Exploring the wonders of South East Asia

For those who have retired to South East Asia, or have made the decision to spend 3, 6 or 12 months in region, the wonders of this exciting, vibrant and culturally diverse continent are truly on your doorstep. And thanks to growing list of low cost airlines, coupled with a broad range of well priced quality accommodation, its never been easier to explore and discover for yourself just what makes this part of world so incredibly special.

In this weeks blog we’re going to briefly touch upon some of the websites and low cost airlines which open up the region for those of us who love an adventure.

Who has the best deal?

There really are a wide range of travel options, so a good place to start is to perhaps use one of the airline comparison websites. Currently the most popular are Google Flights, Seat Guru, Traveloka, Jetradar and Skyscanner. No doubt you’ll settle on one which best meets your needs, but it is important to note that whilst some offer the ability to book flights directly, they do charge agency fees. Generally we’d suggest using them to get an idea of who flies where, and then go to the official airline site to make the actual booking.

Flights to South East Asia

Lots of choice

The number of low cost airlines operating in the region continues to grow. At the time of writing, here’s a list of the main ones (and their country of origin)

Malaysia: Air Asia, AirAsia X, Malindo Air, Firefly.

Philippines: Cebgo, Cebu Pacific, Philippines Air Asia

Singapore: Jetstar Asia Airways, Scoot, Tigerair

Thailand: Nok Air, NokScoot, Thai AirAsia, Thai AirAsia X, Thai Lion Air, Thai Vietjet Air

Vietnam: Jetstar Pacific Airlines, Vietjet Air

Indonesia: Citilink, Lion Air, Indonesia AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsiaX, Batik Air, Wings Air

Cambodia: Cambodia Angkor Air, Sky Angkor Airlines

Myanmar: Air Bagan

Laos: Lao Air

Given how competitive the market is, deals and special offers are numerous, so it really pays to become a member of your favourite airlines (especially those that also fly to Australia, such as Jetstar, Scoot, Air Asia and Cebu Pacific) to ensure you don’t miss out.

But it’s not all about cost, of course safety comes first

Whilst some of the airlines listed above will be familiar to you, many will not. And naturally the first question that springs to mind with an unknown airline, is it safe?

Two excellent sites, which not only provide information on safety, but also give valuable insights on service and reliability are www.airlineratings.com and www.airlinequality.com