When I sat down and wrote a list of my notes on travel in 2018, little did I know of the impact it would have.
21k+ views. People bringing up my blog in random encounters at the airport and a lot of great feedback. Well, I hope you liked my first edition (which you can still find here). Time for the second iteration…
To get started, let’s again have a look at some numbers: In 2019 I stopped counting the number of flights I have taken. It must have been close to 150 again. I have visited 16 countries and 69 cities. In total I have flown 510k miles. My favourite trip was to Hawaii (I visited 4 islands and surfed 16 of the 21 days I had to spend).
Turns out that this amount of flying has put me in the top 5% of all Qantas flyers:
The Journey
In 2019 I have added flights to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and London to my itinerary. 2 of those routes also added some travel related highlights to my list you should see:
The Qantas Transit Lounge in Perth and
The Monocle store in Hong Kong
The Qantas Transit Lounge in Perth is a different type of experience. Being able to stretch before a 17h flight makes the long journey less stressful. To relax in such a nice setup, makes it a worthwhile investment of time! Make sure to take advantage of this facility when on your way to or from London next!
The Monocle store in Hong Kong international airport terminal 1 is located at gate 61. It is a completely new store concept for an airport. Nicely curated selections of magazines, books, travel gear and fashion make it a must see when traveling to, from or through Hong Kong.
“Airport news and shop formats have not been keeping pace with the retail industry in general and this debut seeks to raise the game for both the print industry and customers. Hong Kong is already one of our most important markets both for readers and brand partnerships. In order to tailor this for the local audience, visitors and passengers connecting, we’ve developed a store that is calm, elegantly designed and stocked with good reads for the long haul, gifts for friends and clients at the other end and of course lots of accessories and fashion items for our core audience.” – Tyler Brule, Monocle.
Culinary Highlights
In addition to my favourites on the journey to my destinations, I was also fortunate to add a couple of culinary highlights to my list. Some of them I do absolutely want to recommend to you too:
The Clove Club in London was something else. Tasting Isaac McHale’s chef selection has been the highlight of a recent UK trip I did. It absolutely deserves it’s inclusion in the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list. Do yourself a favour and try to reserve a table early – you will not regret it!
The Steirereck in Vienna made me experience my home Austria in a new light as well. From the fantastic exterior by PPAG architects to the endless list of bred choices to the amazing Char with Beeswax, Yellow Carrot, ‘Pollen’ and Sour Cream. It is hard to describe. It is probably worth having a read of how passionate they are for instance about their fish in their own words: “Haul of the wild”. It was the best location I could have imagined for me and my partner’s anniversary!
Room4Dessert in Ubud is the last entry on my list for 2019. After having seen Chef’s Table on Will Goldfarb’s masterpiece I already visited his restaurant in 2018. Coming back though to his revamped ‘Season 9’ and eating my way through 21 dishes in 3 different seatings on my birthday made it another outstanding highlight last year. Do yourself a favour and visit it with an open mind and you might just run into him, have a nice chat and end up receiving some secret restaurant recommendations for Seoul and Tokyo. I guess I have to write them up in my 2020 edition…
The Flight
I have received overwhelmingly nice feedback on my last year’s choice of things to improve your flight(s). When you fly as much as I do, you start paying special attention to the detail of what you carry around every day on a plane and I have never stopped trying to improve.
So allow me to add extensions that made it on my list in 2019:
The Allbirds Bird Mask is my new choice of sleeping mask on a plane. It does not directly put pressure on your eyes and is designed with the same ZQ Certified Merino wool found in allbirds bestselling shoes. This is a must have!
The City Sweat Zip Hoodie Thermo from Lululemon is perfect for flying. The articulation in the sleeves accommodate the natural movement of the elbows and the fact that you can zip all pockets – makes you never loose the contents of your hoodie on a flight again.
The Blue Chamomile Facial Hydrating Masque from Aesop has changed my flights the most. It is a lightweight, soothing blend of nourishing botanicals delivering intense, replenishing hydration. Intense hydration are the right words for this mask. Your skin will thank you and you will arrive replenished in a way you did not think would be possible.
The Bynd Artisan Passport Basic travel wallet has been a nice addition to my accessories I have gotten from my lovely colleagues. It can be engraved and nicely holds your passport, boarding passes and can even store some business cards, or your travel SIM cards. I have not been a huge fan of passport wallets (to be honest), until I received this one. Would not travel without it anymore!
The July Carry-On bag is designed in Melbourne and has won my heart. From the included battery to the adjustable handle: Richard Li and Athan Didaskalou have done a lot of things right. I especially love the packing cells you can buy extra. I have never been able to pack so fast. There is always room for improvements, but I am taking this suitcase on a lot of flights and so far it has delivered.
The Arrival
Last, but not least I am still trying to also focus on my health. Flying this much is a continuous disruption of my daily fitness routine. The addition in 2019 has been Centr. Chris Hemsworth’s fitness app is beautifully designed and provides a lot of different bodyweight and gym exercise options. I still keep using my apps from 2018, but I am happy to have some additional alternatives.
That’s it for 2019. 2020 is here and I am still trying to improve every journey I take. From the way I prepare for a flight to the way I arrive. I hope you found these new insights helpful. Let me know, if you have any additional ideas! I am always on the hunt for further improvements.
