The Travel Geek in Me

Image by Aero Icarus | Flickr | Unaltered

For those of you who are interested in the geeky travel details of this trip, here are a few fun facts about the itinerary I have booked:

• I was able to cash in miles for my trip and only had to pay $61USD for my entire round trip ticket.
• I learned the hard way that the airlines are not allowed to book one way tickets out of the Philippines without in person government approval in Manila. The difficulty with this is that you cannot get into the country without a return ticket. So, when traveling to the Philippines, be sure to book the entire round trip at once rather than two one way segments!
• It was impossible for me to find a flight to avoid an overnight in Hong Kong.
• Hong Kong's hotels are expensive. I found a reasonable room on the airport Metro line for $175 USD (tax included). In comparison, I am staying three nights in Cebu for $122.
• Boats from Cebu to Ormoc have been cancelled the last week due to more rainy weather.
• The flight from LAX to HKG is 15:40 hours on a Boeing 777-300. This will be the longest long haul flight I have taken ever - thank goodness for individual entertainment centers and power adapters in each seat!
• This is a two Starbucks mug collection trip with locations in Hong Kong and Cebu, Philippines!
• Due to the length of my stay (just over 30 days), I received a Philippines 59 day tourist visa back from the Philippine Consulate General (always a relief when the passport is mailed back safely)!
• The All Hands Volunteer base occasionally moves locations. The new location right now is an hour away from Ormoc City where I was originally due to stay. I now have to take a bus or jeepney and habal habal or bicycle with a sidecar to the new location.
• I will be staying at a hospital (dorm style) for the first part of my stay on the Island of Leyte.
• Most of my immunizations are updated, but I will have to renew my typhoid vaccination this week. There is no vaccine for dengue fever that has been identified among some volunteers and staff across organizations working on the Island of Leyte. We have been instructed/required to wear long pants and long sleeved shirt to prevent mosquito bites. Bug spray is a hot commodity for All Hands right now!

More information to follow. My departure date is creeping closer!