multi country layover plan..suggestions needed!
 

Hello!,

So I am planning to visit singapore in September for formula one ( departing from LAX( Los Angeles). I am planning to use multiple stop overs enroute to maximize my trip as much as possible. here is my plan as below, please let me know about the feasibility of it. I will be traveling on my own.

My first leg takes me on 11th sept flight from LAX to Beijing using my united miles. It arrives at 5:30 am ( 12th sept ) with a 10 hour lay over with next flight to South Korea ( ICN ) at 3:30 pm. So during that 10 hour layover I plan to do one of the beijing layover tours from the airport to see the great wall ( takes 5-6 hours as per tour company ) and I should be easily back for my flight to ICN.

I spend the night at ICN and in the next morning (13th sept) ( take the tour to DMZ/JSA ( which has been on my bucket list ). The tour ends around 3-4 pm after which I take cathy pacific flight from ICN to Hong kong in the evening ( not sure if i can use my american airlines to miles for it??.) I arrive hong kong 10:55 PM on 13th september with my flight out to singapore on 14th september at 4:00 pm on cathy pacific. Than ill be in singapore for a few days to spend before i head back.

How does the plan sound ? Questions are where i should spend the night in S.korea so I can roam around a bit as well the evening of 12 september. how can I maximize my time in hong kong, any suggestions for tours/plan? lastly can i use american airlines miles for intra-asia flight on cathy pacific.

thank you guys/girls!

I would switch to the daytime flight to beijing and spend a night there myself (I assume you only have 24 hours for the layover). I would also skip HK, and fly direct from icn to sin.

thank you for the reply! Any reason for skipping the HK leg, you think its not worth it? or plan not feasible?

The latter. I actually like HK quite a bit, but I think you are cramming too much in. You would be so exhausted by the time you got there that the most you could squeeze in would be lunch on day two.

The Beijing leg, at least, sounds like madness to me: after hours cooped on a plane you'll spend more hours cooped in a car heading to the Great Wall and back, all this infused with tension and worry about getting back in time for your outbound flight. (You cannot afford to miss it.)

Much better to keep your brief stopover simple and just head into central Beijing and see a couple of the sights there.

thanks for the heads up, but there are certain chinese companies who do specify layover tours including pvt car/guide and they suggested its very much doable in their experience!

I agree it's doable, even moreso than going downtown, in fact. That having been said, both ideas strike me as madness. If you take the day flight, you can head up to the School House, have a nice dinner, and then hit mutianyu the next day. No need for a tour guide.

thank you guys for all the suggestions. I did pay heed to the advices above and changed my a plan a little. i have decided just to do Beijing for this trip as a layover as i cannot do DMZ/JSA tour during those days as there is a military training ongoing during that time period.

Now I will be flying Houston-PEK with a 28 hours layer over in Beijing before heading to Singapore. I land at PEK 4 am on 13th sept via Air China with the next flight on 14th sept 8:45 am with singapore airlines. All these flights are on one ticket using my united miles.

I had the following questions :

1) I do qualify for the TWOV as the current itinerary stands? Will i get questioned while traveling from houston to china as i won't have a visa for china? are they well versed with these situations? should I do anything additional?

2) For the lay over I plan to do Great Wall and Forbidden City is possible? Anything additional I should try to fit in? Any good place to eat ( nothing too fancy like local off the street kind of food)

3) As my flight is morning leaving china should i stay near the airport?

thank you again!

Also one other questions, will I get my checked bag at China or at singapore? as the layover is more than 24 hours.

1. You're good for TWOV.

2. I would choose one or the other

3. #2 should be the primary factor in your hotel decision. There isn't much point in staying at the airport itself.

I am looking to book at the wangfujing area, heard thats the best bet to stay for a short duration!

If i take a flight which reaches PEK evening ( 6:50 pm) vs 4:00 am , whats the better option as in less busy, shorter lines to get the TWOV ?

4a is definitely less busy, but sub optimal for siteseeimg, and don't bank on your hotel giving you early check-in

I disagree. There are an enormous number of international long-haul widebodies scheduled into PEK now, most of them full up, and the 4-6 a.m. queuing situation at PEK Immigration can be very lengthy. I'd use the flight arriving in the evening. As said above, also better for hotel check-in timing.

thank you guys for the suggestions!

The more I read into it regarding the TWOV, the more i am getting concerned as though i am US citizen but with a pakistani origin and also visited turkey this year with family for a few days for tourist purpose. Do you think there will be red flags to all this? high chances of denial?