Tag: flights

Affordable Luxury on Budget Airlines

On September 23, 2024

Flying out of Venice

As avid travel bloggers, we’re always on the hunt for unique experiences and clever ways to stretch our budgets. Our recent trip to Italy was no exception, as we embarked on an adventurous journey across the Atlantic, savoring the comforts of premium cabins without breaking the bank. Join us as we share the secrets to affordable luxury on budget airlines and the delightful surprises that awaited us along the way.

Our elaborate air voyage commenced in Detroit, where we hopped on a no-frills Spirit Airlines flight to New York. From there, it was a hop across the Atlantic to Paris on the low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic. Bidding only $350, we snagged an upgrade to their premium economy cabin – and what an upgrade it was!

Food on French Bee

As the Boeing 787 Dreamliner took to the skies, we settled into roomy recliner seats, sipping complimentary beverages and savoring two meal services that belied the rock-bottom fare. The real treat, however, was enjoying that rarest of inflight amenities: a proper night’s sleep, stretched out in glorious comfort. It was the best sleep I had ever had on an airplane.

For the return journey, French Bee treated us to another premium transatlantic experience – this time we were upgraded to fully lie-flat business-class seats! From the celebratory welcome champagne to the metal cutlery at mealtimes, it was a far cry from your typical low-cost experience and by far the most comfortable flight of my life!

French Bee Business Cabin

As we tallied our expenses, the wisdom of this circuitous air route became abundantly clear: by sprinkling in low-cost carriers and creative routings, we’d saved a bundle over traditional fares – likely $1,000 per person! Sure, it required a bit more planning and transit time, but the rewards were unbeatable: luxurious flat beds, multiple meals, and lack of jet lag to start our Italian adventure in top form.

For those bold enough to embrace budget airlines and patchwork itineraries, the experience is more than economical; it’s an adventure in itself. We may have gotten more than we bargained for, but where’s the fun in taking the path well-trodden? It’s all part of seeing, doing and embracing the unexpected. To book your budget transatlantic flights, check out Norse Atlantic and French Bee.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out our Go See Do Explore Podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts. To read more about our Italian Adventure, check out our La Dolce Vita Trip Report. To read about some of our previous trips, visit my Trips Page. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page and follow me on Instagram! For my list of gadgets to make your travels easier, click here. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page.

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Takeaways from my first Travel Show

By Ashleigh

On January 16, 2023

In Travel, Travel Tips

Some of the links below are affiliate links and as such, I earn a small commission from purchases that allow me to continue telling you my stories without costing you anything extra.

This past weekend we took a last-minute trip to Chicago for their annual Travel and Adventure show. When I saw that Samantha Brown was speaking, I knew I had to go. Without much notice, we bought train tickets and reserved a hotel for the following weekend.

Samantha Brown at the Travel and Adventure Show

The Travel and Adventure Show features a few big-name speakers including the aforementioned Samantha Brown along with Brian Kelly (The Points Guy), Pauline Frommer, and Peter Greenberg of CBS News. At the Savvy Travel Theater, experts shared their tips and tricks to get the most out of travel and the Destination Theater highlighted trips that could be booked through the featured exhibitors. Hundreds of exhibitors shared information about destinations and allowed you to book your next trip right then and there.

While I enjoyed browsing the exhibits, some of the intense sales pitches were offputting. I much preferred the booths from locations that just shared their love of their town and encouraged you to visit over the travel agencies and timeshare salespeople who needed you to commit to booking a trip right then and there.

I like to think of myself as a savvy traveler who knows how to find deals, but I really did walk away from the show with some new tricks. Probably my favorite presenter (besides Samantha Brown, of course) was Russell Hannon the author of Stop Dreaming Start Traveling. He shared 99 tips to save money while traveling, some of which I was familiar with and I have shared with you, but many of them were new to me. For example, I had no idea you could get money back by buying Groupons through Rakuten. You can read many of his tips for yourself at BreaktheTravelBarrier.com.

One thing all of the experts at the show seemed to agree on was to use search engines to find the best price for a flight but to purchase airfare direct from the airline. With all the flight disruptions lately, you don’t want to have to go through an intermediary (like Expedia or a cruise line) if you need to get rebooked. Samantha Brown took it a step further and suggested that for each flight you take, you should have two backups so if the one you are booked on is canceled, you can call the airline and say “My name is Jane Doe and I was booked on flight 123 which was canceled can you rebook me on flight 147?” instead of having to wait in line to talk to customer service with everyone else.

They also all suggested downloading the airline’s app. While this lets you skip the desk if you don’t have to check luggage, it also gives you up-to-date information if your gate changes or if your flight is delayed (this was not our experience on Frontier, but more on that later).

For international travel, I learned that there is now a Mobile Passport app that allows you to use a much shorter line at customs if you fill out your information on your phone when you land. While this is available at most airports, I was disappointed to learn that the Detroit airport has not yet implemented it.

If you are like me and love getting new ideas from other people who love to travel, definitely check out the Travel and Adventure Show. There are several more around the country over the next few months. The speakers vary at each show. Samantha Brown will be at the New York Show. Rick Steves is coming to Los Angeles. Dates, locations, and pricing can be found at TravelShows.com.

Thanks for stopping by! To read about some of our previous trips, visit my Trips Page. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page and follow me on Instagram! For my list of gadgets to make your travels easier, click here. To see inside my camera bag, check out my updated Gear Page.