Getting to China - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

Gautama · 05-07-2006, 01:53 PM

What's the absolute cheapest way to get to mainland China from the US? I'll do anything that doesn't require a $700 plane ticket (and I mean ANYTHING).

**voyd** · 05-07-2006, 02:48 PM

^ I'm looking for a good deal myself, but I think with gas prices going up, finding something <$700 will be a real toughie - unless you are going in the dead of the off-season maybe...

**bellelass** · 05-07-2006, 02:55 PM

Be an air courier? Google or do a Search Tpunk for it. I dont think its something I'd do, but then again you never know.

**space virgin** · 05-07-2006, 07:18 PM

Less than $700... man. I really don't know. I live in Seattle and $700 r/t to China seems pretty cheap. Just keep looking, I guess. Is your travel time flexible? That's going to have a big part in the price.

**LiveFreeorDie** · 05-07-2006, 09:51 PM

Before the gas spike, you could occassionally come across specials in the $500 to $700 R/T range from the west coast or Chicago. Now however, I think its unlikely. Keep your eyes out, though. United runs specials fairly often.

**tumblezweedz** · 05-08-2006, 05:50 AM

Maybe by freighter? I dunno, $700 looks cheap to me, too...

**bluepea** · 05-08-2006, 11:53 AM

Yeah, I've been looking around too and the cheapest I've seen was high 700's. Perhaps courier would be the way to go?

What is the peak season for travel to China?

**kyle j** · 05-17-2006, 12:14 PM

Yeah Im going to china for a month this summer from late july to late august and the best prices im seeing from florida seem to be about 1400, which sucks but thats the best i can do it seems, any advice would be great of a good site for cheaper than those, i have fairly specific dates because its with a program so Im not sure how many options i have

**IDDQD** · 05-17-2006, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jamiepeaski@May 8 2006, 02:53 PM
Yeah, I've been looking around too and the cheapest I've seen was high 700's. Perhaps courier would be the way to go?

What is the peak season for travel to China?

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Now what kind of flight is that exactly? One of those 42 hour ones that stop all over the place before you get where you need to be? Cause I wouldnt be able to handle that.
Ive been looking through a bunch of different places. Expedia got me a trip to Taipei stops in Van, Hawaii, S. Korea then Taiwan for $1300. Those stops are requested by me though.

**bluepea** · 05-17-2006, 01:10 PM

No, it was just a regular flight through like statravel or sidestep or something from Chicago.

Kyle J - are you doing a summer teaching program? I've been kind of looking into that. If so, who are you going with?

Have you tried looking into flights originating from LA? I'm not sure if it would save any money to do that, but it's an option. You also may want to contact a travel agency.

**expatben** · 05-17-2006, 01:19 PM

Have you tried STA? There usually pretty cheap.

**kyle j** · 05-17-2006, 04:11 PM

It is a type of summer teaching program i will only really teach 2 and a half weeks the other week and a half are orientation and a conference in beijing, its run through tsinghua university. One of my teachers was a contact person for it is how i found out about it, I will just teach english in rural china but it sounds cool, yeah STA I tried but its cheapest was damn near 1600 and i usually like student universe a lot but they have no return flights for the times i need to leave. So right now expedia and cheaptickets are both around 13-1400 so im not sure what ill do yet, hoping to find something a little cheaper but may bit the bullet soon...

**my retro career** · 05-22-2006, 10:50 PM

prices to PVG (shanghai) from the east coast of u.s. is running from US$1000 and up; the average seems to be $1500 - there just aren't very many good deals out there...

this is for august travel......