Nonstop flights between Asia and Latin America

Paul Lukacs has an interesting recent post updating some of my earlier comments on the (lack of) nonstop flights between Latin America and Asia.

For the sake of completeness, there are a few flights and details he missed, although they in no way alter his, or my, conclusions about the difficulties of Asia-Latin American travel, especially for people who don't want to, or can't get permission to, transit the USA or its airspace:

• Japan Airlines has "direct" (same-plane) flights between Tokyo and Sao Paulo. In the past, various other Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian airlines have operated direct flights between Rio or Sao Paulo and Tokyo, Osaka, and Seoul. But none of these flights have been nonstop: all of them have stopped in the USA. And the USA has no provision for transit without visa. Japan is in the USA "Visa Waiver Program", so Japanese citizens "only" need to be fingerprinted and photographed while their plane is refueled at LAX or JFK. But Brazilian and Korean citizens need expensive (US$130) transit visas for the USA, requiring an in-person application and interview at a US Embassy or Consulate, even if they aren't leaving the airport. The cost and hassle of transit visas led to the discontinuation of all of these flights by Brazilian and Korean airlines after the USA abolished its (very limited) transit without visa facilities after 11 September 2001, leaving only the current JL flights NRT-JFK-GRU and v.v.

• The Aeromexico flights between Tijuana and Tokyo would have to go some distance out of their way to avoid overflying USA airspace. So it's likely that, under the latest international APIS rules, Aeromexico is required to get permission from the USA before it boards each passenger.

• Since late 2007, there has been exactly one regularly scheduled nonstop airline route between Asia and South America: between Dubai and Sao Paulo on Emirates. Dubai isn't quite as far out of the way as Europe for passengers from Asia, the Middle East, and the Middle East. And it's easier for citizens of most countries to get permission to transit Dubai -- as long as they don't leave the airport -- than to transit most countries in Europe, much less the USA. It's now the obvious route to and from South America for Chinese business travellers, among others. The simplicitly of the transit outweighs the greater distance, time, and airfare. But it's still a costly, roundabout route, especially for people travelling to or from East or Southest Asia.

AP and Chicago Tribune review new edition of "The Practical Nomad"

It's always fun to get good news from back home while travelling. In my case, the news that's reached me here in Sana'a, Yemen (a delightful place to visit, if you ever get the chance, with the first high-speed Internet connection we've had in weeks) is of a couple of reviews of the latest edition of my best selling book:

New books to take you around the world

(by Beth Harpaz, Associated Press; published in multiple newspapers including the Dallas Morning News, 8 January 2008)

NEW YORK: It's time to start thinking about the year's opportunities for travel, and several new books are out to guide you....

The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World by Edward Hasbrouck (Avalon Travel, $22) is an updated fourth edition described by the author in his preface as a "how-to handbook of advice and tips for independent, on-your-own travel." It's especially suitable for anyone planning, or dreaming about, the trip of a lifetime.

The book offers information on everything from budgeting to luggage to health issues to air travel.

It can even help you make the decision to get up and go, arguing that world travel will enhance your career, be good for your children and cost less than you may think.

Resourceful traveler: Specialty travel

(by J.D. Brown And Margaret Backenheimer, Chicago Tribune, 9 March 2008)

The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World, Avalon, $21.95; ISBN: 978-1-56691-828-2

In its fourth edition, this extensive handbook is something of a bible for independent, on-their-own travelers seeking to circumnavigate the world. Its tips and advice apply to anyone considering a long journey abroad.

After eliminating the stereotypes applied to "backpackers" -- most are not students, many are professionals and overall the majority spend more than average visitors -- author Edward Hasbrouck surveys the actual costs, potential itineraries and most useful resources for an independent international sojourn. He then addresses modes of transport, with a full chapter on understanding airfares and booking the smartest routes.

Further chapters give world travelers the scoop on travel insurance, baggage handling, local guides and guidebooks, money changing and choosing travel companions. Detailed listings of print and online resources covering all these topics are packed into a 100-page appendix, and each chapter is flagged with anecdotes from the author's own round-the-world adventures.