Hong Kong 2016 : First Time Out of the Country – What to do in the airport
My first trip out of the country and my first Hong Kong experience. It wasn’t my first time riding a plane but it was my first time facing an immigration officer which to me was the scariest part of it all. I know a friend who has been offloaded twice at the airport so I was so afraid and praying that it won’t happen to me and thank God I experienced no issues with the IO. I was only asked two questions, how long have I been working, coz according to the immigration officer I look like a minor (I don’t know if it was a compliment or something that I should be scared of so i just smiled)second question was the health card that our company uses, maybe to validate if I’m really working.
CHECKLIST
Our flight was scheduled at 4:10 PM so after my shift from work around 11:00 AM, afraid of getting stuck in the traffic, I immediately went to the airport. Me and my partner lined up on the long queue for the first security check. We were a bit early for the check in as the counters opens 3 hours before the flight so we decided to double check our documents. Here’s what we brought:
- Passports
- Airline Tickets (back and forth)
- Hotel Accommodation Voucher
- Company ID
- Money (in HKD)
- and a Pen (yes you read it right, a Pen. You will be filling out different forms so it’ll be kind of a hassle if you don’t have your own pen, so it is very important.)
TRAVEL TAX
Since the check in counters were still closed we decided to settle the Travel Tax first. The travel tax counter is located on the left hand side from the check in counters. You have to ready you passport and the travel tax fee hand it over to the teller and keep the receipt as you will be showing it to the check-in teller. I suggest that you settle this one first before checking-in so you won’t go back and forth from the check-in counter to the travel tax counter and back to the check-in counter.
- Travel Tax Fee = Php1,620
CHECKING-IN AND IMMIGRATION
We wanted to kill some time waiting for the counters to open so we decided to eat first as we haven’t eaten anything yet for lunch . By the time we got back the check-in counters were finally opened so we lined up on the queue. We handed out our passports, travel tax receipts and plane tickets going to Hong Kong to the check-in teller. We didn’t check-in any baggage as we wanna travel light, so the process just took around 5 minutes or so. We asked for the immigration form after the teller handed us our boarding passes. You will need to present this form to the immigration officer so if the check-in teller didn’t give you these, don’t forget to ask.
After filling out the immigration forms we headed to the immigration booth. As a first time out of the country travelers, we patiently waited on the queue feeling excited and nervous. When my turn came I handed out my passport, round-trip tickets, hotel accommodation voucher and company ID to the IO. As mentioned above, I was only asked two questions and finally my passport got it’s first ever stamp! yahoo! haha! sa wakas! We then head to the final security check and waited for our flight at the departure area.
DURING THE FLIGHT
Our plane took off almost 2 hours after our scheduled flight. As usual, the most common reason of the delayed flights in NAIA, air traffic! Few minutes after the plane took off, the flight attendant distributed the arrival cards. You will need to present this to the Hong Kong immigration officers. We immediately filled out the cards and kept it together with our passports.
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| This is what an Immigration Arrival Card looks like, distributed by the flight attendants at the plane few minutes after taking off. |
ARRIVING IN HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND IMMIGRATION
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| Airport Express Train. Their subway trains are very long and big enough to accommodate a lot of passengers per ride. |
The cold and misty Hong Kong weather greeted us as we got off the plane after it landed around 8:00 PM. We then followed the crowd and it lead us to a train which took us to the airport’s main arrival area (yes! Hong Kong International Airport is that big that you need to ride a train to go to different terminals). We headed to the immigration counters and presented our passports and arrival cards. The IO just asked me one question (how long are you staying here) and handed me back my passport.
OCTOPUS CARD AND AIRPORT EXPRESS TICKETS
After clearing the immigration we went to the airport express counter and purchased 2 standard Octopus cards. This is a must-have card whenever you’re in Hong Kong as it serves as your “prepaid credit card” which is accepted in all forms of transportation (Bus, MTR and some taxis) and even when purchasing at 7/11 and other convenience stores. We also bought Airport Express tickets which we used for the train going to our hotel.
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| This is what the standard Octopus Card looks like. |
Octopus Card Cost
HK$150 each (HK$50 for the deposit and HK$100 consumable. The deposit and remaining balance is refundable when you surrender the card. If you ran out of balance you can top up at any MTR stations or in 7/11. HK$150 consumable was more than enough during our 4 days stay in Hong Kong.)
If you’re travelling with a kid you can also get an Octopus Card for your child which cost HK$70, HK$50 for deposit and HK$20 consumable. For further information about octopus cards you may access their official website here.
If you’re travelling with a kid you can also get an Octopus Card for your child which cost HK$70, HK$50 for deposit and HK$20 consumable. For further information about octopus cards you may access their official website here.
2 Airport Express Tickets Cost
HK$150 (group of two single journey tickets, HK$75 each)Apart from Octopus, you may use Single Journey Tickets to travel on the MTR. A Single Journey Ticket entitles you to one ride to a pre-selected destination on the day of purchase. The fare is based on the distance traveled.
HONG KONG TOURISM BOARD AND VISITOR INFORMATION
After securing the cards we went to their tourism board section and grabbed some brochures and maps. It’s free so don’t be shy to get some as those will be your guide in exploring Hong Kong.
FROM HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO TSIM SHA TSUI
Our original plan was to take a bus going to our hotel but since we arrived late we decided to take the airport express. We stayed at USA Hostel located in Tsim Sha Tsui. The exact address is Flat C2, Floor 13, Mirador Mansion | 54-64B Nathan Road, Tsui Sha Tsui. From the airport we took the airport express train and alighted at Kowloon station then we took the airport express shuttle and alighted at Holiday Inn which is few walks away from our hotel. We were so dead tired and sleepy so we just bought something to eat in 7/11, rest ourselves and called it a day.
If you want to take a bus you can ask the airport staff where the bus station/stop is and from there look for the A21 (Airbus 21) mark. Hop-in when the bus arrives and alight at Tsim Sha Tsui, 13th stop with the airport as the first stop.
TIP: Don’t be shy to ask the airport staff for the directions. It will be much easier if you have a print out of the Hotel Name and Address and you just show it to them when asking where to go next. Also, Hong Kong is very tourist friendly, streets are filled with arrow signs with English translations so you really won’t get lost. Just always bring a map with you.
For any question, suggestions, corrections or clarifications please don’t hesitate to write it at the comment section below or you may personally contact me here. Will be posting a lot of Hong Kong experiences and travel guides soon. Keep posted by following me thru email.
If you want to take a bus you can ask the airport staff where the bus station/stop is and from there look for the A21 (Airbus 21) mark. Hop-in when the bus arrives and alight at Tsim Sha Tsui, 13th stop with the airport as the first stop.
TIP: Don’t be shy to ask the airport staff for the directions. It will be much easier if you have a print out of the Hotel Name and Address and you just show it to them when asking where to go next. Also, Hong Kong is very tourist friendly, streets are filled with arrow signs with English translations so you really won’t get lost. Just always bring a map with you.
For any question, suggestions, corrections or clarifications please don’t hesitate to write it at the comment section below or you may personally contact me here. Will be posting a lot of Hong Kong experiences and travel guides soon. Keep posted by following me thru email.
March 25, 2016 @ 3:19 am
Good read Jayson. 🙂 THanks
March 25, 2016 @ 3:28 am
Thanks for reading Ariel. 🙂 Will be posting the travel and budget guides soon.