US help.

[cdrom85]

There is nonstop flight from Singapore to SFO via United. While I agree with Shiny and personally try to avoid flying American airlines except Virgin America and Southwest, if minimizing layovers and flight time is priority, UA's non-stop is the only option. If you purchase E+ seat, it will give you more legroom than any other airline in the economy.

For cheap options, try EVA - they are still way better than any mainland Chinese airlines. I would strongly advise against going thru China via PEK/PVG - transfer time thru immigration could be several hours.

Was thinking of the premium economy option onboard Lufthansa, Eva or Cathay. Let's see how my ticket purchase mission comes along. Thanks!

 

[paul02]

Was thinking of the premium economy option onboard Lufthansa, Eva or Cathay. Let's see how my ticket purchase mission comes along. Thanks!

Took Lufthansa to Poland recently. Leg room is quite wide.

 

[funnyclown]

Hi

Can someone advise how advance is needed to apply for USA & Canada Visa?

Thanks

 

[paul02]

Hi

Can someone advise how advance is needed to apply for USA & Canada Visa?

Thanks

Hopefully this link helps. https://united-states.visahq.sg/

 

[invisible999]

If you can use priority pass, the lounge use will really add to the convenience and comfort of your travels!

No lounge (including TPR in T3 and TK's flagship at IST) can compensate 16.5h being stuck in Y. Trust me on this - I've done enough EWR-HKG on UA.

 

[invisible999]

Was thinking of the premium economy option onboard Lufthansa, Eva or Cathay. Let's see how my ticket purchase mission comes along. Thanks!

Do not recommend LH unless you get it for just couple of hundred $ more comparing to standard Y.

 

[ceecookie]

Hi

Can someone advise how advance is needed to apply for USA & Canada Visa?

Thanks

Recommended three months for US B1/B2 visa. As for ESTA application, it can be done weeks in advance since approval is very quick in most case.

As for Canada eTA, a few weeks in advance as well.

http://www.ustraveldocs.com/sg/sg-niv-waittimeinfo.asp

 

[funnyclown]

Thanks for the US link. Can someone also advise the link for Canada visa application please?

 

[paul02]

Faster immigration clearance for eligible Singaporeans travelling to US

Frequent travellers to the United States will soon be able to clear immigration checks faster with the launch of the US-Singapore Trusted Traveller Programme (TTP) on Monday (Jun 27)

Under the programme, Singaporeans can enrol in the US' Global Entry Programme, which will allow them to use automated kiosks when they enter the country, meaning they can bypass the regular passport control queues at 47 US airports and 13 pre-clearance locations.

It will cost US$100 to apply for the Global Entry Programme, and membership in the programme lasts five years.

How to apply : https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/how-apply

Source : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/faster-immigration/2908082.html

Frequent travellers will benefit from this program most.

 

[invisible999]

Question is if US puts the same requirement for GE as SG puts for using automated gates - min 3 visit of Singapore per 12 month period.

Doubt than many people from Singapore would qualify for GE if such requirement is in place.

 

[ceecookie]

Question is if US puts the same requirement for GE as SG puts for using automated gates - min 3 visit of Singapore per 12 month period.

Doubt than many people from Singapore would qualify for GE if such requirement is in place.

They said infrequent travellers are welcome to apply, so there is no hard minimum for GE

 

[invisible999]

They said infrequent travellers are welcome to apply, so there is no hard minimum for GE

But not otherwise around. So if you have SIN passport you can use GE even if you travel infrequently, but if you have US passport and want to use automated gates in SIN you need to travel at least 3 times in 12 month to Singapore, right?

 

[ceecookie]

But not otherwise around. So if you have SIN passport you can use GE even if you travel infrequently, but if you have US passport and want to use automated gates in SIN you need to travel at least 3 times in 12 month to Singapore, right?

Yes correct

 

[NoLogicLah]

how many hours did you guys spend at grand canyon south if u have been there?

I plan to drive there start 5am and return by 5pm from Las Vegas in Aug

 

[fone]

how many hours did you guys spend at grand canyon south if u have been there?

I plan to drive there start 5am and return by 5pm from Las Vegas in Aug

Lol, 12 hours. You are going to spend 5 hours driving down, then 5 hours driving back, so only 2 hours there? Not including meal times or breaks. I'd try to at least stay 1 or 2 night(s) there, or somewhere in between.

 

[stacipher]

1) Be open for flights through other gateways. You can get to San Francisco hundreds of different ways from Singapore - through Hong Kong, Manila, Shanghai, Beijing... Don't forget about other possible ways to get into the country, as well. Instead of flying direct to SFO, it might make sense to go in through LAX (Los Angeles) or HNL (Honolulu).

My usual when I lived in Singapore was Singapore Airlines through Seoul (ICN) to SFO. It's not the rock-bottom cheapest, though - the cheapest will probably be on Chinese or Taiwanese airlines. They won't be as nice, but it'll get you from point A to point B.

Check out Hipmunk - it's pretty good at finding the cheapest flights with the least amount of pain.

2) For promotions... you can sign up to airlines' mailing lists and see if any discounts turn up, but honestly you're better off just using Hipmunk. It finds most of those discounted fares, and you don't have to get spammed.

3) Which airline... yeah, don't fly the American airlines (United, American, Delta). Their service absolutely blows, but it's still better than it was. Some American airlines (Virgin America, Hawaiian, Alaska, JetBlue) are pretty good, but they don't go trans-Pacific (well, Hawaiian does, and I love them to bits, but they don't go to Singapore).

I'd pick Singapore Airlines or Cathay if your budget stretches that far. If you need rock-bottom cheap, like I said above, look at the Chinese or Taiwanese carriers.

4) Also, as someone else said: fly midweek! Tuesday or Thursday flights will probably be a lot cheaper for you, because they're less popular days to fly.

I had a quick look on Hipmunk and found a couple of options, using Tuesday August 16th to Thursday January 19th as some sample dates: Air China through Beijing was $1100 or $1200 USD for the round trip (but with some LONG layovers in Beijing), and Philippine Airways through Manila was $1200 USD round trip with a reasonable 3-hour layover in Manila.

If you travel out a day later, on Wednesday August 17th, you can do it for just $1000 USD r/t: Air China through Beijing, leaving at 12:15am on Wednesday with a 9-hour layover in Beijing. The scheduling's absolutely miserable, but that's a pretty great price.

Enjoy the trip! You'll love it over here.

bookmark first

 

[vofzxy]

anyone bought oakleys in US before?
whats the difference between asian fit and normal fit?
any walk in places to try ?

 

[Shiny Things]

how many hours did you guys spend at grand canyon south if u have been there?

I plan to drive there start 5am and return by 5pm from Las Vegas in Aug

That's going to give you three hours there, absolute max. Las Vegas to Grand Canyon Village is four hours' solid driving - four-and-a-half if you include coffee breaks, as you should.

And in August, the last bit of that drive, back into Las Vegas, is going to be stinking hot (you're in the desert, in August) and the sun'll be in your eyes the whole way. I'd take a few more hours - maybe even add in a detour to Meteor Crater or the Cameron Trading Post - if it means you can get back around 8pm or 9pm instead of 5pm.

 

[ocean29]

itinerary for Los Angeles

Hello, anyone can share itinerary for Los Angeles. I will be staying for 6 days. Any premium outlets that is worth going? Thank you~~

 

[Shiny Things]

Hello, anyone can share itinerary for Los Angeles. I will be staying for 6 days. Any premium outlets that is worth going? Thank you~~

Why don't you tell us what you like to do, and then we might be able to give you some suggestions? If you don't give us any suggestions, I'm just going to tell you to go to LACMA, go to the Getty Museum, and then get the hell out of town, but that's because I love museums and I think Los Angeles is a polluted, sprawling hellhole.

If you want to go to outlet stores, all of the malls are basically the same. Citadel Outlets is the closest to downtown; if you're staying on the west side then it might be nice to drive up through Malibu to the Camarillo outlets; if you're driving out to Palm Springs, as you should if you like 50s Hollywood glam or desert scenery, you can stop off at the Desert Hills outlets. But only go to one of them - they're all pretty much identical.