Hey there, Travellers!

As usual, I've spent much of my free time this week planning for future trips. Quelle surprise!

Next week, my husband Dave and I will be jetting off to Germany for a couple of days. Those of you in the UK and Ireland may have heard of a Wowcher Mystery Holiday, where you pay £99pp and the destination is up to the luck of the draw (kind of). I'd never done one before, so we reckoned it was about time.

Unfortunately, our luck didn't bag us 2 weeks in Bali, rather 2 nights in Düsseldorf. But honestly, I'm still pretty excited! Despite living in Germany for years, I've never been to the city before — only the airport — so it's all going to be new.

If you've got any Düsseldorf tips for me, or if you've ever taken a mystery trip and have a tale to tell, let me know in the comments or by hitting 'Reply'.

Happy travels and safe landings,

I never in a million years thought I’d be sitting in a window seat, on “a flight to nowhere,” listening to a pilot calmly instruct us to squeeze our butts over the intercom. Yet, here I was, circling Heathrow on a faux-flight, surrounded by a cabin of strangers clenching in an awkward synchrony…

For the 1 in 6 of us who fear flying, the real question isn’t whether you prefer take-off or landing, but: “how will I survive this?” and apparently survival starts with your glutes.

The fear of flying starts the moment you book — the creeping dread as you shuffle through security, the way your body locks at that first ‘bing bong’ of the seatbelt sign. I know. I used to resign myself to meeting a tumbling death in the first ten seconds of turbulence. 

So when British Airways’ Flying with Confidence course crossed my desk at work, I volunteered to be a personal guinea pig for a “life changing” experience aimed at curing your fear of flying.

Disclaimer: British Airways did not pay me, sponsor this review or bribe me with tiny pretzels and peanuts. I paid full price for this course, and all opinions and occasional panic are 100% mine.

Flight School: Turbulence, Sounds, and Control

Mainly held in Heathrow and Gatwick, the course is piloted by, well, pilots (and psychologists, too). There are a few flavours to choose from—Primary, Premium, Premium Plus, or Private—depending on your budget and nerves. I signed up for the primary course, which meant a day of technical and psychological sessions with about 100 fellow nervous flyers. Perks? Unlimited tea, coffee, snacks, and lunch.

The day is broken into 3 parts, and honestly, it felt a little like flight school lite.

The morning kicked off with some breathing exercises, which would be the foundation for controlling anxiety throughout the day. 

The technique is called “Breathe & Squeeze,” basically a combo of deep breathing and contracting your glutes, aiming to slow your heart rate and muscle tension.

Next, pilots Nigel and Niven gave a presentation that broke down all aspects of aviation. From ailerons and roll, to rudder and yaw, lift and drag. Personally, I found this the most helpful part of the course. I’m usually not one to grasp concepts to do with physics — ask anyone who sat near me in school — but somehow Nigel and Niven made it click. 

They managed to make a deep dive into aerodynamics entertaining. It was seriously in-depth, and I found myself appreciating just how much training, knowledge, and precision go into every single flight — and wondering why I ever thought my fear knew better. 

“What if the engine falls off?” 

“What if passengers bring extra baggage on board and it affects the weight of the plane?”

 “How can there be a safe landing if you’re flying across the Atlantic?”

“What if we get struck by lightning?”

“What if there’s something wrong with the left phalange?” Ok, I — or should I say Phoebe from Friends — made that one up, but if there was a left phalange, we’d worry about it.

We had all of our questions answered and more, and I even walked away with some new flight-nerd facts with which to impress my colleagues. 

Did you know that it’s the wing that enables the aircraft to fly, not the engine? Now you do. 

Did you know that the wings undergo an extreme stress test? They do, look!

How many wings does an aircraft have? 2? 4? Wrong. It has one. 

Do you know how much weight the paint on an airplane adds? Two tonnes. 

Most importantly, though, we gained a greater understanding of the numerous noises inside and outside the cabin (“Noise is good” was another mantra throughout the day), as well as the phantom threat haunting the skies. It strikes precisely when you’ve let your guard down and placed your drink on your lap: Turbulence. 

Enter the third chant of the day, “Turbulence is uncomfortable, not dangerous” 

They asked who among us has ever experienced severe turbulence. My hand smugly shot up along with a few others, as if to vindicate every intrusive table-gripping thought we’ve ever endured. 

Trick question. According to the pilots, they’ve never encountered severe turbulence in all their years in the sky, just garden-variety bumps that feel terrifying to us mere mortals because we don’t understand what’s happening. Which, frankly, felt like a personal attack. 

Imagine the plane is like a spoon in jelly, they told us. The jelly is the air—usually smooth until something stirs it. Then it wobbles. The spoon jiggles, but it won’t break. Planes work the same way. Air, they reminded us, has fluid properties. 

Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there, and like boats resting on a sea of water, planes rest on a sea of air. Sometimes, like water, the air gets choppy. It feels dramatic, sure, but really it’s just physics being physics. And dangerous? Not even close. 

Keep reading…

In this week’s Reader’s Corner, I’m bringing you a mash-up of topics that have landed in my inbox this week. 

First up, it’s Beijing. Last week, Flight Finder Kristi asked for your Beijing tips for her upcoming trip, and one of them in particular caught my attention. Aside from the must-see Forbidden City and early-morning panda visits, The Detour reader Fiona recommends exploring the 798 Art District.

I looked it up and all I can say is, wow! Factories and warehouses repurposed as galleries, alleyways splashed with street art, and sleek hipster cafés — you’d be forgiven for thinking this was Berlin as opposed to Beijing. We love hearing about the spots that don’t usually make it into the tourist brochures, so please keep the recommendations coming. 

Next up, it’s the turn of the Chinese airlines…

Hi Dianne, this is a great question. The lowest fares we see to Auckland from the UK generally do involve Chinese Airlines, but most of us on this side of the world aren’t very familiar with them.

Our resident Aussie, Larissa, flew home to Sydney with China Southern last year, and rated the airline a rather resounding, “fine.” There were no bells or whistles, lots of noodles, and a rather lengthy stopover in Guangzhou, but ultimately no major issues either. You can find her full breakdown of the experience here.

A couple of other Jack’s team members have flown China Eastern in recent years and gave pretty similar reviews, but unfortunately we’re yet to board Air China. This recent review on YouTube makes it look pretty decent, especially considering the low fares.

I hope that gives you some confidence to go ahead and book — I sure would!

And finally, we'll wrap up with a return to the Aegean...

Hi reader — if I’m not mistaken, you might have asked a similar question a couple of months back. In case you missed it, Flight Finder Fran put together her top suggestions for your gorgeous Greek getaway. We hope you have a wonderful time (and send us some pics when you get back)!

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across web this week.

• Here's your annual dose of Icelandic "awwww!"
  
  
• Sometimes, the last thing you want to do after a long trip is talk to a human at a hotel reception. Are Japan's robot hotels the solution?
  
  
• As destinations go, "hell" isn't commonly considered one of the good ones. But just in case it does take your fancy, these 10 entrances to the underworld are worth checking out.
  
  
• And finally, after 19 years and a lot of controversy, Kazakhstan has decided that "Very nice" might not actually be so bad.