<p>My daughter will be coming home from China sometime in August but before she does she wants to travel a bit in SE Asia and possibly India. Where she ends up will probably be determined by where she can get the cheapest flight back to the US. Right now she said the cheapest flights are from Hong Kong, which is very close to where she is living but she doesn’t especially want to go back that way. </p>
<p>Any ideas on places that are usually cheaper to fly from in SE Asia or India or a sort of nationwide ding! thing that would tell me when a price goes below a certain amount?</p>
<p>kathie, August, especially the end, is a tough time to travel because of the European holiday season and because of all the Asian kids heading back to school in Europe and the U.S. This year the Olympics will just exacerbate the problem. All of North Asia will be a zoo.</p>
<p>Since she’s already in China does she have a round trip ticket? Does she plan to use the return leg of this ticket or is she thinking of buying a whole new ticket, e.g.: China to new destination to Eastcoast?</p>
<p>Singapore is a good launching pad for connecting flights and access to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Indonesia). </p>
<p>Singapore Airlines is excellent but tends to be pricy, although they can also offer some of the best one-off deals. For consistently good rates I’d look at Malaysian Airlines, Etihad and Emirates. Also the more stops you’re willing to make the lower the price. </p>
<p>There are quite a few options, so the best starting point would be to narrow in on one or two destinations and fool around on an on-line service like Expedia to get an idea of what’s out there.</p>
<p>I live in SE Asia and would encourage your daughter to visit Java or Bali for profound natural beauty and fascinating culture (plus some touristy fun).</p>
<p>Good suggestions momrath. No, she only bought a one way ticket to china last August. She didn’t want to be locked into a place or date to return. So far she has visited South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand. She spent about 10 days in S. Korea so she probably won’t go back there. She has a friend who lives in Thailand and has talked about going back there but said that Bangkok is often pricey to fly to/from. After reading Eat, Pray, love, she’s more interested in Indonesia so your suggestions are great.</p>
<p>kathie, if she decides on Indonesia come back to me for specific recommendations on logistics and accommodations. The discussion boards on Fodors are also excellent sources for travel advice and information.</p>
<p>Since our trip to China I’ve been a regular on all four travel bulletin boards - Fodors, Frommers, Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor but must admit that I’ve stuck mostly to China. With the new Visa rules, she may find herself ousted from China sooner then she would like.</p>
<p>She’s had to get a Visa for China (a work one), Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea so I think it would be a suprise if she didn’t need one for India :)</p>