pkuznets

Hello travelers...I am trying to plan my first-time-to-Asia trip. My sister teaches at a school in Siem Reap, so I'm double-excited to go. I'm traveling alone (age 56 female) and plan to fly out of SFO (although I could leave out of LAX since I live in between these cities on the central coast of Calif). So--I would love tips regarding flights. Of course, I'm trying to spend as little as possible on airlines so that I can sight-see with my sis once I get to Siem Reap. Also, my dates are flexible (I'm a professor, so I have approx 12/11 through 1/02 to make this trip). What days of the week or dates might I want to avoid traveling? I'm so excited but terribly overwhelmed as this trip seems like a huge out-of-my-comfort-zone adventure. Any advice or ideas would be most humbly appreciated
Sincerely,
Patrikya

Kathie

This will be a wonderful first trip to Asia for you!

You will likely want to fly into Bangkok as it's usually the least expensive gateway to SE Asia. It's then a short hop to Siem Reap on Bangkok Air. There are other options, however. You can fly Korean Air via Seoul, as they have an onward flight to Siem Reap.

You are traveling at the most expensive time of the year. You'll likely do best on airfares of you fly on a Tues or Weds and return on Xmas Day or NY Day. The time between Xmas and New Years is typically expensive.

mrwunrfl

In addition to Korean, Asiana Airlines and China Eastern both have one-stop flights to Siem Reap. I did a search at itasoftware.com for an 8-10 night trip starting on/after the 11th and, currently, China Eastern is cheapest, though perhaps not best, at $1175 (on Thu. the 12th and 19th). Other airline are a couple hundred more. That is SFO. Saw the same fare from LAX. Fares are higher for a 12-14 night trip. All else being equal, I think I would prefer LAX over SFO as weather is not much of an issue there.

dgunbug

If you have time to spend a few days in Bangkok, then a stop there would be ideal. However, if your intention is to apend all tiur time in cambodia, then I would say if the prices are decent, that Korean air is fabulous and I would fly through Korea. It's also a great airport for a layover.

marmot

I'd also look at Singapore Air (SQ): Several flights from the Westcoast to Singapore and good connections to Siem Reap. Singapore itself would be an interesting add-on to your Cambodia trip. It's a good introduction to Asia but well within a first-time single traveler's comfort zone.