Visiting Husband in Japan

[NavyWife ⚓️]

I am going to visit my husband in Japan at the end of the year and I was just wanting advice on the best way to get a good deal when purchasing my plane ticket. Is it best to purchase tickets directly from the airline or has anyone ever bought from Priceline or Orbitz before? Were there any problems using a third-party site?

Thanks!

[Anti M]

Buying closer to the travel date seems best.  I prefer to buy direct from the airlines, as third party sites get weird if the flight details change.  I have used Expedia successfully, and Kayak, so either way is okay.  Also, if you are near a base, see what the MWR/ITT travel office can offer you. 

If you have the time, you can use Space A flights outside the US.  You just need to pay for travel to a base in the US with an AMC terminal.  This may not be a great option if you have a schedule to keep, but it is nearly free.

http://www.amc.af.mil/amctravel/index.asp

[NavyWife ⚓️]

Thank You!

[Allison]

I am a frequent traveler for work, school, and obviously my fiancé and I always being so far apart. I also studied international business with the intention of going on to study tourism and hospitality management, so I am really excited for this question as it is exactly what parts of my future business plan are focused on. I have tons of travel tips that you can save money with, here's a few:

1) third party websites can be lifesavers sometimes especially if you're shopping close to your departure date. If you have a few months, it just depends, but usually the airline itself will be cheapest. Make sure the third party doesn't charge booking fees- Expedia is a great website.

2) clear your search history frequently. I once paid almost $1200 for a round trip flight to DC from Oregon and only ONE NIGHT in a hotel. Cleared my history and got Expedia and trip advisor prices down to a slightly more reasonable last minute price of $700-800.

3) consider baggage costs in your plane ticket price. Paying $50 more for a ticket on southwest but getting two bags free is cheaper than airlines that are upping their prices to $30 per checked bag or more. Delta should let you have at least one free on international flights, and CHECK RESTRICTIONS. Airlines all over the world are changing weight and size limits for both carry on and checked luggage.

4) every airport has a cheapest day to fly in or out. The benefit of using third party websites is you can compare using the flexible dates option and see the pattern, but it shows you the lowest of all the airlines the third party supports.

6) third party websites usually only support certain airlines, so make sure you check multiple websites because you might find some really great deals, but you might not find the best deal out there. Just remember to clear your search history every once in awhile.

7) it's a huge pain to have to go through customs multiple times, and can lengthen your travel time significantly. I've also found that I spend more money because I have to dump out my water or other drinks and dispose of unpackaged food that I otherwise could have saved. Unless it's significantly cheaper another way, I recommend traveling through the US and onto a direct flight and the opposite on your way home if possible. It can really help to do some research about which countries allow flights from your connections to pass straight through. It might be more difficult for Japan, but it is possible to save time and money this way

8) similar to 7, flight prices change based on where you're coming from. For example, once you're in Europe, it's much cheaper to fly somewhere else in Europe, which is why it's common for people to skip the direct flight and choose to fly into a very cheap country and change to a local and cheaper airline to their final destination. If you're really dedicated to finding the best deal, compare combo airfare prices to buying multiple tickets separately with local airlines or even ground transportation options.

9) I have no idea how old/young you are, but if you happen to still be a college/graduate student, student universe can save you a lot of money. I once got a flight from France to Oregon (via MSP) to DC back to France for $800 the night before my first flight left.

Let me know if you have questions about specific websites or other resources. As far as the military goes, I'm a novice, but I would consider myself a pro international traveler on a tight budget. Sorry if I've geeked out a little bit, I just love this kind of stuff. Good luck and enjoy Japan!

[NavyWife ⚓️]

No, thank you so much for giving a detailed post. It's great. This will the first time I've ever been on a plane, so I'm pretty much clueless on what to do. I am 22 and about to be in my last semester of nursing school. I've pretty much been on every site except for student universe. (first time hearing about it) It's probably the cheapest I've seen so far, but I guess I'm still a little cautious about buying from a third party site. I know you wrote you have booked through them, but would you say student universe is a trustworthy site to purchase from? I just don't want to run into any problems. Do you have any information on Japan Airlines as far as it being a good airline to fly with? Also any info on United Airlines? I'm not leaving till November, so would it be best to wait to get my ticket? The prices I'm seeing on student universe are about $300 cheaper if I book it now (which is awesome), but if you think prices will decrease closer to the date of departure then I may wait.  Sorry for all of my questions and again THANK YOU!

[Anti M]

JAL is a top notch airline.  United is good, I have not had a bad experience with them. My parents preferred Korean Airlines, but I do not know what their prices are like.

Pro-tip: carry an empty refillable water bottle with you, and fill it up once you are through TSA security.  Never pay airport prices for water.  The food is shockingly high enough. Bring earbuds or noise cancelling headphones and your own travel pillow.    You will probably need a credit card to buy food on the flight, and you will need it.  Bring some handwipes in a small container, and a small pack of tissues.  

Japan is terrific, I visited with my parents when I was 13, was stationed there twice when I was in the Navy, and twice as my husband's dependent.  LOL, I like Japan a lot.

[NavyWife ⚓️]

I've read a lot of good reviews on JAL! And thank you for the tips! My husband said it was great there too, so I'm really excited!

[Anti M]

Are you in the Japan moms group?  There are some god travel discussions there.  

[NavyWife ⚓️]

Yes, I look for information there all the time haha

[Claire]

Don't forget! You're a spouse with a defendant ID. Most US airlines (and possibly international ones if they codeshare with a US) offer free checked bags for military. Double check online if they just require ID or if they need orders. Also, search out the USOs along your route. There's usually free snacks and drinks in there, plus a quiet place to relax, charge your phone and store your bags. Make sure you review the contract of carriage that the airlines and the 3rd party sites offer. This is what will protect you in case weather or maintenance delays or cancels your flights.

[NavyWife ⚓️]

Thanks so much for the info!

[NavyWifeInTraining]

Are dependents not eligible for Space-A travel? ( I think that is what it is called)

[Anti M]

They are eligible outside the continental US.  If traveling for leisure, not on orders, you'd be lower priority than anyone on orders or EML, or active duty, but above retirees. You could fly to Japan or Europe, but not across the country or state to state.