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| Jack's Flight Club ✈️ Travel News & Inspiration
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Well howdy there, JFC-ers,
We’ve been spending a lot of time this week (some might say too much) looking at pictures of the glorious Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.
The northeastern Chinese city’s main draw comes in the chilly winter months, when Ice and Snow World opens up with hundreds of sculptures, including castles, towers, slides and more, for visitors to explore. As the biggest winter festival in the world, it’s definitely on our list, though we’ll probably skip the ice swimming competition.
Having often touched on the topic of more sustainable travel in recent months, we were shocked to see that the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, clearly isn’t a Detour reader, having hit the headlines yet again for taking incredibly short domestic flights.
If he did take a few minutes each week to join us, he’d know that all he needs to do to shake the criticism (and the carbon) is invest in Alice, the orca-shaped electric plane. Although she can only hold 9 passengers, she should be capable of flying up to 500 miles on one charge, offering an alternative to flying short haul by private jet. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for news of her first flight, due to take place this spring.
Another thing we’ve had on our minds, is our January sale! Yes, that’s right - we’re offering £10 off our annual Premium membership, meaning you get 12 months of the best flight deals around for only £29. This deal is only good until Monday, so you’ll want to upgrade now to avoid missing out!
Ooh, yes please!
Happy travels and safe landings,
Jack
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As humans, we tend to be attracted to superlatives - the fastest, the longest, the highest. The thing is, going to visit the tallest mountain on earth might also mean taking one of the most dangerous commercial flights to get there.
Sunday saw another tragic plane crash in Nepal, a popular destination for travellers heading to the Himalayas and Mount Everest. The country is renowned for being one of the deadliest places to fly, with an average of one disaster each year, and the most recent accident proves that even its brand-new airport can’t tip the odds.
The irony is that it’s the very thing drawing so many international visitors to the region that makes it so dangerous - the landscape. Nepal is home to 8 of the 14 tallest mountains in the world, and weather and visibility can change quickly. So it’s unsurprising, really, that one of the country’s most famous airports made our list of Airports You Never Want To Land At.
We wouldn’t blame you for agreeing with those sentiments and writing off a trip to Nepal altogether - after all, how else are you meant to reach somewhere so remote? Turns out, there are a couple of options that aren’t actually that complicated, and they won’t involve trekking for days - unless you want to!
First up, you can try catching a bus from Delhi. There are lots of companies to choose from, and you’ll be looking at anywhere from 26 to 36 hours to Kathmandu. It’s hard to know how pleasant the journey will be before you board, but most companies claim to run ‘luxury coaches’ and have air conditioning, as well as offering regular comfort breaks along the way. Surely it can’t be any worse than a 12-hour megabus journey?
It is a lot, though. So, you’ll be glad to hear there is also a train. Well, some of the way! You can catch the sleeper as far as Gorakhpur, three hours from the Nepalese border. It’s a good spot to break up the journey with a visit to the impressive Gorakhnath Temple or stretch your legs on the banks of the Ramgarh Taal lake.
After that, you’ll need to catch a jeep or bus to the town of Sunauli at the Nepalese border, then do the same on the Nepalese side to reach Kathmandu. The good news is that The Man in Seat 61 has all the info you need where trains + bus combos are concerned, including departures from other cities in India. In fact, he’s even got you covered if you have a few weeks spare to start your overland journey from St. Pancras…
For some of us, the journey to Nepal ends when we reach Kathmandu with its sacred temples, spiritual monkeys and stunning views (and that’s all just at Swayambhunath). For others, there’s still the journey to Everest Base Camp, which usually starts from Lukla - and that’s the flight you really don’t want to take. Luckily, you can catch another local jeep or bus to towns near(er) the camp, though you’ll still have a good few days’ trekking ahead of you.
Since it’s wanting to avoid flying into the Himalayas that brought us here in the first place, it’s unlikely that any of you will be wanting to jump on a helicopter to get you to the start of the Base Camp trail at Lukla. But if it’s one of those weird exceptions, we get it - and the views are phenomenal.
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This week, The Guardian shared the story of author Nooraini Mydin, who decided to set out on her own and make some special memories before turning 60. The Trans-Siberian Railway had always been on her bucket list (you’re not alone there, Nooraini!), so after her sister passed away and she found a new drive to chase her dreams, she hit the rails.
Except Vladivostok, the traditional end of the Trans-Siberian route, wasn’t quite far enough; nor was Beijing, the other usual end point. Instead, Nooraini wanted to travel onwards through Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand to reach her former home and family in Kuala Lumpur.
She made lots of friends and learnt several lessons along the way, as well as experiencing all the fears and situations that put people off travelling solo in the first place, like loneliness or being conned. Turns out, crossing the world by yourself isn’t just magically perfect if you’re brave enough to do it - but that almost makes it more rewarding in the end.
While Nooraini’s adventure filled her with confidence and left her feeling like she never needed a travel companion again, you don’t have to jump straight on the longest train trip in the world to get the benefits of solo travel.
A few months ago, our colleague Marnae recommended New Zealand as a great place to take your first solo trip. In part that’s because the country really does offer something for everyone, but it also came down to its reassuring safety records.
Of course, New Zealand is pretty far-flung, and most of us can’t just pop over there to test how much we enjoy our own company. So we took to the JFC Facebook Community to hear their top tips for travelling solo, no matter where you go:
- Embrace the locals. You don’t need to give away personal information or push yourself if you feel unsafe, but take the opportunity to chat with people in cafés and get their advice on what to see and do.
- If you have any special interests or hobbies, look for local meet-ups happening while you’re in town. Parkruns and boardgame cafés are good examples of places you can find no-obligations company for a few hours.
- Make sure you have several copies of your passport and multiple cards stored in different places, just in case you lose something.
- Enjoy going with the flow and not always following plans. You’re on your own, you can choose where you go and when, and sometimes the best opportunities are unexpected.
- Get yourself a self-applicator to help with sun cream and avoid any intensely awkward situations!
Got a request for a Detour topic (a great destination, a type of travel, anything at all? Just let us know and we'll add it to our schedule!)
Ask and we'll provide! 🌴
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Around The States In 50 Editions: Kansas
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Each week in 2023, we’ll be going on a whirlwind tour of a different randomly selected US state. This week, we’re heading to Kansas.
The good people of Kansas like to make it easy for visitors to know where to head first, so they put together a list of the state’s top attractions, the somewhat ambitiously titled, "8 Wonders of Kansas."
Some of the spots that made the cut might not immediately jump out as must-sees (the modestly named Big Well Museum is actually home to the world’s largest hand-dug well!) but we reckon the Monument Rocks are well worth the drive out west. There’s nothing like checking out 100 million year-old fossils and marvelling at weird rock formations to make you feel like a kid again.
Much of what makes Kansas… well, Kansas, is its location at the very centre of the contiguous United States. In days gone by, settlers traversing the US would find themselves travelling the prairies by foot or rail, but now these trails offer some of the best opportunities to get out and about in Midwestern nature. If the mushroom-shaped rocks don’t do it for you, maybe the lakeside cliffs or golden hour views over the prairies will.
Of course, life in Kansas wasn’t always so Little House on the Prairie. You’ll find evidence of Wild West shoot-outs and cattle towns all across the state, including re-enactments and ranch stay experiences. You can even lean reeeeal hard into the cowboy theme under the guidance of National Geographic’s 240-mile road trip (3-4 days) from Wichita to Dodge City. Saddle up!
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All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.
If you thought a trips to sunnier European climes were out the window during Dry January, think again. While the USA topped the list for best teetotal destinations in a recent survey, Turkey came in second, followed by Italy in third. Turns out grapes don’t have to be fermented before consumption, who knew?!
White Lotus fans will no doubt have been left dreaming of a cheeky Sicilian getaway this summer. The good news is that you can now live in luxury like Harper Spiller and Daphne Sullivan by renting out the actual villa featured in season 2. The bad news is, there’s a price tag of over £4,800 per night to match. Ouch.
After a series of testing on certain routes, Japan Airlines has decided to roll out their meal skip option across the board. During booking, customers can now opt to cancel their first main meal on a flight, which the airline claims is so that you can sleep uninterrupted. We reckon it’s more likely to help them avoid waste, but we’re certainly not complaining!
And finally, the debate around pets on planes continues. This week, a couple who found themselves seated behind a dog on an 8-hour flight snitched to cabin crew when the owners kept letting it out of its carry case.
After finding out the sad reason behind the owners’ trip, the couple felt bad and did what anyone in their situation would do - took to reddit to find out if they were the bad guys. Personally, we think they’re barking mad for daring to ask!
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