Gearing up for holiday travel from Agoda's blog

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2013

Book Now to Save on Holiday Travel

Ready or not, the holidays are around the corner, and it's time to start planning your travel. We analyzed hundreds of millions of queries performed on KAYAK last year to predict the cheapest times to book and travel for this year's holiday season. When to Book (Hint: Now) For Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve travel, on average the cheapest airfares were found between September and mid-October. Procrastinators beware: after mid-October, airfares for Thanksgiving increased up to 17%, 51% for Christmas and 25% for New Year's Eve. For those traveling abroad throughout the holiday season: try to book international travel as soon as possible. Last year, there was no low period for international airfare for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Eve; instead, airfare steadily increased closer to departure. When to Travel ThanksgivingFor those traveling domestically, the best days to depart were Monday and Tuesday (15-23% below average). Try to return Thanksgiving Day, Friday or the following Tuesday; returning these days saved travelers more than 20%. International travelers should try leaving close to or on Thanksgiving Day or stay through the weekend to save as average airfares tended to be lower on these days. ChristmasFor domestic travelers, try departing as close to the 25th as possible - last year this saved travelers more than 20% on average. Try to avoid departing and returning during the weekends surrounding Christmas (fares were up to 24% above average). For international travel, trips 3-5 days in length centered around the holiday offered the best savings. New Year's EveFor domestic travel, shorter trips centered around New Year's Eve/New Year's Day displayed the cheapest fares (more than 15% below average). For example, travelers who departed the 29th-1st and returned the 31st-3rd found savings up to 30%. The same goes for international travelers, but be sure to avoid returning after the 1st as the airfares steadily increased daily up to 27% above average on the 5th. You may be able to put off family plans and gift shipping until the last-minute, but booking your travel early could save you serious money. Happy Holiday travel planning. Thanks to kayak POSTER JESSICAA - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2013 © http://www.kayak.com/news

living in Saigon

So you're living in Saigon. followed by -  Oh, ya, had a friend who visited Vietnam and said it was very beautiful. I respond by saying, ya that's true but mostly I am in a part of Vietnam, Saigon, that's not so beautiful. This leads to the question, why - do you stay.

Funny, it's at this point I'm always a little stumped even after 13 years of fending the question.

There is a line in the movie the "Quiet American" where he says something about how the country gets to you, gaining an unexplainable hold. That goes a long ways toward describing the hold Vietnam (Saigon) has had on me.  

However, as Vietnam rushes to embrace economic growth a lot of

old school Saigon

Saigon's character and mystic is in jeopardy as developers move in, building high rise buildings and new modern shopping complexes housing designer shops and chain stores like Gap, Body Works, Levi and the like. The latest big deal to come along, strategically located on one of Saigon's major roundabouts is the largest Starbucks in the world.  Okay, maybe not in the world but very,very big - selling coffee at four times the cost of Vietnamese ca phe (coffee). For guys like me these new developments, while attractive, seem contrived and artificial, lacking the sole that was Saigon. As the uniqueness of the city center disappears Saigon's hold is loosening on me.

Ben Thanh Market and new Saigon skyline

Of course all this modernization makes a visit to the area much more costly than before and probably why mostly what you see in the city center is foreigners and spiffy looking Vietnamese. A view of this is what probably is at the core of tourists comments exclaiming that communism is dead and capitalism is the new norm in Vietnam and they report seeing an expanding the middle class. 

Though, interesting enough just a few blocks away from this

modern upgrade you'll find the gritty realities of Vietnam populated by mostly Vietnamese workers who live a hand to mouth, day to day existence. Here it's not for show so the only Rolls, Bentley's, BMW or Mercedes you will see are just the ones passing through on their way to or from the Dong Khoi area of city center.  

According to data published by the Vietnamese government the

average Vietnamese worker is between 18 and 40 years old with 58% of these folks earning 2-3 million dong (95.00 - 140.00 US) a month.  At 40 years old many are worn out and sick so if employed, are fired by their employers. The government has an ongoing study to gain an understanding of why these folks are unhappy. Initial results of the study blame the cause of the unhappiness on *Social evils * Government red tape  and Environmental problems.

Anyway, in the eyes of a 13 year veteran of life in Vietnam (Saigon) the city is gaining an unnatural feel, though still interesting. Thailand calls itself "the land of smiles" and up until a few years

ace motorbike driver Vu,  call - 01203724016

ago I thought the title fitted Vietnam even more than Thailand but not now.  People don't smile as much as they used too, maybe due to *Social evils * Government red tape  and Environmental  problems or they are just too tired.

All the changes aside, I'm still looking forward to my return to Saigon but mourn the loss of what it originally held me. Vietnam still has a lot too offer but "the times they are a changin".

Rainy season hits hard

Thailand, Vietnam brace as typhoon batters China

Published: 7:56PM Monday September 30, 2013 Source: Reuters

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  South China braces for typhoon - Source: AP

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Seventy-four Chinese fishers are missing after a typhoon sunk three fishing boats in the South China Sea, as Thailand and Vietnam braced for torrential rain and flooding.

The ships were hit by Typhoon Wutip on Sunday as they navigated gales near the Paracel Islands, about 330 km from China's island province of Hainan, state news agency Xinhua said, citing sources with the Hainan maritime search and rescue centre.

Rescuers had rescued 14 survivors, the sources said. The boats were sailing from the southern province of Guangdong.

Rains from the storm were expected to reach Vietnam today before hitting Thailand tomorrow.

Thai officials warned that more heavy rains could inundate already flood-hit areas of the northeast. At least 22 people have been killed in this year's flooding.

"We're expecting more floods," Teerat Ratanasevi, a government spokesman, told reporters.

"Soldiers have been asked to help evacuate people trapped in flood zones."

Authorities in central Vietnam have moved children and elderly people to schools and other more solid buildings ahead of the storm.

In the central province of Quang Tri, an estimated 82,000 people would need to be evacuated if Wutip made a direct hit, a government statement said.

Typhoons gather strength from warm sea water and tend to dissipate after making landfall. They frequently hit Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong and southern China during a typhoon season that lasts from early summer to late autumn.Vietnam said heavy rain had been falling in several central provinces while flooding and landslides could strike the region later this week.