2 nights Hong Kong + Shenzen Tour

2 Nights Hongkong + Shenzhen Tour
January 20 – February 20, 2009
via Hongkong Express Airways

China group visa fee: US$50 per person
Service Charge of local guide and driver= $5/day*3 per
Security Tax : $ 5/pax

3days2nites Blockout date: 25-31 JaN

TWN/TRPL/CHLD XBED SNGLE

ROYAL VIEW HOTEL $135.00
yq and hk tax                      70.00
ph travel tax                        35.00
total                                   $240.00 per person

SHAMROCK HOTEL     $155.00
yq and hk tax                      70.00 ph
travel tax                              35.00
total                                  $260.00 per person

BP Int’ Hotel                   $165.00
yq and hk tax                     70.00
ph travel tax                       35.00
total                                 $270.00 per person

Guandong Hotel          $175.00
yq and hk tax                    70.00
ph travel tax                      35.00
total                                $280.00 per person

Panorama hotel          $185.00
yq and hk tax                    70.00 ph
travel tax                            35.00
total                                $290.00 per person

Itinerary:

Day 1 MANILA-HONGKONG(no meals)
Arrived HKG via UO 714 (07:55-09:55), meet and transfer to hotel.  Free time for shopping or join optional tour.  Overnite in Hong Kong.

Day 2 HONGKONG (breakfast) Breakfast outside Hotel.
* Compulsory Kowloon city tour visiting movie star avenue, jewellery factory and factory outlet. Then Transfer to Shenzhen by train or coach to visiting Window of World (picture taking only, entrance ticket not included), mineral museum, silk and pearl factory, and free time shopping at the famous dongmen walking street. Late evening transfer back to HONGKONG by train or coach. Overnight in Hong Kong.

Day 3 HONGKONG MANILA(breakfast) Breakfast outside hotel.
Free until transfer to airport for return flight via UO 713 (20:30PM/22:30PM)

REMARKS: Above rates for Filipino market only. Above rates are inclusive of MANILA-HONG KONG-MANILA airfare via UO.  Feedback on UO

CONDITIONS: All tickets and reservation are on BOOK AND BUY basis, and are non-endorsable, non-rebookable, and non refundable (including tax). Passengers have to follow the whole scheduled itinerary. If passenger decides not to follow the itinerary, the remain hotel accommodation, tours, meals and transfer service will automatically be forfeited. No refund for unused rooms, tours, meals and transfer vans ticket service.  China group is subject to approval by Chinese authorities, no guarantee on China group visa.

RATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE.

Preparing for Your International Flight

Each year, millions of people worldwide make the decision to travel out of the country — some for personal reasons, others for business. Whatever your reasons for flying, you will find that international flights are not like most domestic flights, and you will need to prepare for an international flight differently.

The first  step is to arrange your basic travel documents.  Surely you will need a passport,  which your government issues as your identification document.  Most countries will require that your passport is  still valid 6 or 7 months after you complete your trip.

Traveling to another country also may require you to have a visa to enter it.  Visa requirements vary depending on your nationality.  Don’t hesitate to ask your travel agent if in doubt.  Or search the country’s website, which will normally have a page for visa requirements.  If online visa application is available, go ahead, apply and request an interview schedule if this is required.  This act can save you a lot of commuting and waiting.  Take note of visa processing fees and if they have to be paid ahead of time.

Nationals from ASEAN member-countries are not required to get visas to get these countries — Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnamm and Burma (Myanmar).  But the same nationals will need to acquire a visa to travel to the USA ahead of time, sometimes 3 months ahead.  They too need visas to enter Japan, Korea and India.

Once your national identification and entry documents are being processed and assured, you can start start searching for your flight tickets and booking your accommodations. Don’t forget your airport shuttle arrangements, since not all hotels provide shuttle service.  Consider too any arrangements for visits to friends or relatives in the destination country, possible tours, as well as the oft-forgotten plan for meals.

Some people start packing weeks ahead of their planned international trip. Airport security rules will only allow you to bring small containers (30 oz) containers of drinks, shampoo, gels, medication, lotion, mouthwash in a 1-quart resealable sea-through bags.  (We recently discovered a company that supplies your favorite toiletry brands in these approved travel sizes. Order them at traveltoiletrykits.com and get them delivered to your home or destination hotel.)  It is also important to note that all explosive and flammable objects are completely banned from airplanes, including your checked baggage.

You will also need to know the actual check-in luggage allowance unless you’re openly willing to be charged for excess luggage.  Your online booking engine or airline should give you this information.  If not, feel free to ask.  Most airlines have lowered their baggage allowances, and will charge extra for the 2nd bag. Some airlines, like United, will charge $15 for even the first piece of checked-in bag.

Familiarize yourself with the items that are banned aboard an airplane in the United States, you should also familiarize yourself with the bans enforced in the country that you will be flying to. This is extremely important because not all areas of the world are the same.  Essentially, this may mean that although a certain item may be allowed in your carry-on luggage in the Untied States, it may not be in another country. To prevent a problem from arising with airport security, you are advised to examine the most commonly banned items, throughout the entire world. Here’s a good support article on these items.

Try to  familiarize yourself with the international airports in which you will be flying in and out of.  You may want to print  or request a map of each airport, as well as familiarize yourself with all airport screening procedures.  Although airport security is heightened all across the globe, even in domestic airports, you will find that the security at international airport is more intense.

The security measures taken at each airport will vary depending on the preference of the airport in question. Despite the fact that specific airports can add in their own precautionary measures, there are some rules that be must followed. These rules often involve the proper screening of all passengers and bags. Since this screening may take some time, you are advised to arrive at the airport as early as you possibly can. For international flights, it is advised that you arrive no latter than three hours before your flight is set to take off. In the event that a problem should arise, three hours should give you enough time to, hopefully, get the problem straightened out.

Keep the above points in mind, so you can successfully prepare for your next international vacation or business trip.  When it comes to international travel, nothing is more important than the proper planning.

Do you need a visa to enter the Philippines?

“For stays of up to 21 days (three weeks), tourists and business travelers from 146 countries with a valid passport for 6 months beyond the period of stay and a return or onward ticket are given free entry into the Philippines.  Visitors wishing to stay longer than 21 days need a visa. Here is a list from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.  Inquire here for a visa for the Philippines.

Nationals of the following countries require a visa even if staying less than 7 days: Afghanistan*, Albania, Algeria*, Bangladesh, Belize, Bosnia-Herzegovina, China (People’s Republic), CIS, Croatia, Cuba, East Timor*, Egypt*, Estonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, India*, Iran*, Irag*, Jordan*, Korea (Democratic Republic), Latvia, Lebanon*, Libya*, Lithuania, Nauru, Nigeria*, Pakistan*, Palestine*, Sierra Leone, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Sri Lanka*, Sudan*, Syria*, Tonga, Vanuatu and Yemen*.

*Nationals of these countries must apply for a Temporary Visitor Visa in their country of origin or place of legal residence.”

SOURCE:www.RetireAsia.com

What types of visas are issued by the Philippine Government?

Visitors to the Philippines may apply for an entry visa depending on their length of stay in the country, as well as the country they’re coming from, as indicated in the above information.

The Philippine Government issues 3 types of visas:

NON-IMMIGRANT VISA issued by the Bureau of Immigration

A foreign national may apply for a temporary visitor’s visa as a “foreign tourist . . . defined as a person without distinction of race, gender, language or religion, who is proceeding to the Philippines for a legitimate, non-immigrant purpose such as sightseeing, sports, health, family reasons, training or study (excluding enrolment in schools for the purpose of obtaining a title or degree), religious pilgrimage, business, cultural and scientific purposes.” (SOURCE: Department of Foreign Affairs). Get more information from the Bureau of Immigration’s website on Non-Immigrant Visa, particularly for foreign government officials, students and pre-arranged employment.

IMMIGRANT VISA issued by the Bureau of Immigration

Foreign nationals may apply for immigrant visa if they meet very specific requirements, and even quotas.  Learn if you are entitled to apply for this visa type, and other requirements from the Immigrant Visa pages the Bureau of Immigration’s website on Non-Immigrant Visa

SPECIAL RETIREE RESIDENT VISA issue by the Philippine Retirement Authority

The SRRV is a special type of visa issued for returning Filipinos who have acquired foreign citizenship as well as foreign nationals who wish to retire in the Philippines.It is a special non-immigrant visa separate that entitles the holder to reside in the Philippines for an indefinite period with multiple-entry privileges as long as the required minimum deposit investment subsists.

We have a special page explaining this visa. . . the SRRV, or you may check out the pages of the Philippine Retirement Authority.