Aug 2016 to Asia - When to book?

oneC

Hi - looking for some general advice here,
First post on this forum so be gentle

I'm looking to organise a family trip for next August (last two weeks) to Asia (Thailand + Vietnam mainly)

I know it is very early days but does anyone have a general sense of when would be best to book flights? I don't want to twitch and give in to some crazy high prices if they are likely to come down over the next few months.


Appreciate any help/advice,:j
Thanks
C

Doshwaster

Where are you planning on going? You have to be careful in SE Asia in August as it's the middle of the wet season for many areas.

This is Thailand: http://www.travelfish.org/weather/thailand and Vietnam: http://www.travelfish.org/weather/vietnam

For that reason flights and hotels are usually cheap at that time of the year with lots of availability so is shouldn't matter too much when you book.

Two weeks also isn't really a lot of time to do both Thailand and Vietnam. Pick one and do the other another time.

richardw

My initial thoughts are the same, look at what you want to do in two weeks and the climate, it's easy to get things wrong.

PompeyPete

Agree. Concentrate on one country.

We arrived in on 1 Sep for 4 weeks. Booked flights in April with Qatar Airways @ £432 each.

At the moment Saigon is one big waterpark. Fortunately, we're a few hundred kms north in Da Nang at present.

It's rained heavily quite often, but it's warm rain, and a good excuse for some 'beer time'.

Fabulous country, great friedly people, and it's v.inexpensive.

NiftyDigits

Not sure that one will find August cheap. Perhaps September.

oneC

Hi,
Thanks for all the suggestions + comments - appreciate the help.
I've been to Thailand before, loved every second
This trip is actually a birthday gift for my father in law - he's a big history buff so I'll be taking him round some of the historical sights in Vietnam.

I know two weeks is not nearly enough to cover either of these two countries in their entirety, but it will likely be a.) All that we can afford and b.) All the time everyone will be able to get off work
Hopefully though it will spark enough interest for the family to wish to go back again (I need very little convincing personally )

@PompeyPete - thats the kind of price point that would suit me perfectly. I had thought ~£450-£500 per head return would fit the bill. I guess it will just be a matter of monitoring the prices from now til early new year

Yeah the schedule may become a little cramped. This could be my only issue. But my mother and her husband expressed an interest in both countries and I'll be trying my best to make it work.
I think we have 17-18 days in total hopefully. So far in my head the schedule includes Bangkok + 1-2 islands (7 days), 7-8 days in Vietnam (possible 3x locations). Then there is a bit of buffer in there to play around with (I, for one would love to squeeze in a stopover in Angkor Wat en route)

PompeyPete

The weather might dictate how much you can fit in, particularly as flights could be cancelled, and that'll soon s rew up a pre-arranged itinerary.

At the moment Central Vietnam is in a tropical weather depression. Where we are in Hue it's been bucketing it down for the last 24 hours, so we've spent all of today sheltering in a bar!

bylromarha

In June 2014, I paid £554 return Lon - Bangkok for a return flight Fri 1st - Sun 31st August 2014. Mid week flights are cheaper. A quick look on momondo finds returns at £512 for the last 2 weeks in August, flying mid week.

Bangkok is the best place to get flights into as it's such a hub for Asia, so lots of companies competing for the business.

As I kept an eye on prices for a good few months leading up to my booking, I think you'll be extremely lucky to get a sub £500 return flight in August. So my advice is book a flight which is as close to £500 as you can get as soon as you can.

Doshwaster

£500-550 is the going rate for direct economy flights to Bangkok unless you are looking at flying at peak times such as over Christmas. I only booked a few weeks ago for a flight in October and paid £512 with British Airways. Always book direct with the airline rather than trying to save a few quid by going through a dodgy bucket shop. If anything was to go wrong then you'd be grateful for it.

You can get cheaper by going by via one of the Middle East but check the connection times. It can be nice to stretch your legs at the halfway point but there's not much point in saving £50 return if there is an 18 hour stopover each way.

The weather will be your biggest risk factor. As PP says, it can be unpredictable at the best of times and August is typically the wettest month of the year. You just have to be prepared to be very flexible with your schedule and you are never far from a bar in which to shelter.

NiftyDigits

I thought about going there second week of September, Prices I considered were between £270 and £350. There were super cheap deals this year. All 4* and 5* airlines. Some available days before travel. Didn't go, as the weather was still good here.