Best Trip Report Ever?
Mar 17, 2012 | 2:45 pm
#31
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP, AS MVPG
Posts: 227
Mar 17, 2012 | 2:57 pm
#33
Join Date: May 2011
Location: BKK
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,088
For photos - The SF Guys (SFO777, SFflyer123)
Stories - Other posters have mentioned them like eightblack...etc.
Mar 17, 2012 | 3:05 pm
#35
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Davis, California
Programs: MileagePlus Since Aug 2010, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 131
I think there are many excellent trip reports here that it is not easy to pick on Best Ever report.
I personally always enjoy who can write good stories with photos.
I very much enjoy reading the TRs of the following posters:
matthandy
SFO777
Seat2A
Eightblack
macabus
moomba
ironmanjt
kevincm
and a few others
If it is photo trip report only, I like the ones done by AJR85
SFflyer123 does some excelelnt video trip reports.
I personally always enjoy who can write good stories with photos.
I very much enjoy reading the TRs of the following posters:
matthandy
SFO777
Seat2A
Eightblack
macabus
moomba
ironmanjt
kevincm
and a few others
If it is photo trip report only, I like the ones done by AJR85
SFflyer123 does some excelelnt video trip reports.
Mar 17, 2012 | 5:54 pm
#36
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: All over
Programs: LH HON, EK Plat, QR Plat, TK EP
Posts: 297
eightblack's Christmas saga and his two days at JFK... He deserves his own reality show.
I was just thinking: how about we have FT Thanksgiving fundraiser. We will collect enough $$ for him to take the entire family in Y from SIN to FNT for Christmas (to visit De-Friggin-Troit). We get him non-upgradeable tickets. And we route him through blizzarded JFK. Sort of combining family travel and coping with mother nature. I bet the resulting TR make the NYT Best Seller list
.
I was just thinking: how about we have FT Thanksgiving fundraiser. We will collect enough $$ for him to take the entire family in Y from SIN to FNT for Christmas (to visit De-Friggin-Troit). We get him non-upgradeable tickets. And we route him through blizzarded JFK. Sort of combining family travel and coping with mother nature. I bet the resulting TR make the NYT Best Seller list
.
Mar 17, 2012 | 6:43 pm
#37
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Virginia, USA
Programs: Amex Gold
Posts: 50
I Think
Seat 2A for sure. That picture of his cabin and living room in Alaska is great. I don't know what he looks like but I can picture him in that cabin...looks so cozy!
Eightblack 2nd place. He is one of a kind!
But I love ALL trip reports and appreciate the time and effort they take.
Well, back to watching March Madness while checking out new trip reports.
Good weekend to all!
Eightblack 2nd place. He is one of a kind!
But I love ALL trip reports and appreciate the time and effort they take.
Well, back to watching March Madness while checking out new trip reports.
Good weekend to all!
Mar 17, 2012 | 7:20 pm
#38
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: US
Programs: (PM)AA SPG (Marriott), Hilton
Posts: 1,040
eightblack's TRs for sure. Worth going back for a reread. I'd have to go back and read all 10 again if I had to pick one, but lines like:
provide a glimmer but don't come close to doing the entire TR justice.
The comments in the thread of a eightblack TR seem to indicate the rest of the readers world, no matter how important stops. His TR's probably cause collective lost productivity equal to the GDP of a small country.
My legs actually started to shake. Then my stomach boiled. I think my large intestine tried to run and hide in the small one. Or something like this.
So I plug the co-ordinates into the GPS - and tell it to take me to JFK. It laughs and says in an electronic voice "are you kidding?"
The comments in the thread of a eightblack TR seem to indicate the rest of the readers world, no matter how important stops. His TR's probably cause collective lost productivity equal to the GDP of a small country.
Mar 18, 2012 | 2:20 am
#39
Join Date: May 2003
Location: CLT
Programs: OZ Diamond, BA slvr, Bonvoy Titanium, HH Gold
Posts: 4,487
No one seems to have mentioned them yet, but UA_Flyer's Photo trip reports are some of my favorites. He gets absolutely incredible photos, often just using an iPhone. Doesn't even need color to convey the atmosphere and sense of a place. They're amazing!
Two examples:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ferrerid=19989
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ferrerid=19989
Two examples:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ferrerid=19989
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ferrerid=19989
Mar 18, 2012 | 7:36 am
#40
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA GS-2MM, QF LTG, EK Gold, Marriott Amb, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 4,006
I am very flattered by all the comments, however I am but a hack compared to the likes of Seat2a (his reports are nothing short of outstanding). And Macabus' 8 bottles is still one of my all time favourites.
matthandy's photography and words are simply amazing and olafman's family holiday demonstrated great courage and was a joy to read.
As far as travelling companions, Moomba and SFO777 are on the top of my list - I just know they would be great fun to set sail with. They write superbly...
And bingbongboy (a regular over on the BA board) took out this years honours and jointly won the BA Trip Report for 2011 (with matthandy). He did a fantastic job.
matthandy's photography and words are simply amazing and olafman's family holiday demonstrated great courage and was a joy to read.
As far as travelling companions, Moomba and SFO777 are on the top of my list - I just know they would be great fun to set sail with. They write superbly...
And bingbongboy (a regular over on the BA board) took out this years honours and jointly won the BA Trip Report for 2011 (with matthandy). He did a fantastic job.
Mar 18, 2012 | 10:22 am
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 13,662
I'd just like to say that amongst a group as intelligent and well traveled as yourselves, I'm really quite honored to be mentioned on this thread, especially since my reports quite intentionally focus on "getting there" as opposed to "being there". I suspect amongst the mainstream, reports on "being there" will always be far more popular but thank goodness for the variety of styles encouraged in Flyertalk's Trip Report forum in that it allows some of us bonafide airline and inflight service geeks like myself a place to put our passion into words, even if that occasionally includes my other passion - premium class rail travel.
By the way, I just wanted to add that if ever I had a "trip report" hero, the man who inspired me via his reports to actually have a go at writing my own was not a Flyertalker but David P. Morgan, the longtime editor of Trains Magazine. DPM as he used to sign off also edited and wrote some great trip reports for Kalmbach Publishing's excellent magazine "Airliners International" which sadly enjoyed only a short run of four issues back in 1973/74. You can still find old issues of it for sale on Ebay occasionally. They are well worth the money. Also kudos go out to Jon Proctor, the longtime editor of Airliners magazine who always encouraged me to write. It took me about twenty years to heed his advice, but once I started it's been alot of fun - both for me the writer and those of you who've managed to come along for the ride via my reports.
By the way, I just wanted to add that if ever I had a "trip report" hero, the man who inspired me via his reports to actually have a go at writing my own was not a Flyertalker but David P. Morgan, the longtime editor of Trains Magazine. DPM as he used to sign off also edited and wrote some great trip reports for Kalmbach Publishing's excellent magazine "Airliners International" which sadly enjoyed only a short run of four issues back in 1973/74. You can still find old issues of it for sale on Ebay occasionally. They are well worth the money. Also kudos go out to Jon Proctor, the longtime editor of Airliners magazine who always encouraged me to write. It took me about twenty years to heed his advice, but once I started it's been alot of fun - both for me the writer and those of you who've managed to come along for the ride via my reports.
Last edited by Seat 2A; Mar 18, 2012 at 10:31 am
Mar 18, 2012 | 4:07 pm
#42
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,882
It's pretty easy to compile a trip report when flying up front with the top airlines and visiting some of the best lounges in the world but it takes someone like Seat 2A to turn several domestic flights in Y into a very interesting trip report. That to me is a sign that someone has a real talent for trip report writing.....plus he doesn't mind roughing it a bit.
Along with his many other trip reports be they in F or by road, rail or ferry make him the complete package. ^
Along with his many other trip reports be they in F or by road, rail or ferry make him the complete package. ^
Mar 19, 2012 | 9:13 am
#43
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: K+K
Programs: *G
Posts: 5,083
1. dom perignon on SQ
2. upgrade flirt by lawflyer. not strictly a TR but written like one.
3. ung1's pajama quest
i find it difficult to digest eightblack's staccato style of prose.
or something like that.
i suppose the story's fine but it's annoying to read more than 1 of his post at a time.
or something like that.
2. upgrade flirt by lawflyer. not strictly a TR but written like one.
3. ung1's pajama quest
i find it difficult to digest eightblack's staccato style of prose.
or something like that.
i suppose the story's fine but it's annoying to read more than 1 of his post at a time.
or something like that.
Mar 19, 2012 | 11:48 am
#44
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 2,062
I do enjoy reading Loose Cannon's 'Tour of Duty' reports.
And a nod to Kiwi Flyer for the sheer volume of reports and insanity of his routings.
Mar 19, 2012 | 12:20 pm
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,871
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...ch-desert.html
I will be focusing a little more on my attempt to unravel the mystery of Aman Resorts. Part of my mission was to find out, 'Why all the fuss about Aman', and I did in fact get to the bottom of this question.
Okay, so what is the story with Aman? I had heard about Aman, knew that they were very exclusive and expensive, but could not understand why there was a phenomenon called an "Aman Junkie", i.e. someone who just cannot get enough Aman...What was all the fuss about? Are they so good? What about how I had read that Amandari had dated decor, or that it was a second-rate Aman compared to Amankila? Would I be thoroughly pissed off having paid for Aman and found myself living in some sort of minimalist treehouse in the jungle? Was this an "acquired taste" for people wanting understated elegance rather than luxury? Would I just be too pedestrian for an Aman resort? How did Aman compare to other luxury properties? Could I possibly become an Amanjunkie? Would I sense the "spirit or Aman" as others claim to have? These were my questions prior to booking Aman....And I got answers to all of these questions and more. I cracked the Aman code, and figured out what is going on here....and I intend to expose it to the world and to FT, right now.....
some places that one simply cannot adequately describe in words or pictures. Absent are the sounds, the smells, the temperature, and the interactions with people and the environment. But most importantly, some places, such as Amandari, do in fact have a spirit, or vibe, that is unique and palatable and which cannot be adequately conveyed. That is perhaps one reason why I had been unable to discern, no matter how much I researched, what exactly made Amandari supposedly such a special and desirable place, and this is also the reason why I too will be unsuccessful in conveying precisely what makes Amandari one of the most special, idyllic, and luxurious (in the truest sense) places in the world.
One cannot help but wonder what inspired someone to create this, as it is must be man-made despite all the hallmarks of a divine and other-worldly creation. Who was it that conceived of this unique place? How did they arrive at the details that make this place so unique? How could they know in advance that this would work this way? These questions remain unanswered, but one rather not know, and keep the allure and riddle of Amandari present in one's experiences there.
some places that one simply cannot adequately describe in words or pictures. Absent are the sounds, the smells, the temperature, and the interactions with people and the environment. But most importantly, some places, such as Amandari, do in fact have a spirit, or vibe, that is unique and palatable and which cannot be adequately conveyed. That is perhaps one reason why I had been unable to discern, no matter how much I researched, what exactly made Amandari supposedly such a special and desirable place, and this is also the reason why I too will be unsuccessful in conveying precisely what makes Amandari one of the most special, idyllic, and luxurious (in the truest sense) places in the world.
One cannot help but wonder what inspired someone to create this, as it is must be man-made despite all the hallmarks of a divine and other-worldly creation. Who was it that conceived of this unique place? How did they arrive at the details that make this place so unique? How could they know in advance that this would work this way? These questions remain unanswered, but one rather not know, and keep the allure and riddle of Amandari present in one's experiences there.