International Travel to the Philippines & China ASDAL Philippines Conference & China Tour Travel The ASDAL conference will begin on Tuesday, June 19 and go through Sunday, June 24. Individuals who choose to attend the conference only will want to arrive no later than Monday, June 18 and the final conference meetings are scheduled June 24. When planning your trip bear in mind the following: Manila is 15 hours ahead of the west coast of the US. So any flights you book will be arriving at the earliest the next day and often 2 days later. Be respectful of those who will be picking you up and avoid, as much as possible, arriving into Manila during Sabbath hours. We do not want to ask the school s transportation folks to violate conscience for our convenience. Sunset in Manila in June is around 6:30 pm. One possibility to arrive on Monday would be to plan to leave Saturday night. Manila is 8 time zones different from the west coast of the US. That means that jet lag is a reality and you will want to book your flights accordingly. For information about how to handle jet lag, see http://www.medicinenet.com/jet_lag/page3.htm. All flights should go into the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. If you are attending the post-conference China tour you will fly into Manila no later than Monday, June 18 and you will fly out of Shanghai, China on Tuesday, July 3. You may book this flight as two one way tickets, a multiple destination ticket, or through a travel agent. Your flight from Manila to Beijing will be covered in the tour price. Flight Arrangements The ASDAL executive committee looked into group travel and found that the cost for group airfare would be more expensive for most members. We are including a document with sample airfares from various US cities. This document is provided ONLY to give you an idea of cost. You will need to make your own arrangements. You may book international flights through an independent source (i.e. direct through the airlines or through an online aggregator such as Expedia or Orbitz). If you prefer a travel agent you may contact the listed agent below. This agent has agreed to work with members of ASDAL to help coordinate flights to arrive as close to each other as possible while keeping prices low. Doing it this way will hopefully allow more people to share the van at destination and save on ground transportation. For best seating & pricing, flights should be booked by the end of March. Possible Travel Agent Nathanael Martin Butler Travel P.O. Box 40 Grand Ronde, OR 97347 503-879-5005 nathan@butlertravel.com www.butlertravel.com NOTE: State up front that you are with ASDAL in order to get flights that coincide with those of others, thus taking advantage of shared ground transport.
Sample Flight Itineraries/Prices for those going on the China post-conference tour Travel to Manila returning via Shanghai (as of March 6, 2012 from Orbitz) Departing from various US Cities (Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Washington DC, New York) Add in: US$179 for Chinese visa; US$38 for Philippine exit fee FLIGHTS ARE GOING FAST! You need to book with an airline, aggregator such as Expedia/Orbitz, or our suggested travel agent or your own AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Portland-Manila-Shanghai-Portland US$1,660.50
Seattle-Manila-Shanghai-Seattle US$1,653.60
San Francisco-Manila-Shanghai-San Francisco US$1,516.60 Los Angeles-Manila-Shanghai-Los Angeles US$1,359.70
Dallas-Manila-Shanghai-Dallas US$1,741.60
Chicago-Manila-Shanghai-Chicago US$1,787.29
Miami-Manila-Shanghai-Miami US$1,809.39
Atlanta-Manila-Shanghai-Atlanta US$2,203.60
Washington DC-Manila-Shanghai-Washington DC US$1,811.29 New York-Manila-Shanghai-New York US$1,514.39