peterblue

Hi all,

I am planning an itinerary involving an overland tour from Singapore to Hanoi via train and bus. However, I would also like to visit additional cities during my trip as layovers en-route to either Singapore or Hanoi. I would prefer the flights to be as cheap as possible, and flying in Economy class.

I've noticed that China has a 144hour visa exemption policy rule for UK Citizens, and there are many cheap options at around the £250-£350 margin for UK-China-Singapore or UK-China-Hanoi as I would like, by utilising a layover in China at Shanghai Pudong or Beijing.

I would also like to visit Japan. I have searched comparison websites such as Skyscanner and I can not find comparably priced options via Japan. Is this not possible, or is there something I am missing? I have found it is possible to buy 2 individual tickets, but this works out substantially more expensive. I don't know if it's possible, or how to, force itineraries via a certain destination.

I can be very flexible with dates/times as I primarily work from home, though I would like to travel before the peak summer season.

Apologies if I have posted this in the incorrect place. Thank you for any help in advance.

EmailKid

I think what you are missing is that Chinese airlines tend to dump cheap fares on the rest of the world, while Japanese don't do that

This would allow one to take advantage of TWOV (which BTW has been relaxed even more recently as I understand it) to visit China without having to pay for a visa

I took advantage of TWOV several years ago (when it was only 48 hours) to visit both Shanghai and Beijing (on separate visits / trips), though I did not make it to the Great Wall (which at the time was not technically allowed, though many people "broke" the rules and visited anyway - I was not that brave).

peterblue

Is it possible to utilise the Chinese TWOV 'twice' - e.g. to go London-Shanghai-Singapore on the outbound journey and then Hanoi-Beijing-London on the return?

I have heard reports about people getting TWOV access en-route to Hong Kong and Macau but I haven't found any reliable stories about people using TWOV twice.

EmailKid

IIRC I've used it both coming and going, but i'ts been a long time (again, back when it was 48 hours). As I think about it, I am quite sure that I used it both ways.

There is a lengthy thread in the China forum, so I suggest you check that out and if you have a specific TWOV question post there.

For Budget Travel questions, continue to post here in this forum

Oh, and welcome to FlyerTalk