Southeast Asia has some of the world’s best travel destinations and most beautiful beaches. There are also many countries where the cost of living is much lower than in the US, so you can get a lot more bang for your travel buck. Unfortunately, getting to Asia in comfort for a reasonable price can be a challenge.

Flights from the US to Southeast Asia involve around 20 hours of flight time, depending on your precise departure and destination points. Flying that long in economy can be excruciatingly painful, especially for taller people. Making matters worse, the Southeast Asia zone in most airline award charts is typically one of the top two most expensive (along with Australia/New Zealand) when departing from the US.

One of the cool things about amassing a zillion frequent flyer miles is actually using them to fly in first class to destinations you previously never thought you’d visit.

Asia is especially enticing when you have frequent flyer miles because you can finally make that long-haul trip in the comfort of the first class cabin. Maybe you’ll jet off to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul or Singapore. If you’ve got Asia aspirations, we’ll tell you what to look for and how to plan it to ensure a happy and romantic trip.

Tickets to Asia are usually north of $1,000 and sometimes close to $2,000. You can use Citi ThankYou points to fly there free by booking your flight with the Citi Travel Center or by transferring the points to one of the Citi’s airline partners. Booking through the travel portal is rarely a good deal though, due to the high cost of the ticket. Transferring points to a frequent flyer program is generally a more prudent choice. We give you the lowdown on which programs are the best transfer options.

Flying in a premium class seat to Asia might be one of the best ways to redeem your miles. Being able to enjoy a comfortable seat that turns into a bed can make a world of difference. Of course, airlines know that people are willing to pay more to avoid being miserable on such a long flight and price their premium class flights accordingly. Still, good values are to be had if you know where to look for them.

While an award ticket to Asia on a United partner airline can be expensive, there are three main reasons that make it worthwhile. First there is the sheer number of partner airlines you have to choose from.

American Express Platinum Card Advantages

There is only one thing in life that is better than traveling, and that is traveling free.

Despite its distance, Asia is remarkably reasonable on miles. If you’re looking for the absolute cheapest option, American Airlines offers off-peak awards to Japan and Korea that require just 50,000 AAdvantage miles round-trip.

Next month my family and I are headed to Japan and France on the way back for a four-week vacation. This big trip has been my goal ever since I started collecting points and miles. At first, I wondered if it would be possible. I wasn’t sure if I could ever rack up enough miles to do it, especially because I wanted to book flights for four people in business class.

Last month we looked at the Best Airline Lounges in the United States. This month we look at some of the best places to spend time in airports in Asia.

Do you know where you’re going on vacation this year? Now is the time to start planning!