Advice needed for trip between LAX and BKK through ICN
Dec 19th, 2015, 10:41 AM
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Advice needed for trip between LAX and BKK through ICN
Hi all,
I have an unusual question on which I could use some guidance. First, some backstory:
The first time we went to Japan in 2014 we took an overnight flight. I don't sleep on planes, and landing at 5am meant that, by the time we went to bed our first night, we had been awake for 36 hours. The result was such a bad migraine that night that I had to have a doctor make a house-call at the hotel in the middle of the night. Not very fun. Fortunately, he had some amazing drugs (now available in the U.S) that allowed me to salvage the trip, but I really don't want to go through that again.
The second trip to Japan we flew during the day, landing at 4:30pm, so that by the time we got to the city and ate, we got to bed for a full nights sleep. What an amazing difference this made.
Fast-forward to today.
We just booked a flight from LAX to Bangkok via Seoul, which arrives at 5:30pm, and then connects to BKK, arriving at 10:10pm. In theory, we could then go directly to the hotel and to sleep, but this creates a similar situation to my first trip, with being awake a very long time (not quite as bad as before, but close). My thought was to perhaps spend the night in transit at a hotel near the airport in Seoul, get a real nights sleep, and then take a flight at 9:30am the next day from ICN to BKK, arriving about 1:30pm.
My question, for those of you with experience at ICN, is how difficult/time consuming will it be to get our luggage and go through customs in Seoul, only to have to do it all again the next morning? Based on your experiences there, is it reasonable to think we could be at the hotel by 8:30pm and then leave it again the next morning at 6:30am for our next flight at 9:30am?
Your opinions are greatly appreciated! Then I can worry about more fun questions, like our itinerary once we get there. Thanks!
I have an unusual question on which I could use some guidance. First, some backstory:
The first time we went to Japan in 2014 we took an overnight flight. I don't sleep on planes, and landing at 5am meant that, by the time we went to bed our first night, we had been awake for 36 hours. The result was such a bad migraine that night that I had to have a doctor make a house-call at the hotel in the middle of the night. Not very fun. Fortunately, he had some amazing drugs (now available in the U.S) that allowed me to salvage the trip, but I really don't want to go through that again.
The second trip to Japan we flew during the day, landing at 4:30pm, so that by the time we got to the city and ate, we got to bed for a full nights sleep. What an amazing difference this made.
Fast-forward to today.
We just booked a flight from LAX to Bangkok via Seoul, which arrives at 5:30pm, and then connects to BKK, arriving at 10:10pm. In theory, we could then go directly to the hotel and to sleep, but this creates a similar situation to my first trip, with being awake a very long time (not quite as bad as before, but close). My thought was to perhaps spend the night in transit at a hotel near the airport in Seoul, get a real nights sleep, and then take a flight at 9:30am the next day from ICN to BKK, arriving about 1:30pm.
My question, for those of you with experience at ICN, is how difficult/time consuming will it be to get our luggage and go through customs in Seoul, only to have to do it all again the next morning? Based on your experiences there, is it reasonable to think we could be at the hotel by 8:30pm and then leave it again the next morning at 6:30am for our next flight at 9:30am?
Your opinions are greatly appreciated! Then I can worry about more fun questions, like our itinerary once we get there. Thanks!
Dec 19th, 2015, 11:47 AM
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I've only been to ICN once, and found it, like kja, to be very efficient. I don't know the airport hotels there, but your schedule seems very do-able.
I fly from Seattle, so a similar length trip to yours. Typically, I've flown via Narita, arriving in Bangkok near midnight. That schedule works well for me, as I can go to the hotel, take a long, hot bath then get into bed and sleep until morning.
Given your history, I can imagine you don't want to risk being felled my a migraine. (I got a migraine once on a flight from London to Seattle - just awful.) I don't know whether you could do the two back to back flights without a problem or not. Also, I expect you will have to call the airline to book the flight that gives you an overnight in Seoul, as I've never found a way to do that online.
Good luck!
I fly from Seattle, so a similar length trip to yours. Typically, I've flown via Narita, arriving in Bangkok near midnight. That schedule works well for me, as I can go to the hotel, take a long, hot bath then get into bed and sleep until morning.
Given your history, I can imagine you don't want to risk being felled my a migraine. (I got a migraine once on a flight from London to Seattle - just awful.) I don't know whether you could do the two back to back flights without a problem or not. Also, I expect you will have to call the airline to book the flight that gives you an overnight in Seoul, as I've never found a way to do that online.
Good luck!
Dec 19th, 2015, 12:24 PM
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I've flown through ICN a couple of times but you might face delays that have nothing to do with whether or not Seoul immigration is easy or not. Three times that I can recall, we did overnights in Asia before our next flight. Two of those times we had long delays (for different reasons) and arrived at our hotels several hours later than expected, so we ended up getting very little sleep. Just something you need to factor in. IMHO, Ambien is a miracle drug - can you use that to sleep on the plane? even 4-5 hours would help a lot.
Dec 19th, 2015, 03:47 PM
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Thank you all for your feedback. You have given me some things to think about. One thing I have discovered since my original post is that ICN has a hotel right inside the airport, so no need to go through customs. If I do decide to do this at least I know it will be easy. Below is a link in case anyone else that reads this post might be interested. If I decide to do it I'll be sure to report back. Thanks!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...l-Incheon.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...l-Incheon.html
Dec 19th, 2015, 08:32 PM
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Russ, I'm confused. You said you just booked your flights, so how can you change them? Are you travelling on an award? Assuming that is the case, then I personally would either keep on going straight to Bankgok, or I would spend 24 hours in Seoul, perhaps taking an evening flight to Bangkok, with the idea of going into the city and leisurely eating and walking. I find airport hotels depressing, overpriced, and boring.
I assume by now that your are armed with Imitrex or equivalent for headaches, so you should be able to sleep the first night. FromDC suggested taking Ambien, and it may work for you, but it makes me nauseous, so try it first at home.
I assume by now that your are armed with Imitrex or equivalent for headaches, so you should be able to sleep the first night. FromDC suggested taking Ambien, and it may work for you, but it makes me nauseous, so try it first at home.
Dec 19th, 2015, 09:36 PM
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Hi CL. Yes, you are correct, they are FF tix so I can change them. I'd only be at the airport hotel for 8 hours, and I would be asleep the entire time, so boring works for me. Yes, I do have all manner of meds that I've been taking for 30+ years. They usually work, except for when they don't. I like to think I learn from experience, and that kind of pain is enough of a deterrent to try to avoid in the future. Thanks again all for your input.
Dec 19th, 2015, 10:15 PM
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Russ, if your headaches are that bad, then it's probably a good decision to overnight in the Seoul airport. If you're up to it, you can have fun eating some good food, and strolling around the airport, after you check in.
Dec 20th, 2015, 02:40 AM
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Our overnight inside the Singapore airport, without having to go thru immigration, was the easiest of all of those transit nights. We slept for about 5 hours (there was a flight delay) but it worked out very well. Warning on this, our bags did not make it the next day to our final destination (Kota Kinabalu) and I've always suspected it was because we did the overnight.
