What is the silliest/simplest/most frivolous reason you have ever traveled?
Dec 3, 2014, 4:11 pm
#17
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Bracebridge, ON
Posts: 341
What is the silliest/simplest/most frivolous reason you have ever traveled?
I flew Singapore to Tokyo via Bangkok and Osaka, just to experience the Thai lounge and fly on my first A380. A direct ticket would have saved hundreds of dollars and about 10 hours travel time. Does that count?
Dec 3, 2014, 4:18 pm
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,145
Back in the 80s when I had a year long free pass on United:
I flew from Anchorage down to Seattle to do laundry. I thought the Laundromat prices in Anchorage were exorbitant, so off to Seattle flew I. I was back in Anchorage later that evening.
I flew to Hawaii twice in one day - I wanted to cross my first million mile barrier on my birthday and I needed 31000 miles in the week before my birthday to do so. Left LA in the morning, flew to Honolulu, trotted across the concourse and boarded a flight back to LA, then caught the 8:30pm flight back to Honolulu.
Flew all over the country for various concerts - mainly the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers
Flew to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park one morning on just the rumor of a concert. It was false. A couple dozen of us showed up and wandered around for a while just to make sure.
On a separate note, once I hitch-hiked up to Hobart, Tasmania with intent to spend a few days there before leaving Tasmania. Coming into town, I saw an Air NSW F28, both an airline and aircraft type I'd never flown on before. Time for a sudden change in plans. An hour later I'm seated aboard the F28 and on my way to Melbourne. Well I certainly didn't want to stay in the big city and since I already had a ticket up to Brisbane, I switched my dates (you could do that at no charge back then) and flew up to Brisbane. I'd just gotten off the bus from the airport and was walking down a city street when I passed the offices of the Queensland Railway. There was a train leaving that night up to Rockhampton. Sign me up! Spent the next day in Rockhampton and continued on up to Cairns later that night - at which point I couldn't go any farther - at least within Australia!
I flew from Anchorage down to Seattle to do laundry. I thought the Laundromat prices in Anchorage were exorbitant, so off to Seattle flew I. I was back in Anchorage later that evening.
I flew to Hawaii twice in one day - I wanted to cross my first million mile barrier on my birthday and I needed 31000 miles in the week before my birthday to do so. Left LA in the morning, flew to Honolulu, trotted across the concourse and boarded a flight back to LA, then caught the 8:30pm flight back to Honolulu.
Flew all over the country for various concerts - mainly the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers
Flew to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park one morning on just the rumor of a concert. It was false. A couple dozen of us showed up and wandered around for a while just to make sure.
On a separate note, once I hitch-hiked up to Hobart, Tasmania with intent to spend a few days there before leaving Tasmania. Coming into town, I saw an Air NSW F28, both an airline and aircraft type I'd never flown on before. Time for a sudden change in plans. An hour later I'm seated aboard the F28 and on my way to Melbourne. Well I certainly didn't want to stay in the big city and since I already had a ticket up to Brisbane, I switched my dates (you could do that at no charge back then) and flew up to Brisbane. I'd just gotten off the bus from the airport and was walking down a city street when I passed the offices of the Queensland Railway. There was a train leaving that night up to Rockhampton. Sign me up! Spent the next day in Rockhampton and continued on up to Cairns later that night - at which point I couldn't go any farther - at least within Australia!
Dec 3, 2014, 4:43 pm
#19
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Glasgow
Programs: BA Gold, QF NB
Posts: 675
I was craving some Aussie food, so booked one night to fly down to London the next day with the routing EDI-LCY/LHR-GLA to go to the supermarket. It was an award booking on BA, so that routing made it a one-way redemption which halves the cost to 4500 Avios + Ł17.50 in taxes.
Tesco in Hammersmith has an Australian food section so I could stock up on Tim Tams, Cherry Ripes, Violet Crumbles, Passiona, Shapes and the most important thing - ETA Barbecue Sauce!
You can't get any of that stuff in Glasgow...
Tesco in Hammersmith has an Australian food section so I could stock up on Tim Tams, Cherry Ripes, Violet Crumbles, Passiona, Shapes and the most important thing - ETA Barbecue Sauce!
You can't get any of that stuff in Glasgow...
Dec 3, 2014, 5:41 pm
#20
Join Date: Aug 2013
Programs: Platinum, HH Diamond
Posts: 335
We flew Sydney>Singapore>Chengdu.
By memory, it was in April, it cost $400USD per person to hold the pandas but a once in a life time experience so we don't begrudge it.
In Chengdu: http://www.panda.org.cn/english/
We also went to the Bifengxia Panda Base & giant Buddha, which is about 2hrs drive from Chengdu. Holding the pandas is much more expensive there but both offered lots of panda enclosures to see them.
See them first thing in the morning when they are most active. The cooler the better, they don't like heat. I hired a guide and driver for our few days in Chengdu & Bifengxia to take us to a few places.
You can book a panda keeper experience, basically you spend a few days in the enclosures, sweeping poop and getting closer to them in their cages. I didn't do this as we only had 4 days but there are a few websites to arrange this.
Sorry for hijack.
Dec 4, 2014, 12:46 pm
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 30,987
My wife was in France several years ago for business. I left my client site in Tulsa on Thursday afternoon, skied Val D'Isere Sat and Sun, and got back to Tulsa Monday night.
Dec 4, 2014, 2:36 pm
#28
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Over the North Atlantic
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 494
The most recent trivial round trip I did was JFK-LHR (AA 104) to catch The Imitation Game at the BFI film festival and then flying back (AA 105) the next noon. The second most recent trivial round trip I did happened back in the summer. I took BA 188 (EWR-LHR) which arrives at Heathrow in the morning and then immediately BA 189 (LHR-EWR) in the afternoon because I wanted to try out the 787.
