Cheap International Flights

[burbuja0512]

For people just starting out who have decent credit, I would recommend looking into credit cards such as the Chase Sapphire line, among others. The "science" of it goes deep, but I still use introductory offers on cards such as these (50K+ miles) and have banked several free international flights over the years just through this method. I used to use a service like Plastiq to pay my regular expenses such as a rent check with the new card to run up the spending requirements. Since I would have to spend the money anyway, might as well get something else for it.

Aside from the few flights that were completely "free" through these introductory deals and the regular points accrual, my record is $2.25 from JFK to Narita. This is one relatively accessible way to experience international travel through regular expenses.

By the way, in Tokyo, [tiny] tatami rooms used to be available in the Asakusa neighborhood for around $20 or less when I lived there about a decade ago. There are always hostels or even manga cafe booths around Shinjuku, if you have the back for it.

Airlines like Air Astana offer 4-star hotels with airport transfer for $1 if you layover in Kazakhstan on your way to or from Europe/China. You can often add these little layovers into already-cheap tickets if you are flexible and trod out extremely uncommon paths to call your own.

I love this post almost as much as I love your goal of finding a good hamburger in Beijing.   I have a hard time believing you... that is like a needle in a haystack - or more difficult.    I'm impressed.  

I actually got the Chase Sapphire card years ago and like it for the most part.   I would say it's the best one unless you are 100% certain that you are a one-airline type of person.     Since I fly United/Star Alliance almost exclusively, in hindsight, I wish I would have gotten theirs, but since you can convert the Chase points, it doesn't matter.  

My son did a manga hostel when I took him to Tokyo.   I was on a business trip so we stayed in my company-sponsored hotel for a few days and then I left and he stayed on in Japan to get a real feel for it.   He absolutely loved the hostel vibe and met the coolest people.  He ate almost exclusively at the ubiquitous conveniemce stores and saved a ton of money and really seemed to enjoy the novelty of it.