- no repeat routes, return routes are okay
- must book flight with 2 week's notice
- obviously, some flight routes don't exist
- most flights are 1 credit each; travel within Indonesia and also flying to Laos are 3 credits per flight
- Air Asia is a budget airline so that means: 1) no in-flight meals, 2) pay extra for check-in luggage, 3) carry-ons were limited to certain dimensions and 7 kg - which is essentially the weight of my suitcase with a pack of tissues in it
- pass does not include airport taxes, so each booking will require additional payment
*how much money the pass saved versus booking each flight separately is almost insignificant to me; the pass forced me to make that step to go exploring instead of loitering around saying, "eventually, eventually, eventually"
- pass expires 30 days after first flight
- Southeast Asia doesn't include Taiwan so I'd have to purchase a separate ticket to get to SEAsia
Now, shout-out to Christy who helped me book these flights because I thought the payments weren't going through. One of the downfalls of this thing is the poor webmastering of Air Asia's site.
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| This page is full of lies. Transactions were, in fact, successful. |
Some time after pulling the trigger on purchasing the pass, I had to do the intense planning of where I wanted to go, what flights were available, how much time to spend at each place. And this is one of the differences between using this pass and true backpacking (aside from me not using a X-liter, breathable, waterproof backpack). With backpacking there're less time constraints and people can go as they please.
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| My well-crafted, completely legible plan of attack |
Aligning Air Asia credit usage and available routes, this was the itinerary I came up with: Taipei -> Singapore -> Kuala Lumpur -> Cameron Highlands -> Penang -> Bangkok -> Mandalay -> Bagan -> Yangon -> Bangkok -> Siem Reap -> Phnom Penh -> Kuala Lumpur -> Vientiane -> Vang Vieng -> Luang Prabang -> Singapore -> Jakarta -> Singapore -> Taiwan.
I'd decided to not book every flight all at once because I did want some sort of freedom. I'd have to book the remaining flights while I was on the trip, ideally in some local coffee shop that served delightfully fragrant fair trade organic coffee and had the interior decoration worthy of an enchanting fairytale. In reality, some of the remaining flights were booked in the dimly-lit quarters where I slept, often covered in citronella balm and batting at the air constantly to avoid mosquito bites.
Allowing some freedom proved to be useful as I'd changed from Cameron Highlands to Malacca and Jakarta to Kuching, based on what people suggested to me along the way. As first flight day drew nearer and nearer, I was pumped, but honestly, also a bit overwhelmed. It was hard to think that I'd be gone for so long away from my home away from home; 6 weeks of me, my music, and the voices in my head. Anxiety also set in as I felt like there was so much to keep track of with flight dates/times/etc. and knowing me, I'd likely miss a flight or forgotten to pack some things like a passport. I'd, of course, remember sunscreen. And my machete. You just never know.
