Flying on a Budget?

The rising number of low cost carriers over the past few years has made traveling more accessible.  Thanks to these budget airlines, like Cebu Pacific, it is now possible even for big families to travel together without having to shell out a considerable amount.  However, shaving off a bulk of the ticket price also mean that some services that you would otherwise enjoy in a traditional airline are taken out.  These services can be availed as options in several carriers at an extra cost.

I have to admit that I was one of the skeptics before since there had also been several reports about the not-so-good service of some of these airlines.  Then I came to learn that we cannot really generalize.  It is still very possible enjoy a pleasant flight without paying much.  

Here are some tips of our own on low cost flying. 

1.  Cheaper seats are most often sold several months before the flight so it is better to plan early and buy the tickets in advance.  Be on guard for promo fares advertised in print and social media.

2.  Check the optional services offered by your airline of choice.  If possible, just purchase the seats (no baggage, no meals, etc.) and just buy these optional services later.  

3.  If you have seat preference (especially important to families and autism families), purchase the seat selector right away or as early as possible.  Several months before the flight, most seats are not taken yet so you will have more chance to choose the best seats.

What does it say?

Preferred seats!

4.  In some airlines, you can purchase baggage allowance 48, 24, or even 4 hours before the flight (for Cebu Pacific, it's 4 hours).  This will give you ample time to pack up for your trip.  So just buy your seats in advance first, pack up your luggage 1 or 2 days before the flight, weigh your check in baggage and then purchase the appropriate baggage allowance. 

5.  I recommend that you do not maximize your baggage allowance.  For example, if you have a 30kg allowance, just fill up your luggage until it's about 28kg or less because there might be some difference between your weighing scale and the one at the airport.  There is no point in arguing at the airport either and it will just be more of a hassle so just leave the "2 kg." alone, it isn't much anyway.  Also, some carriers do not have facility for excess baggage payment and if your check in baggage exceeds your allowance, you will be forced to dispose some of your items even if you are willing to pay for excess baggage.  So just limit your check in to 2-kg. less than your allowance.

6.  Check the allowed hand carry of your airlines.  Follow the dimension limitation and again, leave about 1 or 2 kg. allowance on the weight.  Some carriers will weigh your hand carry so just follow their limitations to avoid hassles.

Two hard case luggage for check in and 1 small hand carry

7.  If the flight will be long and you want to have hot meals, there are more meal choices if you purchase before the flight than ordering during the flight.  So if you don’t want your choice to be limited to chicken or fish only, buy the meals in advance.

8.  If you bought a promo fare seat and you need to move one of your flight to another day, for example the flight going home, it may be cheaper to just buy a new ticket than to rebook the flight.

Waiting to board

9.  If your airline has the facility, do a web check in.  It will save you considerable amount of time falling in line at the counter.

10.  It will be helpful to not expect too much from the services offered by these carriers.  Avoid being too demanding and compare them to standard airlines.  If the ground and cabin crew are friendly enough and courteous, the flight was satisfactory and my rights weren’t violated, I think that I already got what I paid for.  We can put it this way, we can’t expect a fine dining experience from eating at a fast food joint, but we can still find satisfaction.

11.  When there are issues do not switch to beast mode right away. Stay as human as possible and try to resolve them with the crew without resorting to hysteria.

12.  A smile and a greeting can go a long way.  Stay positive.  Smile and greet the ground and cabin crew that you will get to interact.  They may have had a rough day already and your positive aura may help uplift their spirits.  Not only will you avoid ruining your trip but you will have a greater chance of getting a courteous and friendly service from them.

Let the kids enjoy the view by purchasing preferred seats!

Do you have any other tips to share?  Share them and let’s make our trips as enjoyable as possible especially for the kids. 

A Special Way to Fly! (how we introduced our special one to air travel)

The first time we were going to travel by air as a family, we were both excited and hesitant at the same time.  We had read several articles before that there were cases when children with special needs were denied to board the plane.  Although the flight we were getting on would be just a short, domestic flight (about 1 hour), we still feared the worst.  We did a lot of research and consultations to prepare for the big day.

There are a lot of awareness campaign and considerations already for children with autism but we still can’t deny that they aren’t totally accepted by society yet.  Our best bet at the moment is to help prepare our kids for these new experiences.  A good way to start is through research, consultation with our specialists and exchange of ideas/experiences with other autism families.  It is important to note that not all kids in the autism spectrum are the same, thus they might not react the same way to a certain technique.  However, being armed with several ideas will definitely be helpful,

In our first air travel, our primary aim was to keep our son calm.  We consulted first with our son’s specialists (his developmental pediatrician and his therapist).  We considered giving medication to make our son sleep in the flight, but both specialists advised against it.  They told us that if we wanted to make our son feel sleepy, we should just not let him have enough sleep before the flight.  They recommend, however, to introduce him gradually to the experience of flying.

Weeks before our first air travel as a family, we introduced him to photos of airplanes and the airport.  We also played airplane toys with him and acted out its being in flight.  Then whenever we saw a real airplane in the sky, we would look excited, point at it and wave at it.  We were building an impression for him that airplanes are exciting and fun.

At the boarding gate: excited to see the planes up close!

Come our actual day of flying, when we got to the boarding gates of the airport, he was so excited to see real airplanes so close.  He was also all smiles and skipping with glee while we were boarding the plane.  Then upon getting settled on our seats, he was always looking out the window with that wide smile on his face.  So just imagine his reaction looking out the window during the take off and the first few minutes of flying (I had to keep him on his seat though because he wanted to stand up to get a better view)!  Before the flight, I talked to our eldest son if he could give our autistic son the window seat on our way to our destination and then he could have the window seat on our way back.  Of course I explained to him very well why we had to do that.  But during the middle of the flight, when our special one had become bored with the view, they switched seats.

Excited to fly! (taken at a domestic airport in a province)

Like I said, it is better to be armed with several ideas and come prepared.  Our plan B was to not give him enough sleep the night before (our flight was in the morning). He had only less than 5 hours of sleep.  We later realized that this could be torture for our little ones.  However, as you may already figured out, this technique didn’t work because he was so excited that day.

Next in our arsenal was the distraction technique.  We brought with us a fully charged tablet, a portable gaming device and headphones.  Although the first technique was a success, this one came in handy at the middle of the flight when the view out the window had become monotonous and boring.  So we still brought gadgets to keep him busy whenever we travel.

And when the view outside got a little boring...

Our last item in the list, which was against the will of our specialists, was the Benadryl.  They allowed us to bring a small bottle but warned us that we should only use it when we really, really, REALLY need to (as the very, very last resort).  Fortunately for us, we didn’t have to give him the meds and as he got used to the flight and grown accustomed to the other techniques, I guess we would no longer need to bring this in our travels.

I would have to confess that we didn’t tell anybody, not the ground crew nor the cabin crew, about our son’s autism during his first flight.  We tried to hide any indication.  We were afraid at that time that we might get offloaded.  Now traveling had become a casual thing for us.

When we first learned that our son had autism, our firm resolve was to let him experience and enjoy what any other person would enjoy.  This includes traveling.  We would like to encourage every autism family to make that resolve as well.  To let our children live a life full of love and happiness.  To travel with them and let them see world.  We can do this by helping each other and sharing ideas on how our kids can overcome obstacles that may hinder them from living a full life.

Share your experience!

Hong Kong - Macau Tour Part 4: Macau

(Like the other three posts in this series, there were some stuff that we were not able to take photos of, like the food in restaurants, etc.  This blog didn’t cross our mind yet when we did this trip and all our other previous trips so they weren’t that well documented.)

We spent our first night in Macau at my sister’s flat because we arrived late in the evening and our hotel booking was for the following day.

In the morning, after getting ready, we headed to Grand Lapa hoping to get an early check in.  Unfortunately for us, there weren’t any rooms in our category that was vacant yet.  They allowed us to leave our luggage so we could do some sightseeing while waiting for the room to be ready.

We went first to the nearby Grand Prix Museum and Wine Museum.  Macau was already preparing for the Grand Prix during our visit and the barricades along the roads that will be used for the race were already put up.  So even though the museum was just about across the hotel, we needed to walk a little further to avoid the barricades.  Macau is a venue for the annual Formula 3 Grand Prix.  The challenging narrow streets along with sharp curves may be one of the reason that the place is well suited for this race.

Ready for Grand Prix!

Feels like racing?

Entrance to the museum

Our kids, including our son with autism, like cars especially fast ones so the Grand Prix Museum was a treat to them.  Touching the exhibits was prohibited though.  There was also a racing simulation inside that visitors could try.  Unfortunately there was a height limitation so the kids were not able to try it out.

António Félix da Costa's Dallara/VW

Ayrton Senna

Michael Schumacher!

Takuma Sato

Eduardo Carvalho's winning riumph TR2 (1954)

Cool grandma tried her hands on the racing sim!

These kids are winners!

Our very own Asenio Laurel! The first two-time winner of the Macau Grand Prix

Governador...

1915 Ford Model T

Motorcycles are also on display

Pit stop...

And there are go karts too!

In the next room was the Wine Museum, which the kids found a little uninteresting.  Anyway, it was about wines and not really kids’ stuff.  Our special one, however, started to feel uneasy because the lights were quite dim and the displays were of little interest to him, not like the ones at Grand Prix room. So I just took him outside while my wife and our other two kids looked around.  I had already seen the exhibit in my previous trip to Macau anyway.  Our special one calmed down when we got outside.

The Wine Museum's hallway is a bit dark and cramped for those in the spectrum

of course a wine museum will include... barrels!

...and wine making equipment...

...and more equipment.

These must be real old wines! (on account of the cage and the dust on the bottles)

At least the kids were curious of this diorama that lights up when you press some buttons

Costumes of various wine making regions

After the museum, we took some photos at the Golden Lotus Square just across the street.  A lotus sculpture (Lotus Flower in Full Bloom) at the center of the square marks the transfer of Macau’s sovereignty from Portugal to China.

On to the Lotus Square!

The Lotus Flower in Full Bloom

After a few snaps, we decided to go to McDonald’s at the Science Center, my sister told me that it had a nice view of the harbor.  It was a little far from the Lotus Square but we decided to walk anyway so that we could have a look around the area at the same time.  The weather was on the cold side that day and there were short periods of light shower every now and then throughout the day (very short and very light that it was tolerable for the kids to go sightseeing).

Trees are always a welcome sight!

On the streets of Macau

Museum de Arte de Macau

Foot bridge from Macau Museum of Arts to the Science Center

The roar from this sports car caught the kids' attention (Grand Prix fever!)

The statue of Kun Iam (goddess of mercy) can be seen in the distance

Sé, Macau with the Macau Tower and Kun Iam Statue

When we got there, it did indeed had a nice view.  We didn’t stay long though, so we could maximize our time.  We just got some take out to bring back to the hotel.

Here we are!

Centro de Ciencia De Macau

They love the view of the harbour!

McDonald's with a view 

Going back (Grand Lapa at the leftmost and Sands Macau next to it)

But first!...

Back at the hotel, we checked in to our room.  This was a gift from my sister and her partner and they got us the Resort View room.  The room was big and could very well fit all five of us.  Amenities are what you would expect from a five star hotel.  A detail of my review of Grand Lapa can be found in my post at Tripadvisor.  Our room had a nice view of the hotel’s resort and the harbor in the distance.

Grand Lapa has an old charm to it

The elegant staircase of Grand Lapa

Our room. And again... drop your stuff and jump onto the bed!

View from our room.  The hotel's resort is inside the compound with the red orange roof.

After eating and a little rest, off we went to Senado Square (Lagro do Senado) to get to Ruins of St. Paul’s.  This time, we got on a taxi.  There were some renovation works going on at the square when we got there so the place wasn’t that nice to have photos taken.  Anyway, it was a good place to start to get to the ruins because of the cobblestone streets and the architecture around the area reflected the time when Macau was under the Portuguese rule, not to mention that the streets were lined with shops that offered free tastes 😁. The area is part of Centro Historico de Macau, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Along the way, we passed by St. Dominic Church (Igreja de São Domingos) which is also one of the heritage sites in Macau.  The seamless mix of Eastern (Chinese/Macanese) and Western (Portuguese) designs are evident in the church’s architecture.

Macau Post Office at Largo do Senado (Senado Square)

Igreja de São Domingos (St. Dominic's Church) mixes Eastern and Western elements in its architecture

Inside Igreja de São Domingos

Further up toward the Ruins, the streets grew busier with more people.  An advice to autism families is that this area could be a hotspot for meltdown with all the people around, store keepers yelling to get the attention of potential customers and a feeling of being in an enclosed space.  It is very dynamic and vibrant so be sure to prepare your “sensory overload” kits and be ready to use them.  For those who would prefer a calmer place for your special ones, you could opt to have the taxi take you instead to the street at the back side of the Ruins of St. Paul’s.  For us, our son with autism is already used to such places because of his regular exposure.  What he doesn’t like are to hear people shouting and babies crying.  Good thing that the yelling storekeepers around the area were drowned by the liveliness of the place and the noise didn’t make him feel uneasy.  Another thing that helped him was the free tastes offered by the food shops.  There were so many that he got busy trying each one we passed by as we moved along the streets.

The lively streets on the way to The Ruins of St. Paul's

Bakkwa (dried meat) with free taste everywhere!

As expected, there were a lot of tourists at the Ruins of St. Paul’s but it was manageable and we were able to take some photos.  The kids were curious about the building that had only the façade standing.  Tucked beside the Ruins was a small Chinese temple dedicated to the deity Na Tcha (Templo Na Tcha).  It provided the contrast to the Portuguese architecture around the area and a manifestation of the mixed cultural heritage of Macau.

The Ruins of St. Paul's (there was again a light shower when we got there, good thing it was short, as usual)

Up close

And as usual!

Sites included in the Centro Histórico de Macau have these markers

Templo De Na Tcha beside The Ruins of St. Paul's

I had this shot in my first visit here so they had theirs too!

At the side of the Ruin’s wide staircase were refreshment stalls.  We sampled some fishballs, soups and of course, the Portuguese egg tarts.  The fishballs, with the spicy curry sauce, and the hot, tasty imitation sharksfin soup provided the comforting warmth for the cold weather.  The egg tarts were also a delight, with the light and fluffy pastry contrasted by the rich and creamy custard.

Street food!

Comfort food in a cold weather

Who wants some egg tarts and pork chop buns?

Yummy egg tarts!

After having our fill, we proceeded to Fortaleza do Monte just beside the Ruins of St. Paul’s.  It was another climb up a high staircase at the side of the wall (I guess our kids were already wondering why our trip involved a lot of stair climbing! Haha!).

The fort is another remnant left by the Portuguese.  The construction is distinctly of Western Europe and the cannons used to protect the area are still there.

Stairs... again...

Fire!

The top of the fort offers a strategic view of the harbor.  There were coin operated binoculars there that the kids were excited to try.  The first one they tried was not working and had cost them 2 of their coins.  They took turns in the next one that worked.  For families with kids, especially ones who are in the autism spectrum, make sure that you don’t take your eyes off your kids when you’re at top of the fort.  There are embrasures and other sections of the wall where people could fall so be sure to be extra cautious.  On the way down, we went inside Macau Museum but we didn’t get to see the exhibit because we had to meet my sister at the hotel.

A view through the crenel

The curious kids took turns on this

Fortaleza da Guia with the chapel and the lighthouse as seen from Fortaleza do Monte

The view from the fort

Just passing through...

Back at the Ruins, my daughter remembered the lady back at the foot of the Ruin’s staircase who offered free tastes of seaweed wrapped pastry rolls and pastries with pork floss filling.  The kids loved those particular pastries she was offering.  Before we went up the ruins we were talking with her, and although she was speaking in Chinese she was able to give us directions on where her shop was and also gave us a flyer.  So before going back to the hotel, we went to her shop (we went to the shop with the signage matching with what was written on the flyer).  The pastries were not that expensive so we bought several boxes to give to folks back home.

Of course, we didn’t forget to pass by Pasteleria Koi Kei to buy some treats there too.

Back at Grand Lapa, we met with my sister and her partner.  It was a little early for dinner so we decided to look around some facilities of the hotel.  We went to the resort and although a dip at the pool was listed in our original itinerary, the weather was a little too cold for the kids to swim.  The temperature of the pool, though, is always regulated to match the weather and on that day, the water in the pool was heated.  What we were afraid of was when the kids got out of the warm pool, the cold air might give them shivers.  We instead took them to The Kids Co. Children’s Centre, an indoor playground, at the back side of the resort.  The playground had an attendant that could look after the kids so basically, you could leave the kids there for some time.  You would need to be logged, of course.  But we stayed there with the kids since we wanted to rest a little too while the kids had fun.  I don’t need to tell you how happy the kids were especially our son with autism.  His first agenda was the ball pool and he loved “swimming” in there with all those plastic balls.  There were also two other kids there playing so our kids had some playmates there.

We're not tired yet!

When it was dinner time, we headed back to the hotel’s main building and went to Kam Lai Heen, a Michelin star restaurant specializing in Cantonese cuisine with a hint of Macanese.  I especially liked the Beijing Roasted Duck, although my sister said that it wasn’t the same as the ones she tried from Beijing (mental note for me, when we get there! ☺️).  For the kids, there were familiar items in the menu like stir fried noodles, fried rice, fish and chicken. I’m afraid I cannot delve into the details of our dining experience there because we don’t have photos to show.

After a very filling dinner, my wife told me that we could check out the night scene at Cotai, with the kids of course (they said they still had the energy)!  So after dinner, off we went to the shuttle bus station at the nearby Sands Macau.  We got on the shuttle bus going to The Venetian.  Although the concept of indoor gondola rides and sky ceilings to imitate the canals of Venice, Italy had already started to spread all over the world, compared to the other two sites I already visited (one from Middle East and one also from South East Asia), The Venetian Macau still offered the best experience for me.  The sky was more alive and felt more “outdoorish” than the other two.  The canal, gondola and even the gondoliers wearing the correct attire and singing opera while rowing the boats felt more real.  And as usual, the kids were in awe of the sights.  We went around some shops to buy some stuff to take home.

Here's where we wait for our shuttle (at Sands Macau)

Take a picture of us!

The "outdoor" ambience, the canal, the gondola & singing gondoliers felt more realistic

Then we went through the wide hallways of the hotel area of the complex to cross to The Parisian.  Though it was a long walk, the kids didn’t mind because the wide, carpeted hallways was like a playing field for them.  They could run around without the fear of knocking anything down.

The Venetian Macau is more on being grand and majestic...

(I think you can drive cars in here)

There was an evident transition in the interiors when we crossed the “border” from The Venetian to The Parisian.  The feel in The Venetian was grand and majestic while the hallways of The Parisian was refined and elegant.  When we reached the commercial area of The Parisian, the sky ceiling concept was replaced by a mock arched glass ceiling with leaves from the trees “outside” sticking onto the glass.  It felt like daytime too inside the building.  There was a replica of the Eiffel Tower outside The Parisian.  Although there was an access inside the complex to climb the tower (for a fee), our interest was to get outside to see it (and take photos 😂).

...while The Parisian is elegant and refined.

The faux glass roof of The Parisian made it feel like its still day time

Take another picture please!

The cupola of the foyer of The Parisian

And the centerpiece...

The grand fountain at the center

After some snaps, we were having second thoughts if we would go to the nearby City of Dreams to see the mermaids in the virtual aquarium.  We decided otherwise because it was already getting late and we had to pack our things to catch our flight the next day.  Perhaps when we come back, we could visit some more places.  We got on the shuttle back to the Sands Macau then walked to Grand Lapa beside it.

The replica of the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower replica and the immense building of The Parisian 

Our flight back to Manila was through HKIA because the idea to cross to Macau came in later after we had already bought the plane tickets.  So the following morning, we got the ferry back to Hong Kong.  At the Airport Express in Central Station, we refunded the Octopus Cards except for one card which we retained as one of our souvenirs for the trip.  We had our brunch at the airport, before boarding the plane.  Back at Manila, in NAIA Terminal 3, we conveniently just got back to our car in the multi-level parking, paid the fees and drove back home.

Although Macau is famous for its casinos and night life, it is not entirely just an adult playground.  Children can also find interesting places here, and children in the autism spectrum are no exception.  There are parks and other calm spots for those prone to meltdowns while there are also vibrant places for those in the “hyper” side.  If the kids are into fast cars, the best time to visit Macau may be during the Grand Prix event.  Macau is also one of the places where its multicultural heritage manifests prominently.  It is a seamless mixture of the East and the West as well as the old and the modern that defines the region as distinctly Macanese.  Macau is worth to be included in the itineraries of those going to Hong Kong, whether singles or families.

Tips:

Travel means: 
Ferry (Hong Kong to Macau & vice versa): Two well known ferries that sail this route are TurboJet and Cotai Water Jet.  You can check their schedule and fares in their respective web sites.  It is highly recommended to purchase your tickets early because the seats run out fast.  Buy latest in the early morning if you will sail late in the afternoon or the evening and at least a day before if you will sail the next morning.  There are a lot of local tourists and workers using these ferries.

Don't expect premium service in the ferry (even if you purchase the premium class).  Although the crew aren't rude, they're just nonchalant and in most of the case, you will just be on your own (being demanding will be pointless, it's just the way it is so just be on your own).

If you will fly back home via HKIA, you can instead avail of the SkyPier service where you can check in your luggage at the ferry terminal and sail directly at HKIA.  If your airline is qualified, the service includes transfer of your luggage from the ferry to your airplane.

If you are flying Cebu Pacific back to Manila thru HKIA, note that Cebu Pacific is not listed in the airlines that can avail of the SkyPier service so your best option is to sail back to Hong Kong, go through HK immigration again and use the Airport Express.  This was another lesson for us.  So it would be wise to just fly back to Manila directly from Macau.

Taxi:  Like the Hong Kong taxis, Macau taxis are also marked with the number of passengers allowed.  And again, if you do not have a taxi card to your destination, use Google Maps to show to the taxi driver your destination written in Chinese.

Bus:  This is a cheaper option to get around.  Bus stops have guides so that you'll know which bus number you'll board.  This is not really recommended if you will not stay in Macau for a long time.  Purchasing a bus card will be more expensive.  If you don't have a bus cars, make sure that you have exact change in Macau Pataca (MOP) because you will never get any change if you pay in bills.

Bus stops have either this guide or the red cylindrical guide that you can rotate

Shuttle Buses:  These are free services that take people to and from the well known casinos and hotels.  They can also be found in the ferry terminal and the airport.  Use them to your advantage to get to different places without spending money.

Kidsentials and advise for autism families:

• Your sensory overload/tantrums kit!

• You may or may not be able to choose your seat in the ferry.  You can try to ask politely the person in charge of assigning seats but if he won't listen to you don't lose your temper and just keep your cool.  So if you don't get window seats for the kids just ready your tantrums kit or entertain them some other way.  The duration of the trip is only about an hour anyway.

• Depending on the weather, the ferry might be wobbling excessively when docked, so you might want to be ready for sea sickness especially the children.  The wobbles will disappear once the ferry starts to move.

• You can let the kids try the free samples at the food shops near the Ruins of St. Paul's.  Who knows, they might like something there!

• The egg tarts are a definite must try!

• Children are not allowed inside the casino areas.  They are enclosed areas with security personnel so you most likely won't make the mistake of going inside with the kids, there's nothing for them in there anyway.

Other general tips:

• Even if you're on a budget, it is possible to explore Macau with very minimal spending if you plan your itinerary very well.  Lots of tourist attractions in Macau are free of charge.  You can then plan your route to get there using the free shuttle buses (it's possible that you will use several buses and do some walking to get from one place to the other).  You can also get your fill at the Ruins of St. Paul's because the people giving free tastes are quite persuasive so just give in and have a bite of what they are offering.

• Mind the time!  When you're inside one of the resorts in Cotai, it is so easy to forget about time and you might end up inside very late in the night.  They are still very well alive in the late evenings and some establishments like The Venetian and The Parisian can make it feel like it's still daytime.

• The availability of the free shuttle buses are not 24 hours so check their timings at the terminals.

• Most signs are in Chinese and Portuguese.  There are a few signs that are also translated in English.

• The ferry to and from Macau charges MOP/HK$ 50 per piece of checked in luggage.  There may be times though that they will just let you take the luggage inside the cabin by yourself.