Ahhh, vacations. They are such a necessary part of life. While I originally wanted my vacation in Ju

Ahhh, vacations. They are such a necessary part of life. While I originally wanted my vacation in June so my mother could visit me, fate (meaning Chungdahm leadership) had other plans. So, the first week of April it is. When I found out my dates, corporate travel planning I only had about a month to plan and scrimp together the funds, so I chose Tokyo as the place to go. It s only 2 hours away by plane, and I could fly from Busan, which is much closer to Pohang than Incheon Airport. So, after spending a few days in Seoul, I spent a day back home, and then flew to Tokyo. What a trip! The weather was gorgeous, the people welcoming, and one more thing to cross off my travel bucket list.
Sigh. I am not a budget traveler. corporate travel planning Hostels and what-not corporate travel planning were fine during my (early) twenties, but now, I need a certain amount of luxury. I originally booked the Hotel Claska, a boutique hotel all of my fashion friends told me was the place to stay. But stupid me decides I want an authentic Japanese experience, so I ultimately stayed at a capsule hotel in Shinjuku. Hey, it was closer to the Tokyo action, so why not? Well, for starters, it was near impossible to find. I had to muster every ounce of navigational strength to decipher these Asian street locations. Oh, and the showers are communal and by showers, I mean traditional jimjilbang bucket-and-sink showers. And you can t enter the capsule room from 10am-4pm. And guess what else: no WiFi, which they failed to mention upon arrival. I will not print the name of this place because I am beyond embarrassed I even stayed there. I am too old to change, and shame on me for trying to rough it. Shame!
Beyond all of that, though, Tokyo was beyond lovely. The parks are breathtaking, the Tokyo style so inspiring, and the shopping districts phenomenal. They even have two Apple Stores (get on it, Seoul). But this city is not inexpensive! corporate travel planning Compared to NYC and Seoul, Tokyo is on another level. All in all, I had an amazing trip. The only glitch was the return back to Seoul. My flight was for 8:30am, so I awoke from my hovel at 5:30am to get on the move. I took the 6:35am JR Narita corporate travel planning Express (2,800 yen) for a 7:53am Narita arrival. I was cutting it close, but there was no earlier train. Of course, when I arrive, the AirAsia counter is closed, and when I breathlessly arrive at the gate, the attendant brusquely tells me I am too late. Now, I am not a complainer. I worked in guest services for many years, so I understand the complexities of the job. But, here I am, only traveling on a short flight, with no luggage to be checked. With 30 minutes before take off. And they won t let me on. Fine, I thought. Can you put me on the next flight? Nope. Their is only one flight to Busan all day, and I just missed it. Okay. I don t mind flying into Incheon. But they will not exchange my ticket. I would have to buy a new fare. That is disgusting customer service. I am standing right in front of you, with my original ticket, and you can t simply put me on a half-empty flight to Incheon which leaves corporate travel planning in 4 hours? My bank cards don t work in Japan, I had no more cash, and so I was pretty much stuck at the airport. I wound up calling my saintly mother in Baltimore to use her credit card to pay for a Korean Air flight corporate travel planning to Incheon. Let me tell you, when I arrived home, I almost collapsed outside my door. My takeaway: AirAsia s customer service is abysmal ( they will receive corporate travel planning a scathing email), I have the best mom in the world, and Korean Air is lovely. I got a full meal and unlimited Coke for only a 2 hour flight, the flight attendants were delightful, and there was plenty of space on the plane. And I could use my Korean corporate travel planning credit cards again!