Six Most Braggable Travel Experiences – Courtesy of BA

I’ll start the ball rolling:

Asked by a Middle Eastern client to visit him the following day for a contract signing I was unable to book a flight, no problem says he I will send my plane.

1 – Limo at my door
2 – Arrive at Antwerp airport where private Gulfstream awaits me complete with stunning stewardess who prepares me full breakfast shortly after take off.
3 – Land and am collected at steps in Bentley and taken to offices of client
4 – sign contact, eat late lunch together and discuss chances of Wales in Six Nations later in month (he went to university in Wales)
5 – Bentley back to Gulfstream
6 – Fall asleep on massive flat bed with real sheets as I decide that life is gooooood !

Flying British Airways early 90’s to New York
1 – Upgraded from economy to Club World (no WTP in those days)
2 – Asked to volunteer to change flights
3- Flight was changed to Concorde

When I was in my late teens I had a crush on a Continental Airlines Hostess who lived 2 along from my parents. If our paths ever crossed in the street I would, at best, be greeted with a steely glance and a nonchalant flick of her hair.

Fast forward a few years and I’m working with one of the large TMC’s in the City when I won a place on a Familiarisation trip to Vegas as a guest of Continental. This was my very first experience of travelling Business / First and being a Junior Travel Consultant at the time I would have had no chance of affording such luxury. I’m sure you can imagine my excitement. After departure I proceeded to test how vertical my seat could go and how many channels my TV had….as you do 🙂 Only to be interrupted with a tap on the shoulder from the Air Hostess asking what sir would be having to drink. I think you can guess who the said Air Hostess was….yep, my neighbour/teenage crush!

Fair to say I took great pleasure in having her serve me for the next 6 hours to Newark.

On arrival in Newark as I was leaving the aircraft I just couldn’t help myself so threw her a steely glance and nonchalant flick of my hair 🙂

As a nervous, spotty 15 year old with a tendency for my voice to rise up and down the octave scale beyond my control I assume the regular attempts I made to “impress” the BOAC stewardesses on my flights from boarding school to home are still a source of amusement to said (retired) ladies today.

Sitting in my freshly pressed blue blazer, grey trousers and with greased hair smartly parted I assumed I gave off an air of a young David Niven however my requests for a,
“Gin and Tonic, extra ice” were strangely always ignored.

My teenage fantasies of glamorous BOAC girls and I were always unfulfilled. (sniff)

Well, I didn’t add mine, so here goes – and thanks for getting the ball rolling Charles. Now I’m going to be quite humble because after this experience I was humbled, but it’s something very few people have done in the world, and that’s to take an elephant out of captivity and move her to freedom.

It was a really emotional experience and one that didn’t last just the duration of the move, but her rehabilitation back into the wild where she had to learn to be an elephant again and not an object in the zoo where she was fed once a day, but a free spirit that had to go and find her own food.

It also made me realise how, in many ways, an elephant is rather like a human, with feelings, insecurities and habits. Just one example, from going to sleep in an enclosure with street lights outside, cars and people passing at all times, to a temporary enclosure, in the pitch dark, with strange animals coming to look. She basically panicked and ran through an electrified fence. We had to round her up the next morning and someone had to stay with her at night till she felt confident.

For me that was truly humbling to have played a part in the release of this magnificent creature into the wild!

Hands down LP, and a big : ) too.

Unfortunately no bragging rights, just some really weird travellers’ tales and fireside stories !