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I am an American working in the maritime industry, in the shore-based sector (marine electronics and commissioning)
I currently live in Southern California with my wife and infant daughter.
I have a job offer to work for an international American company, in Shanghai, "full time" (really it's about 4 days a week)
Being that my wife is Filipina, and lived in Manila until the age of 7, and has family in Manila, we are wondering if it would be possible for me to 'super-commute' from Makati to Shanghai. My wife and I would rather be 4 hours away from each other, and able to make phone calls to each other at the same time of day, then her being in California and a whole Pacific ocean away.
My wife and daughter would live in a nice part of Makati, and I would come home (to Makati) every week, for 3-4 days. Maybe just every other week, if it is grueling.
I don't think it would be too bad, though, as it's only a 4 hour flight, and it's a straight shot south, so no changing time zones.
Based on our research, it seems a lot more affordable to live in a nice area of Metro Manila than it is to live in a nice area of Shanghai. Plus my wife would just rather live in Manila, rather than Shanghai.
I would rent a tiny, cheap apartment in Shanghai, somewhere close to my work (which probably will be dirt cheap, as it's not in a glitzy part of town, obviously).
Thoughts? I just need to know if a weekly (or biweekly) air commute from Manila to Shanghai would be possible, and bearable.
It depends on your budget and how much of a "road warrior" traveler you are. The flight time is only about 3 1/2 hours, but both airports are notorious for delays. The cost to fly round trip averages around $420 for Philippine Airlines and China Eastern (the non-stop full-service airlines that serve the route) and maybe around $300+ for Cebu Pacific and AirAsia (the LCC options). If you can sleep on planes, the 3 1/2 hours is the less grueling part. You add around one hour travel to go both MNL or PVG airports (depends obviously where you stay in each city, but one hour is pretty "near" the airport in both cities), two hours wait at the boarding area, and another one hour baggage, clearing immigration, etc. The 4-hr flight can easily consume 8 hours of your time, door-to-door, without flight delays.
The cheapest way to fly is via China Eastern from PVG to Clark (CRK) in Angeles, Pampanga. It's newly introduced and incredibly cheap at less than $150 round trip. Not sure how long those fares will last, or if they will eventually discontinue it, as not sure how the airlines can even break even at those rates. But if you have to stay in Makati, the travel time to Clark can be very long. From northern part of Metro Manila to Clark isn't too bad. Since the flight departs before dawn, there's almost no traffic around that time though, so might cut your travel significantly. This new option from CRK to PVG, then from PVG to LAX are the cheapest trans-Pacific options, with round trip being offered for less than $500!
Traveling from PVG to MNL doesn't give you a whole lot of miles, and they still cost something to redeem a plane ticket. But you will eventually get airline elite status from either Philippine Airlines or China Eastern if you fly regularly with them. Since PAL flights to PVG departs from Terminal 2, the only lounge option is their own PAL Mabuhay lounge. If you are using Terminal 1 (for China Eastern) or Terminal 3 (for Cebu Pacific and AirAsia), you can easily get credit cards or Priority Pass to allow you to access the lounges in either terminals. China Eastern should also give you lounge access once you reach elite status in their FFP program.
This really depends what your company will be paying for in Shanghai as well. If your company does not provide extra so your child can attend an international school in Shanghai, then studying in Manila will be a cheaper option. Otherwise, I honestly don't see, with the proper budget done, how Manila with the added travel costs can be cheaper than living in Shanghai. Unless of course you insist that your wife and child has to live in the glitzy part of Shanghai, and you live in a dingy part of town if you're alone.
4 hours is when you are on the flight, right? Meanwhile, 2 hours before at the airport...and another 1-2 hour to deal with Manila traffic or whatever to get to the airport...as well as Shanghai travel to their airport.
That 4 hours is more like 10-12 hours each trip, or more, door to door. Unless you have full extra days a week...I don't see it being possible at all.
It's not any different from commuting from Chicago to Los Angeles weekly....
I believe it would be too expensive and too hard on the body to commute that much, unless you could work out a way to work 5 or 6 days a week for a month and then get a bunch of time off at one time to spend with your family in the Philippines, traveling once a month with weeks off in between might be doable.
I know of westerners who live in the Philippines who work 60 days on and 60 days off, that seems to work out well for them and and their families, then there are guys who work at home online and only go into the office once a month or so, that too works out even better for them but what you are proposing IMO would get old fast.
Is this a really good opportunity for you? If it is then I would try to make it work. If you do the commute just twice a month (7 on 7 off) kind of thing then I think it's not so bad. I agree that you're looking at more of an 8 hr commute assuming things go smoothly, more if not. And depending on how flexible your schedule is you could possibly get cheaper flights in the $150-$200 range consistently, but regardless when you add in the Shanghai room costs will quickly add up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiger Beer
It's not any different from commuting from Chicago to Los Angeles weekly....
I had a friend who did exactly this, and several others who did something similar (Denver-DC, Charlotte-San Antonio, Jax-Charlotte). I could probably think of a few others...seems more common amongst my millennial peers.
I think the idea of trying to work a lot of day in a row, with a lot of 'off' days in a row, is going to be the ticket here. Let's see if they go for it.
It depends on your budget and how much of a "road warrior" traveler you are. The flight time is only about 3 1/2 hours, but both airports are notorious for delays. The cost to fly round trip averages around $420 for Philippine Airlines and China Eastern (the non-stop full-service airlines that serve the route) and maybe around $300+ for Cebu Pacific and AirAsia (the LCC options). If you can sleep on planes, the 3 1/2 hours is the less grueling part. You add around one hour travel to go both MNL or PVG airports (depends obviously where you stay in each city, but one hour is pretty "near" the airport in both cities), two hours wait at the boarding area, and another one hour baggage, clearing immigration, etc. The 4-hr flight can easily consume 8 hours of your time, door-to-door, without flight delays.
The cheapest way to fly is via China Eastern from PVG to Clark (CRK) in Angeles, Pampanga. It's newly introduced and incredibly cheap at less than $150 round trip. Not sure how long those fares will last, or if they will eventually discontinue it, as not sure how the airlines can even break even at those rates. But if you have to stay in Makati, the travel time to Clark can be very long. From northern part of Metro Manila to Clark isn't too bad. Since the flight departs before dawn, there's almost no traffic around that time though, so might cut your travel significantly. This new option from CRK to PVG, then from PVG to LAX are the cheapest trans-Pacific options, with round trip being offered for less than $500!
Traveling from PVG to MNL doesn't give you a whole lot of miles, and they still cost something to redeem a plane ticket. But you will eventually get airline elite status from either Philippine Airlines or China Eastern if you fly regularly with them. Since PAL flights to PVG departs from Terminal 2, the only lounge option is their own PAL Mabuhay lounge. If you are using Terminal 1 (for China Eastern) or Terminal 3 (for Cebu Pacific and AirAsia), you can easily get credit cards or Priority Pass to allow you to access the lounges in either terminals. China Eastern should also give you lounge access once you reach elite status in their FFP program.
This really depends what your company will be paying for in Shanghai as well. If your company does not provide extra so your child can attend an international school in Shanghai, then studying in Manila will be a cheaper option. Otherwise, I honestly don't see, with the proper budget done, how Manila with the added travel costs can be cheaper than living in Shanghai. Unless of course you insist that your wife and child has to live in the glitzy part of Shanghai, and you live in a dingy part of town if you're alone.
Thank you! This is the info I have been looking for.
Maybe living in Eastwood (Quezon City) would be an option, or even in Olongapo... Both seem to be about the same travel time to Clark.
But it seems living in the CBD area of Makati would be somewhat of an insulator against the current drug war bullsh*t going on in the Phils right now.
Either way, you've given me a lot to think about. Thank you!
Just a joke and do not take it too serious: Many Chinese American women do not allow their husband to work in Shanghai... because so many of them start an affair there and file for divorce.
Seriously, people do these type of commutes. Our friend commutes from Dubai to Mumbai. My brother has commuted Sydney to Perth, Sydney to Cairns which are both more than four hours albeit without having to go through customs. At one stage it seemed that half of Perth were FIFO with long commute times.
However, what has happened with both our friend and my brother is that they often can only get home every couple of weeks. Meetings, crises at work etc etc happen all the time.
A friend lived in Shanghai for two years. Thought it was wonderful. But it is understandable that your wife would prefer to be based in the Phillipines.
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