site indicates on a map. Also, the site recommends preventive measures for diseases if one chooses not to be inoculated. So, depending on where you are going and your present health - malaria prevention shots have cardiac issues - it's a judgment call.

A visa is required to enter Viet Nam, along with a passport, of course. You may go directly through the VN Embassy in Washington D.C. or the VN Consulate in San Francisco, but it still costs you a fee. This writer recommends getting the visa through Vina International Travel in Chicago @ $95. They are very helpful and efficient. Phone 773.271.1873 or go to vinainter@yahoo.com.

All flights in the upper Midwest to Asia seem to go through Chicago (O'Hare Intnl Terminal, above). So, if you had relatives, say in Minneapolis, you wouldn't save anything by taking off from there. You would just have to fly Chicago for a flight to Hong Kong or Tokyo, etc. Also, you don't save anything by driving a rental car to O'Hare from Iowa. It's about the same as taking off from the Cedar Rapids airport. This writer is traveling from Cedar Rapids-Chicago-Hong Kong-Ho Chi Minh City via United Airways all the way.