Long haul travel doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive…
As much as I enjoy travelling in Business Class long haul sometimes it’s just not possible - whether that’s a lack of award availability or expensive fares. Late in 2021, I was invited by the team at Scoot to try out their new route from London-Gatwick to Bangkok. In celebration of the route resuming for the Summer Season later in March, here’s some inspiration for a trip you could also take.
(Anything but) Basic Bangkok
Just like my trip in December, you could take it simple and go ahead straight to Bangkok for a great city break. Bangkok is a vibrant, exciting place to visit and you will not be disappointed. Flights in Scoot Economy from London to Bangkok cost around GBP 190 one way. Thanks to convenient flight timings, you could easily do a short trip of 4-5 days if just visiting Bangkok - perfect for the upcoming extended bank holiday for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubillee in early June.
Go beyond Bangkok
Looking for a bit more from your Thai adventure? Scoot’s Value Alliance partner, Nok Air, can take you across Thailand from Phuket to Chaing Mai and many other cities in between at low prices. Note that Nok Air flights operate from Bangkok Don Mueang and not Suvarnabhumi.
If you’re looking for Koh Samui, you’ll have to fly on Bangkok Airways as the only airline to serve the airport.
Get a Singapore Sling in its hometown
If you’re looking to skip Bangkok, the London-Gatwick flight operates onwards to Singapore Changi Airport. Unlike in December, the Scoot flight is now VTL-certified. What does that mean? It’s effectively a special designation that allows non-residents to visit Singapore providing they meet all vaccine requirements. It’s a slightly odd scheme but for now, this is the only way you can get into the country - and its great that there’s now a direct, low cost VTL option from London’s second airport. The cost from London Gatwick to Singapore is a bit more expensive at GBP 252.
Why not opt for a multi-centre holiday?
If you’re looking to go all out in your first long-haul post-pandemic trip, then why not have a lengthy break in South East Asia with a multi-centre trip? Travel within South East Asia is getting far easier and cheaper. Get yourself into Asia using Scoot’s flight from London-Gatwick before exploring around Thailand and Singapore. Onwards from there your three best options are likely to be:
Cambodia - which is served by Scoot’s parent company Singapore Airlines and requires NO testing. You heard that right - in a first for Asia since the beginning of the pandemic.
Philippines - Manila and Cebu are served directly from Singapore by Singapore Airlines, Scoot and Scoot’s Value Alliance partner Cebu Pacific. The Philippines only require a simple pre-departure rapid Covid-19 test.
Vietnam - Similarly to The Philippines, Vietnam only requires a rapid pre-departure Covid-19 test and is served by Scoot and Singapore Airlines from Singapore and Cebu Pacific from The Philippines.
I did something very similar in October 2019 - going from Bangkok to Hanoi to Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and it was a great experience of such vastly different cultures in a relatively short amount of time. Looking at random dates in May, I could get all these flights (albeit without baggage) for less than £700 including the flights from London-Gatwick which is crazy value when you think about how much you can fit into that space of time.
Whatever you decide to do, definitely take a look at what Scoot has to offer. They do not offer all the bells and whistles but have plenty of comfort for the 12 hour journey to Asia. Not convinced? Be sure to take a read of my articles on Scoot.
Scoot currently has a UK specific sale on their London route, so be sure to check their Easter special here.
