An Epic Trip in Asia: Multi-City or Multi-Country?
Does maximizing your time in Asia mean going to “many cities in one country” or “one city in many countries”? Or should you just stay put? Let’s discuss which one is right for you.
Much like how there’s more to Europe than just Paris, there’s more to Asia than just Tokyo.
Don’t get me wrong, Tokyo absolutely deserves a visit!
But, the high cost of simply getting to and from Asia usually prevents people from visiting often. So, I’d argue that if you’re over there, you should see more of the country or even other countries.
Truthfully, traveling to Asia is more intimidating than traveling within Asia.
Most Asian countries have sophisticated mass transportation networks and/or cheap domestic flights, making it easy to travel within the country.
Flights to nearby countries are usually fast and affordable. You can hop from one Asian country to another in less time and for less money than a transcontinental flight in the United States.
Plus, depending on when and where you go, you may spend the same or even less money on hotels, food, tours, etc., than on a similar trip in Europe.
So, how do you decide between a multi-city trip or a multi-country trip?
After many trips to Asia to visit family, study abroad, work, and check things off my bucket list, here are a few of my opinions on how to approach an epic trip in Asia:
Flights
Don’t look at just round-trip flights from your base airport to your destination. Consider flying into one city, taking a domestic flight or a train to another city and then fly home out of that city.
If you want to go on a multi-city trip in Japan, you can fly from the U.S. to Osaka (KIX), take a scenic train to Kyoto, then a high-speed train to Tokyo, and fly home out of Tokyo—Narita (NRT).
If you want to go on a multi-country trip, you can fly from the U.S. to Incheon (ICN) to explore Seoul, hop to Sapporo (CTS), and then fly home through Tokyo—Haneda (HND).
Occasion
You may want to celebrate a holiday in a specific city, but that city’s celebrations may be underwhelming or not celebrated at all, so confirm in advance.
If you planned to celebrate the end of the year in Tokyo, you may want to consider a multi-city trip. Tokyo shuts down for a few days around New Year's, and they celebrate New Year’s Eve in the privacy of their own home. So, you can spend the end of December in Tokyo and then go to another city like Yokohama on New Year’s Eve for fireworks and other festivities.
If you want to celebrate the holidays in Asia, consider Christmas in the Philippines, which they start celebrating in September. Then, go to Taipei for New Year’s Eve to see fireworks blast off from the iconic Taipei 101. You can either go home from there or head to Japan to get lucky bags full of goodies and other shopping deals!
However, if that sounds exhausting, there’s nothing wrong with staying put! Going to multiple destinations in one trip really depends on how much energy you want to put into transferring and whether you’re okay with ‘losing time’ due to those transfers.
The last thing you should consider is your mentality.
If you think this is really a once-in-a-lifetime trip, then put your dreams first. There will always be so many other things you could’ve done, but what you’ve always wanted to do comes first.
If you will do whatever it takes to go back, then that takes some pressure off of this one trip. You can just tell yourself, “I’ll do that next time,” whether next time is a few months, years, or decades. Give yourself permission to defer because you’ll be back soon anyway!
Whether you choose one city, multiple cities, or multiple countries, your epic trip in Asia should be based on your priorities and what brings you joy.
If you’re still not sure which one you should do for your trip to Asia, click here to book a consultation.
