I work in the travel industry and traveling the world is my favorite thing to do, when I can afford it (which is not often enough; I have to use my industry perks to get anywhere on my own dime). I'd like to hear from those of you who have any travel stories or care to share or upcoming travel plans. It doesn't matter to me if it's a business trip to Omaha or a trekking odyssey in the Himalayas. Airline experiences are of particular interest to me since that is my line of work. Even places you wish you could go, I hope you share your thoughts.
I'm getting really excited for a trip I'm taking in September that came together miraculously and hastily. My girlfriend is a nanny, and the family she works for is going to Copenhagen and Paris in September for two weeks (I definitely asked her to take the train over to Malmö and get me some contraband snus). They are taking her with them and paying for everything, including her salary and a daily stipend, all because they are big-time foodies and they scored a reservation at some restaurant in Copenhagen where the head chef was recently named best chef in Europe or some such thing. It's kind of funny to me that they are going to pony up at least 10 grand to take themselves, their baby, and my girlfriend to Europe... FOR LUNCH. Lol. So now that she has free tickets to Europe, I hought it was time to make some power moves and put a trip together.
Using an airline net fare contract I have through the travel company I work for, I scored a one-way ticket Seattle to Paris for $431. I'll arrive September 17, spend 4 days in Pars, then when she's done with her work duties we are flying to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There are a handful of pretty cheap tickets on this routing, all on Middle Eastern carriers, most of which are actually exceptionally nice airlines (like Emirates, Qatar, Etihad Airlines). I'm thinking that while we are changing planes in the region, we might as well stop over for 1 or two nights on the way to Asia. Right now I'm leaning toward Gulf Air and stopping in Bahrain, the tiny island in the Persian Gulf 20 miles from the Saudi Coast. It's the most relaxed and socially progressive of the Gulf states, and alcohol is legal and widely available. From what I've read, the Saudis often vacation there and use it as a place to safely kick back and drink cold beers in the hot sun. In September it's still between 100-115 degrees there, and as much as I despise the heat, I'm down to experience that kind of solar severity for just a day or two. One can also hire a jeep to go out on the dunes and rally, and of course there are lots of boating options.
Then we're going to check out Kuala Lumpur for a couple days, then head to one of the islands and rent a beachfront chalet for like 50 bucks a night and go snorkeling and kayaking in the South China Sea. I'm thinking Redang, or maybe Penang. I can't wait to eat shitloads of Malaysian food; curries, noodles, fish, and whatever the hell else they eat. We're going to chill island-style for 3 nights, then go back to KL and take the train 7 hours to Singapore. My pops has a million frequent flier miles on United, so I was able to talk him into getting us two mileage tickets one-way Singapore to Seattle via Chicago -- an 18.5 hour flight just to Chicago. That's going to be ****ing brutal. Singapore gets high marks from every traveler I've talked to, especially the food and cultural diversity. Mostly Chinese, but lots of Indian and Sri Lankan presence, and people from eveywhere else you could imagine. The street food at night is going to be off the hook. From what I've been reading, it's illegal to even bring poppy seeds for culinary purposes into the country, even in small quantities like on a bagel. It's illegal to chew gum in public (so I've heard, have not verified that), illegal to spit, and vandalism is punishable by caning and jail time. As big brother as they are, I bet there are cameras everywhere. It's going to be crazy, but I'm really looking forward to it. We were thinking Bangkok instead, which I bet is more fun and a good deal more relaxing and tolerant toward my normal behavior, but with only 2 weeks between Paris and getting home from Asia I'll save Thailand for a longer trip.
Well that's it, probably no one gives a shit, but I'm really looking forward to this trip, and I want to know if anyone else has any cool trips past, present, or future. I love travel stories and I have a lot of good ones, and it might be fun to share stories if anyone cares to participate. What's your favorite city? Favorite airlines? Where do you want to go? I can also help people find cheap international tickets sometimes, depending on the destination and your scheduling flexibility, so hit me up suckers.
I'm getting really excited for a trip I'm taking in September that came together miraculously and hastily. My girlfriend is a nanny, and the family she works for is going to Copenhagen and Paris in September for two weeks (I definitely asked her to take the train over to Malmö and get me some contraband snus). They are taking her with them and paying for everything, including her salary and a daily stipend, all because they are big-time foodies and they scored a reservation at some restaurant in Copenhagen where the head chef was recently named best chef in Europe or some such thing. It's kind of funny to me that they are going to pony up at least 10 grand to take themselves, their baby, and my girlfriend to Europe... FOR LUNCH. Lol. So now that she has free tickets to Europe, I hought it was time to make some power moves and put a trip together.
Using an airline net fare contract I have through the travel company I work for, I scored a one-way ticket Seattle to Paris for $431. I'll arrive September 17, spend 4 days in Pars, then when she's done with her work duties we are flying to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There are a handful of pretty cheap tickets on this routing, all on Middle Eastern carriers, most of which are actually exceptionally nice airlines (like Emirates, Qatar, Etihad Airlines). I'm thinking that while we are changing planes in the region, we might as well stop over for 1 or two nights on the way to Asia. Right now I'm leaning toward Gulf Air and stopping in Bahrain, the tiny island in the Persian Gulf 20 miles from the Saudi Coast. It's the most relaxed and socially progressive of the Gulf states, and alcohol is legal and widely available. From what I've read, the Saudis often vacation there and use it as a place to safely kick back and drink cold beers in the hot sun. In September it's still between 100-115 degrees there, and as much as I despise the heat, I'm down to experience that kind of solar severity for just a day or two. One can also hire a jeep to go out on the dunes and rally, and of course there are lots of boating options.
Then we're going to check out Kuala Lumpur for a couple days, then head to one of the islands and rent a beachfront chalet for like 50 bucks a night and go snorkeling and kayaking in the South China Sea. I'm thinking Redang, or maybe Penang. I can't wait to eat shitloads of Malaysian food; curries, noodles, fish, and whatever the hell else they eat. We're going to chill island-style for 3 nights, then go back to KL and take the train 7 hours to Singapore. My pops has a million frequent flier miles on United, so I was able to talk him into getting us two mileage tickets one-way Singapore to Seattle via Chicago -- an 18.5 hour flight just to Chicago. That's going to be ****ing brutal. Singapore gets high marks from every traveler I've talked to, especially the food and cultural diversity. Mostly Chinese, but lots of Indian and Sri Lankan presence, and people from eveywhere else you could imagine. The street food at night is going to be off the hook. From what I've been reading, it's illegal to even bring poppy seeds for culinary purposes into the country, even in small quantities like on a bagel. It's illegal to chew gum in public (so I've heard, have not verified that), illegal to spit, and vandalism is punishable by caning and jail time. As big brother as they are, I bet there are cameras everywhere. It's going to be crazy, but I'm really looking forward to it. We were thinking Bangkok instead, which I bet is more fun and a good deal more relaxing and tolerant toward my normal behavior, but with only 2 weeks between Paris and getting home from Asia I'll save Thailand for a longer trip.
Well that's it, probably no one gives a shit, but I'm really looking forward to this trip, and I want to know if anyone else has any cool trips past, present, or future. I love travel stories and I have a lot of good ones, and it might be fun to share stories if anyone cares to participate. What's your favorite city? Favorite airlines? Where do you want to go? I can also help people find cheap international tickets sometimes, depending on the destination and your scheduling flexibility, so hit me up suckers.
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