Travel Bits: April 2025

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Another cruise upcoming..... 


My first trip of 2025 was a 8-nights cruise from Singapore to Bali and Lombok and back to Singapore onboard Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas in February and March. My next trip will commence in slightly more than a week from today, and it is another cruise. This time, I will be sailing one-way from Singapore to Hong Kong on a 5-nights cruise with a single Port Day in Vietnam's Chan May.

One-way cruise entails a lot more logistics planning, including the booking of one-way air ticket to return home. As we all know, purchasing one-way tickets do not make much economical sense because it is usually a lot more expensive than paying for a pair of return air tickets; based on cost per flight mile. This is when my air miles, accrued over the years from my credit card usage and other flights come into play. When redeeming air miles for flight tickets, airlines typically charge based on per flight. Therefore, if I am to redeem a pair of return tickets, I will usually be charged about twice the amount in air miles compared to if I am redeeming only a single one-way ticket. Economically, it makes a lot more sense for the consumer to simply use air miles if one is only going to need a one-way air ticket. And that is what I usually do. Thankfully, I have enough air miles in my frequent flyer account to redeem a Premium Economy seat from Hong Kong to Singapore for this upcoming trip. Only having to pay airport taxes and fees instead of the full fare for a one-way air ticket means a lot of savings for me. 

After disembarking in Hong Kong, I am extending my vacation to stay in the city by four more days, to enjoy the shopping and food. When it comes to shopping and food, Hong Kong certainly has a lot to offer!

Payment for the hotel during my 3-nights stay in Hong Kong had earlier been redeemed with my membership points with a leading international hotel chain. More spare money for the twin activities of shopping and food! 🍲🛍🌏

Hong Kong's waterfront viewed from the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China (2023)


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