TravelStories Episode 8: Epic Guys Trip

An Epic Guys Trip

Episode 08: Show Notes.

When you take a trip around the world with your friends, you are bound to come away from it with some pretty crazy stories. Today on the show, we are joined by Joey (who had the idea for this trip) and Geoff, who, along with our hosts TK and Trevor, went on an epic guys' trip around the world in June of 2018. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about our itinerary, how we booked optimal flights, and the points we earned along the way. We give a breakdown of the various hotels we stayed at, including the polarizing St. Regis in Singapore, some of the best meals we had, and the variety of planes we got to fly on during our trip. You’ll also learn how we managed to get our own private tour of an A380 Airbus and the lovely responses we got when we gifted our crew and attendants with special gifts. From Sydney to South Korea, Madrid, and Santiago, Chile, we had a whirlwind of a time and even got ourselves into a close call with one of our final flights. Tune in to hear all about our epic tales, long flights, unforgettable taxi rides, and much more!

Key Points From This Episode:

• [00:11] Introducing today’s guests, Geoff and Joey, and our epic guys' trip in June 2018.
• [01:52] A shoutout to FlyerTalk and its under-credited Premium Deal Fares section.
• [03:49] An overview of the flight itinerary for our round-the-world trip.
• [05:06] The variety of planes we flew on, including the 747-400 on Qantas and the Singapore 777-300ER.
• [10:04] Our arrival in Sydney, the memorable meal we had, and our stay at the Park Hyatt.
• [11:32] Find who we saw in their airline pajamas during our breakfast at the Park Hyatt.
• [13:05] The special events that were happening at the Sydney Opera House during our time there and our experience of the pop-up Centurion Lounge.
• [15:09] The priority pass restaurants we visited in the international terminal in Sydney.
• [16:57] Our experience of the Qantas Lounge and what it has to recommend itself.
• [17:25] Giving gifts to the attendants and flight crew and the range of reactions we’ve seen.
• [20:09] Our arrival in Singapore and our positive opinion of St. Regis Singapore.
• [22:36] Some of the best meals we had in Singapore. 
• [25:09] One of Joey’s favorite flights on the trip and our arrival in Incheon, Korea.
• [26:50] The incredible chicken restaurant we were recommended by a taxi driver and our hike at the Heungryunsa Temple.
• [31:04] The two consecutive nights we spent flying and our experience of Dubai’s First Class Lounge.
• [33:39] Our day flight from Dubai to Madrid and how we got to explore the cockpit of an A380 Airbus.
• [36:08] The Prado Museum in Madrid, why there was such an enormous queue, and how TK got roped into taking photos for Russian influencers.
• [37:32] The dive bar we visited after our trip to the Prado Museum, called Taberna El Rincón de José and the best gin and tonics we’ve ever had.
• [39:43] Our eventful Uber trip to the airport, and how our driver accidentally took us to the pilot’s entrance.
• [45:21] The close call we had with catching our flight to Santiago, why our first-class tickets saved us, and how the rest of us got separated from TK.
• [52:08] Our stay in W in Santiago, the hike we went on, and why we’d like to return to Santiago, Chile.
• [53:32] Our final flights home and the miles we had accumulated throughout our trip.
• [56:58] What our next round-the-world trip might look like.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

FlyerTalk