Travel Bits: April 2024

Visiting Japan in Autumn...... 

Two months ago, I was writing in my Travel Bits series about travels becoming more expensive by the day, week, month and year. I also wrote about constantly scouring the internet for deals on air tickets and accommodation. 

During one of these searches, I managed to score a good deal on a return-air ticket from Singapore to Tokyo. And because I had been on the lookout for such deals for the past half year, I knew a good deal when I saw one. Without any hesitation, I booked and paid for my air ticket. A day later, that same return air ticket to the same destination on the same outbound and inbound flight dates and times, had changed, It was 15% more expensive than what I had just paid a day ago. Today, two weeks later, I checked again for the same flights and the prices have now gone up  by close to 30% from what I had paid. For folks like myself with a limited travel budget to work on, the 30% price difference can make or break a trip. 

With my air tickets booked and paid, now is the time to start planning my trip itinerary and to secure accommodation based on the planned itinerary. I still have not get to that stage yet but that's where the fun of a vacation begins. Where shall I go, which city shall I visit, what activities do I want to experience and so on. I will soon get on to this stage of my trip planning. Meanwhile, I am still congratulating myself on my trip "savings".  And that is before my trip even begins!

This upcoming trip will only be the second time I am visiting Japan in autumn. All my previous trips to Japan were mostly during spring and winter as well as twice during summer. The last time I was in Japan in autumn? 2014! That is a good decade ago.

Autumn leaves, Okuhida, Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan (2014)