Prologue
I have been an avid reader of the TR’s since coming across FT about 4 years ago even before I signed up during my lurker phase. It was my main research resource before the TR vlog boom came on YouTube and whilst I have taken some TR worthy trips I always remembered a bit too late to make notes or pictures, which would of made it incomplete and missed what the assembled company may of found most interesting.
The reason why I remembered to make the effort this time was twofold. Firstly in a recent idle moment of searching on the Forums I came across BA forums international man of mystery @
corporate-wage-slave who wrote (some years ago now) what I would vote as my favourite TR. I felt I could in some way produce my own version of it, less of knee pictures and wine menus but more on my opinions on modern business travel through the medium of a trip report.
Secondly the trip report below would give me enough TP for the first time to make BA Gold. I have been in the silver doldrums for many years. Sliver in itself is great but it would be nice to experience the Flounges and I do some travel in some regions where status eases travel.
My annual TP’s have usually loitered around 900-1200 pa and with my points reset in February it just never seem to work out financially (post Christmas) for me to spend extra money. I also couldn’t then justify to my wife using my holiday on a TP run. Phrases like “You travel enough anyway, why do you want to spend your free time on a plane” and to an extent I cant argue with that!
In other years I did try to move some of my regular trips to IST and ADB with TK to push it over the edge, but this was neither enough and lost my status with TK and in the end I preferred to have two “Slivers” as opposed to one “Gold” particularly as they are different alliances. However my travel schedule the past 18 months has reached a point where I will probably making Gold for the next few years. However to celebrate what I hope will become the first of many years of Gold status I felt that I ought to contribute to this section.
I also felt that this trip would be worthy of a report due to its nature. It’s started as a run-of-the-mill OW RTW ticket (which in itself is a bit of battle to ticket as users of it will testify), which has been added on with other airlines to match my work schedule and to fill in the gaps where the OW RTW online tool couldn’t do itself. This trip is for work and whilst this is not my normal week, I am flying on average monthly to Turkey and usually another trip within continental Europe every other month and most weeks an overnight trip or two in the UK. With these regulars I usually have two or three long haul multi flight trips per year, however these are usually confined to a region, (i.e USA or SE Asia) as opposed to multiple continents. This was my first ever RTW and my first time crossing the International Date Line. I hope the prospect of 3 alliances, 6 airlines and 6 different aircraft is interesting and worthy of this forum, so on we go! This report is long and will be serialised to ease the word count and there wont be as many pictures as most TR’s but, you’ve all flown before so you know a lot of these things look like already! So I apologise now and look forward to reading comments or asking questions!
Luggage and packing essentials:
As I’m sure most of you are as well, I am pretty much HBO for all business travel, the only time I check baggage is when I have to take some items for a trade show, if its just clothes, electronics and paperwork, in the cabin every time.
Main Cabin Bag: Briggs & Riley International Carry-on Expandable Wide-body Spinner
I’ve only come to B&R just over 18 months ago, I previously had a Rimowa Classic, I discovered Rimowa when I was given a Monocle subscription as a Christmas present about 8 years ago and I went for the (what I now call) ‘Instagram lifestyle’ advertising. Whilst it was sturdy bag, typical German nothing even looked remotely close to breaking and it was aesthetically pleasing, It was unbelievably noisy on certain pavements and it was a bit challenging to get all my items in when on a 10 day trip. Most certainly fashion over function and my increasing travel schedule led to look for something more practical.
Funnily Rimowa new prices have gone up so much I sold it on Ebay for only 25% less then what I paid for it and with the proceeds went to John Lewis Oxford Street and was sold my current bag. It’s a great bag, has been definitely been designed and engineered by road warriors and I can fit 2 weeks worth of clothing, including suit and shirts and an extra set of shoes and it has a great quick access pocket where I can put my phone, wallet etc in through security. So far its looks like it has barely aged a day so hoping I will get many years of use from it. If my wife allowed me I’d probably holiday with it as well!
Personal Item: Samsonite PRO-DLX⁴ Laptop Bailhandle Expandable
I’m a firm believer that the most important piece of luggage is the personal item. It has to be small enough to not get the attention of beady-eyed CC and fit under the seat in front but big enough and/or practical enough to fit all those extra items. My Dad was a Samsonite man; I think if they had built houses he would of bought 12 and seeing our cupboard room full of various different Samsonite luggage as a youth has given me a soft spot for them. I have this one because it has enough separate pockets and dividers to store my travel documents, electrical cables, headphones, glasses cases, paperwork, laptop and tablet all separately and still have enough spare space for extra items along the way. The added bonus of this bag is the expandable pocket which I use for my…. Ahem…used underwear and socks however I am able to collapse this pocket with them in and not compromise its size. It means that the bag fits under the seat in front of me. When I travel short journeys/day trips, I can take this bag only, this allows me to board the plane as late as possible, knowing I will have space in front of me to store my bag and not worry about overhead bin space.
My weapons of choice
Essential Items:
Besides the usual sleeping tablets (which I must confess have very hit and miss effects with me, ranging from comatose to nothing) toiletries and plug adapters I’m not one for a long list of travel items, I guess the smart phone has advanced the lack of items by a lot but over the years I have picked up a couple of items, which aid and abet a trip.
Eye Mask: I use a Lewis N. Clark mask as it is very well padded, comfortable on the face, it doesn’t absorb body heat much, which gives better sleep for me and it’s thickness blocks the light well and the lower padding is the best I’ve seen at blocking light from underneath. The strap quality is a little cheap but strap length is endlessly customizable.
Berocca: I’m not into supplements but I have an acquaintance that is a management accountant for a multi-national who does an obscene amount of air travel and he recommended it to me over a chance breakfast meeting. Like he suggested I only take it in the morning when I feel particularly tired or a lack of sleep on a red eye. Placebo or not it has always helped me get through the day, however I’m a firm believer than it works because I only take it sparingly. If I took it regularly I doubt it would.