I think the gauche nouveau riche tackiness makes the trip report all the much better.

Hi Ung1,

your post was actually the reason why I signed up to this forum, so I figure I'd let you know that.

I, myself do travel a lot too, but not in your style. I'm coming from the other end of the spectrum and travel all economy..I, personally, cannot justify spending 3 to 5 times more for a better seating arrangement because that just eats into my entertainment and pot money..haha

Anyway...that earlier post you wrote on this thread regarding United..you have NO idea how crappy that is in economy..I think all of their long-haul flights are with 747's I could swear I was on 20 years ago in the early 90's. The videos they show for safety etc look like they were made in the late 70's or mid 80's...SH*T looks OLD.

IF anyone here MUST take United ..bring your own entertainment because yeah..like Ung1 said. there is only ONE TV for every 50 people and for the love of god pay the extra few dollars for a premium seating option...I didn't and got stuck in the middle seat from San Diego to San Francisco and from San Fran to Frankfurt...WORST trip of my life...ok well..second worst..

steveto, welcome to FT! It's always great to be able to take credit for someone new coming onboard! ;)

I've done my fair share of travel in Economy (in fact, already booked the next jaunt to Europe, but since First was mildly disappointing I didn't see the point of wasting more money on it. I keep calling Boeing's sales office in Timbuktu and no one answers - still waiting for the jet to arrive). But anyway, I've never sat in a middle seat.

Spend enough time on here and you'll realize First doesn't have to cost 5 times an Economy ticket. And an Economy ticket can cost half what you expect it to. But I'm just not smart enough for these things...

747-800i is entitled to his/her opinions and I'm sure ung1 is more than capable of handling this on his/her own. Not to play peacemaker when I'm a newbie on this forum but there really does not need to be so much defensiveness. Granted, this is easier preached as a layperson.

That said, ung1, by your previous reply:

am I understanding correctly that you did not plan the itinerary yourself and that you accompanied eightblack? I apologize if the question is probing but your admission is most unexpected to me, given the relative complexity of your route.

Your report was nicely written and small grammar changes can improve its flow. I enjoyed your photos, which were sharp and informative. I found the tongue-in-cheek journal entry of sorts very fascinating. But, I can also empathize how some portions of the report showed condescension and smugness if read differently.

Nonetheless, it would be a pleasure to read more from your travels.

I love FT...!

Welcome aboard steveto, you'll fit right in here. Just keep a sharp eye out for the fun police. Not surprisingly, they're not hard to spot! :)

Accompany eightblack? God, no, I wouldn't wish that on anyone! He wouldn't leave any champagne for me!

And I wouldn't be caught dead letting someone book tickets for me!

Can I become you buddy so that I can get your Walmart discount for a 0.99 cents item that I've been coveting? :p

Seriously thanks for sharing this entertaining and witty report of your long journey.