Around the World Business Class 2024 Sept 7-20 - 13 days

AA flight 1424 DFW IAH - Seat 3A First Class- (1005-1116) 

The whole trip almost cratered before it even started, There was a computer problem on the A320 and we had to switch aircraft. Im definitely glad I gave myself 6 hours in Houston. We were delayed almost 3 hours.

Air France flight 637 IAH CDG -  Seat 10 A Business Class ( 1545-0804 +1) 

This is a special seat on Air France A359's. It is the new business class with doors and the window bulkhead seats have an extra large footwell and you can actually stand up in the pod with the door closed and the bed flat. 

Landed in Paris at 0800 and took the train to the Eiffel Tower. I met a lawyer from Columbia in the line for the train and he had a 5 hour layover and was doing the same thing I was. So we discussed traveling the world and took pictures at the Eiffel Tower. Research Gustave Eiffel. He was truly a genius and his bridges are also spectacular. Im not a big fan of big cities and Paris certainly isn't my favorite. I plan on exploring rural France someday but I honestly enjoy Marseille more than Paris and it supposedly has the bad reputation.  I took a much needed shower at the Air France Lounge. 

Air France flight 1184 CDG TUN (1650-1825) Seat 3F Business Class

Tunisia is one of the few countries I have visited that you actually need foreign currency. Flying into TUN I was shocked at the number of very large houses with pools and the nice beachfront resorts. I took a cab to town and checked into the Royal Victoria. It's the old British Embassy and it's very elegant. The people in Tunis are extremely nice and welcoming and everyone I talked to spoke English. 

After I got to the hotel I decided to walk around a bit. Almost immediacy a homeless guy approached me and asked if I needed help finding a beer, I said I actually do and he told me if I bought him on he would show me a bar where the locals drink cheap. Deal. I spent the next few hours with him talking about everything from politics to travel. He spoke 4 languages and was extremely intelligent, All the other patrons in the bar loved the fact that I was an American visiting their country and gave me a bunch of ideas for things to do on my next trip. 

Royal Jordanian flight 182 TUN AMM Seat 2A Business Class (1348-1927)

I was sad to leave Tunis but was looking forward to having coffee in Amman. My new next door neighbor is from Jordan and he arranged to have his friend pick me up from the airport and take me around town for a couple hours. This is where I hit the first real snag on my trip. You need a visa on.arrival for Jordan.  Its like 55$ US but the line to get it was very long so I decided to just stay at the airport since it would be well past 10PM before I got out of the airport and I was already tired. 

So I stayed at the Royal Jordanian business class lounge. It's the best lounge I have ever been to. Robotic Ice Cream maker, pizza station, pasta station, hot dog bar, hair salon.......And it was HUGE. The only off thing was that they charge $50 bucks for a shower! No thanks.

Royal Jordanian flight 182 AMM BKK Seat 1G Business Class (0223-1509)

The Loy La Ling hotel was one of the coolest hotels I have ever stayed at. Its right on the river and its actually pretty hard to find. If you are looking for a unique hotel with local flavor, this is the place, The staff are very friendly and they had their children there doing homework and eating dinner which makes it feel like you are visiting family. I just love the whole vibe and the décor of the hotel is unbelievably cool. I met a fraternity brother I haven't seen since 1990 for a beer. He lives in BKK. 

Cathay Pacific flight 616 BKK HKG Seat 15A Business Class (0617-1002)

When I arrived Hong Kong, I experienced my first real wave of jet lag.  I checked into the Langham and ended up crashing from 1300-2000. This turned out to be a good thing because it was hot and humid and I ended up leaving the hotel at dark to go explore Hong Kong. Exploring Hong Kong at night is for sure desirable. I took a cruise in Victoria Harbor and walked all around the port area near the hotel. The language barrier, even at the hotel was significant and I really didn't talk to anybody. It was the first time on the trip I felt kinda lonely. 

The buffet at the Langham was pretty amazing. My FHR credit paid for it. All you can eat Lobster Thermador! All you can eat sashimi! It was really mind blowing and equal to the Cordis AKL buffet, which I think is the best in the world. 

Cathay Pacific flight 139 HKG SYD Seat 20A Business Class (0914-2014)

I arrived Sydney late and stayed at the Sydney Harbor hotel. Its a great little hotel at a great location in the Rocks. I went and had a beer at the Squires Landing which has amazing views. Had a coffee at the opera house the nest morning and headed to the airport. 

Qantas flight 649 SYD PER Seat 10B Economy Class (1236-1533)

I was supposed to go to Lord howe island. My plan was to attempt to zed on the first flight then buy a ticket on the second one if I didn't make it. This flight is heavily weight restricted. 

I was wearing my dorky Qantas Hawaiian shirt and all the gate agents loved it. The first flight to LDH cancelled and the second one was full. All the agents tried to console me but I was like "there are a million places I want to go.   They all got on the computer looking for open flights. Perth was open. Done deal. I stayed at the Ingot in Perth at the airport and it's the perfect place if you want to explore the mountains or the ocean. I ended up going to Mundering Weir (an old hydroelectric project) and Mundy Regional Park. Both excellent places for hiking. It was my first time driving a right hand drive car, on a mountain road, with roundabouts and road cyclists. It was COMPLETELY nerve wracking. The weather was glorious and I left most of Perth unexplored. 

Jetstar flight 857 PER ADL - Seat 18A Economy Class

I met the nicest person on the flight. We talked the entire three hours. I'm sure the other pax were like 'please STFU' lol. 

Adelaide - Mount Lofty House. - Stirling - Mount Lofty Botanical Gardens.
 

This is, hands down, my new favorite area on earth.
 

The Mount Lofty house beats the Marmois Sinatra Palace in Portugal as my favorite hotel. Actually it’s not a hotel. It’s a House. And you rent a room in the house. 29 rooms. 60 guests max. There are no dinner reservations, you eat when you want. It’s your house and all the employees are there for you only. You can’t have dinner if you aren’t a guest.
 

Wildlife - personally , I don’t like zoos. I feel sorry for the animals. There are more koala bears on Mt Lofty than any other place in Australia. I saw wallabies and Roos in the wild. All steps away from the house.
 

And there is a guy named Christopher that gives a history lesson every night with drinks. It’s 90 minutes long and fascinating. He takes care of every need you have when you are there. You get to know all the other guests.
 

The botanical gardens are a couple hundred feet away from the house and they are huge and spectacular. And free.
 

The town of Stirling down the road is almost too good to be true. It’s like a cross between Aspen, Big Bear and La Jolla. Clean as a whistle, beautiful, walkable and everyone is outside having a coffee with their dogs.
 

Then there is Hahndorf. It’s one of the coolest German towns you have ever seen. And all dating back to the 1800s. 
 

And the town of Adelaide is just my kind of a “big city”. I asked my friend Rachel, where are the shitty parts and she said there really aren’t any.
 

I haven’t been to the Gold Coast yet (that’s next) but this is just a magical area.
 

And don’t go down the Murray River houseboat rabbit hole I’m going down right now. All you need is a drivers license.

 

Qantas flight 742 ADL SYD Seat 18C Economy Class (1351-1615)

I checked into the Shangri La and headed up to the Blu Bar on 36 for dinner. I met some Doctors and Nurses from San Diego that had been volunteering in the Solomon Islands. They invited me to their table and we had a great discussion. 

The next day I headed down to the rocks and got on a ferry to Cockatoo Island. Cockatoo Island is a must see in Sydney. The ferry ride gives you great photo opportunities for the Opera House and the bridge. There are even tents on the island that you can rent for glamping. 

Air New Zealand flight 108 SYD AKL Seat 1A Business Class (1819-2309)

The Cordis AKL has the best dinner buffet I have ever seen. Unfortunately, I didn't arrive in time to take advantage of it. I had half a day in Auckland the next morning but it was pouring rain and I went and had the free breakfast and went back to the room to catch up on some sleep. I went to the bar for lunch to try and spend my 140AUD hotel credit. I had to order the most expensive scotch, a steak and a salmon salad. 

Air New Zealand flight 4 AKL LAX Seat 5A Business Class (1601-0833 - Same day - Yes I time Travelled)

All the flights on American were full till afternoon so I walked to In and Out off Sepulvida to watch airplanes. 

American Airlines flight 2377 LAX DFW Seat 18B Economy Class (1729-2224) Ubered home and arrived at 2300.

I used seats.aero to search for the mileage flights and google flights to search for the flights I paid for in cash. I reverse engineer my vacations. I look for deals first, then build my itinerary around the deals. This trip took months of searching and hours and hours scouring the internet daily for deals.