Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Click the map above to expand

The map above tracks my journey out here from Buenos Aires. I arrived last Thursday evening and have been fighting the jet lag ever since. I am pleased to report I am well impressed by Hong Kong so far. It's a vibrant energetic beautiful city. Despite being compact and built up there is a surprising amount of open green space. The nightlife has not disappointed either. I got a chance to go out sailing on Sunday which was great fun.

I have a reputation for finding travel bargains or being a 'cheap bastage' as far as travel is concerned so I thought I'd share with you what it's cost me to get here so far.
fyi - The car trips were freebies as I sponged a lift.



I have snagged some bargains in my time but #11 above was my cheapest ever i.e. 1 euro for a Dublin to London airfare on Ryanair incl tax/fees. I remember paying 180 irish punts back in the 80's. I know everybody complains about Ryanair but you just can't argue with a 1 euro fare. If you book in advance there are some real bargains to be had on trains and planes.

Interestingly, it cost the same per kilometer to get from London to Birmingham (#6) and London to Lockerbie (#3) by train as it did to fly from London to Hong Kong (#12).

Here's a few photos I snapped over the last few days - Enjoy!





Tags: ..Paddy in Hong Kong..


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17 comments:

Megan February 16, 2009 8:34 am  

I'm not talking to you right now.

Nomadic Matt February 16, 2009 9:08 am  

that is a lot of miles. i hope u got some airline miles out of it

Unknown February 16, 2009 12:09 pm  

You can probably call those the Best bargains in history :)
I love Ryanair, hubby had no complaints either and my Mum and her partner fly Norway/Germany all the time.
They just (hopefully temporarily) closed down Balaton (Hungary) / Germany.
Which sucks. :(

Stay safe!

Martin February 16, 2009 1:00 pm  

Am I reading that correctly? $680 all told?

Broke But Still Drinking February 16, 2009 1:58 pm  

Once, I paid $500 for a flight and a weeks stay in Ireland. Not too shabby, but not nearly as good as your prices.

Baino February 16, 2009 2:53 pm  

Actually it puts air travel into perspective when you look at it that way, definitely the cheapest way to travel! We have a lot of Hong Kong Chinese in Australia, they move here to provide their children with a cheaper education than boarding school in England. Enjoy your stay! Frankly, I couldn't stand the crowds. I like my 'metre' of personal space!

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) February 16, 2009 11:57 pm  

@ Megan: ok - in the bad books again!

@ Matt: I used airmiles for most of it but got miles for the Lon-HK leg

@ Nicole B: yeah - they've revoltionised travel in the EU albeit sometimes uncomfortable

@ Xbox: Yes indeed

@ Broke: I presume you paid twice that on beer alone!

@ Baino: I like to get away from the madding crowds but I'm a city slicker at heart

Anonymous,  February 17, 2009 12:55 am  

The cost of transport in England (Ryanair excluded) is criminal. Long live privatization.

Anonymous,  February 17, 2009 4:28 am  

That's amazing, you obviously have an infallible nose for the cheapest deals. I'm far too lazy to do all that detective work so I get ripped off for the standard prices. And I won't say a word about your carbon footprint.

Anonymous,  February 17, 2009 1:20 pm  

I envy your 1 dollor ticket! I envy your 1 dollor ticket!

Did you try hot pot yet, Paddy?

Anonymous,  February 18, 2009 2:55 am  

hmm any ideas on hoe to get the cheapest round the world ticket?

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) February 18, 2009 3:13 am  

@ Stevo: yes but long distance travel can be super cheap if you book in advance e.g. trains - horribly expensive if you book last minute and 4 quid for a tube journey is outrageous

@ Nick: For me the bargain hunt is all part or the fun - beat the system so to speak - sshh don't mention carbon footprint pls

@ iWalk: I haven't had hot pot yet but the shrimp wonton noodles soup is great!

@ Conortje: Call all the Asian airlines as they are usually cheaper but you might be better off just buying individual long haul flights between continents and then using the upstart airlines to hop around between country - often cheaper than a RTW tkt

TCL February 19, 2009 1:51 pm  

U da man! Last time I did ATW in two weeks I ran up US$2,100 airfare.

Anonymous,  February 19, 2009 3:48 pm  

Thanks - I'll look into that! Imagine what my frequent flyer miles are going to be like at the end :-)

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) February 19, 2009 10:09 pm  

@ TCL: I had to empty my FF accounts to do it but they were going to expire anyhoo

@ Conortje: Yes you should be able to rack up some free flights at least

Anonymous,  March 01, 2009 8:37 am  

Wow.. that's some epic mileage. We at this side of the world have a lot to learn about transportation systems... mind you it could be a plan to keep us put so that we're forced to keep our funds local!

Paddy in BA (Quickroute) March 01, 2009 9:44 am  

@ K8: Cunning ploy indeed. yes agreed transportation in Ireland sucks!

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