Your holiday to the sun is all booked, you are Caribbean-bound. Maybe you have put it together yourself, maybe through a Caribbean specialist like SN Travel, when an email pops through asking if you would like to upgrade your Virgin Atlantic flight. Thoughts of champagne bubbles popping at 35,000 feet start invading your thoughts, stretching out on a fully flat bed and arriving for your holiday in style. So, should you upgrade your Virgin Atlantic flight?
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It’s the way airline industry is going; a fracturing of the traditional economy product becomes the norm. Instead of its traditional three cabin model (Economy, Premium Economy and Upper Class) Virgin Atlantic will be breaking Economy down into three different fare groupings, each with its own benefits and rules. So let me introduce Virgin Atlantic’s new economy.
Update – This competition is now closed. Why not read our review of Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 Upper Class
Virgin Atlantic Airways has come up with a novel new way to share some Yuletide cheer.
“Where I Want For Christmas”
From now on, there’s no more pungent aftershave, gone are the days of dodgy electronic toys that break as soon as looked at, and no longer will you have to suffer the dreaded fitness gift (It’s Christmas Day for goodness sake!)
Head over to the dedicated Where I want for Christmas website and start planning. You’ll see all the different options. You can choose a flight to any destination that Virgin Atlantic flies to, and any of the US destinations that Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic share. Here are a few of the options:
They have a handy planning tool to help inspire you. Fancy a relaxing break by the beach? An active break? A short city break? They have plenty of ideas. Once you have picked your dream flight, set up your online profile and you will be given a personal link.
Here is where you have to be a little less than subtle. To encourage people to donate towards your flight, you need to tell them where you want to go, and how to get you there.
1.) Share the online link. Send it to your parents by email, drop it on your Facebook and hope your best friends see it. Print leaflets and scatter them on the train to work. What ever you think will work to get the message to the right people. They can then log onto your profile and donate.
2.) Get your friends and family to take a trip to Liberty’s of London. They have partnered with Virgin Atlantic to sell gift cards just for this special season. The gift cards are available in denominations of £50, £100 and £150. It’s a lovely excuse for a trip to such an iconic store and the surrounding shopping hubs of Carnaby Street, Regent Street and Oxford Street. This is especially lovely once the Christmas lights are turned on.
Sit back and enjoy the easiest Christmas morning you’ve ever had. Instead of that “…thank you for the socks” grimace, you can jump up and down for joy as the flight of your dreams is sitting under the tree.
A month or five later, when you are boarding the shiny Virgin Atlantic aircraft, en route to that place that you have always wanted to tick off your bucket list, you can think back to how generous your friends and family are.
Post a selfie on board and tag everyone with a HUGE thank you. It’ll rekindle a little of their Christmas glow whilst you start working on your golden holiday glow.
Check out all our reviews on planes including Emirates and British Airways
I think this is a wonderful idea and a real kickstart for people who would love to travel but can’t quite afford the airfare. We did something very similar for our honeymoon. Having lived together for years, we had three of everything and everyone knows that travel means a lot to us. I bet people will really enjoy donating towards something as rewarding as travel.
Rosie xx
Around the world, every year, there are cities that erupt in a riot of rainbows and glitter as their LGBTQ communities take to the streets for pride. Some call it a march, some a parade, but however you describe it, it is a wave of people celebrating something they believe in; the right to love.
I grew up in Brighton, England’s “gay capital” where being out and proud is really very normal. I am straight, and have been to Pride for years and, covered in rainbows and glitter myself, I have always had a ball! It’s inclusive, usually sunny enough to get a tiny bit burnt, and the atmosphere is one of joyful excitement.
On a serious note, Pride is something that we probably take for granted here in the UK. It is fifty years this year since being homosexuality was decriminalised and we have come on leaps and bounds. There are a huge number of countries where it is still frowned upon, some where it is still illegal and even some where you can be put to death for your feelings. That is why I think it so important to express how proud I am to live in a country where you can love whomever you choose.
This year, I was lucky enough to be chosen by my company Virgin Atlantic, to walk with them in both London’s and Brighton’s Pride parades.
Read Virgin Atlantic – Flying the Rainbow Flag with a Special Pride Flight
Now as a statement, I couldn’t agree more but as a theme….this is one of those wishy washy, all-inclusive themes that has been the scourge of the Pride world for the last few years. Worried that LGBTQ wasn’t inclusive enough, themes have become increasingly more like mission statements. We have always enjoyed dressing up with the theme (musical theatre was a particular favourite of mine, I went dressed as Judy Garland and my male companions were all “friends of Dorothy”).
However, with such a vague theme, nobody knows what to wear!!
Interestingly, this year, major brands got in on the action in more than the parade. Clothing shop New Look for example brought out a range of slogan t-shirts (I kissed a girl and I liked it, I am a unicorn etc etc) to cash in on the Pride vibe in London. We saw quite a few of these en route.
Arriving at our base camp, a Starbucks near Euston, I started looking around for any familiar faces. I signed in and they handed me my “Pride in Flight” t-shirt. It was white, which was a bit disappointing really. I was hoping for a punchier colour. It was time to take matters in my own hands. Just then, my friends from work arrived.
Many years before I had purchased a rainbow face paint crayon. You swipe it once and all the seven rainbow colours are applied at once. I got my friend to draw a stripe up each of my legs. Tada! Home made rainbow stockings.
We scoffed the provided breakfast to prepare for the long walk ahead whilst adding war paint to everyone’s faces. The contour look got a rebrand for the day.
I lamented my forgetful nature, I had completely neglected my massive glitter pot. It was lying sad and lonely at home with no sunshine to make it sparkle.
Instead of a float, in the traditional sense, we had a customised jeep with a DJ booth on the back. It was pumping out music towards the crowd and loud enough to be heard for quite a distance.
In front of the car, seven people danced with peacock tails made of balloons. Each was a different colour of the rainbow. I helped carry these along, and they made a rather lovely feather boa.
The rest of us walked behind a big, white banner and gave out “pride in flight” luggage tags. Most people ran out within the first 20 minutes but I rationed mine hard! You had to earn it by singing along with me and giving it some welly.
We set off from Regents Park and made our way incredibly slowly down past the BBC’s Recording House. There was a bit of delay further up in the parade and so a lot of energy was expended on the first fifth of the route . We danced the entire time! The parade then travelled South through Oxford Circus and down Regent Street.
Next we partied around Piccadilly Circus, down towards St James Park and along the finishing stretch to Trafalgar Square. After the initial hold up, the parade moved quite slowly but it we eventually made it to our destination about three hours later than planned.
I was quite surprised at how many massive companies were involved in the London parade. Huge international brands like YouTube were there along with Tesco and even a cheeky Nando’s. I think I was used to a more local vibe. There seemed to be lots of double decker buses with people on, rather than more traditional floats. I think it is probably more about presence than “a parade”.
Our music was fantastic. As we walked, we weren’t allowed past our sign (a rule which I kept getting distracted and forgetting about). Most of the route was fenced in by traffic barriers or temporary metal fences. This meant there was no spontaneous dance parties to be had, instead, I just tried to get the crowd to sing along. We became a walking karaoke-mobile which was great fun.
I met some really great people who work elsewhere in the business, and who I might never have had the chance to meet. Dancing with the guy above, who had flown over from the USA was awesome!
Read all our favourite things to see and do in Loving London
In 1967, the world fell under the spell of the summer of love. Hippies distributed flowers, the contraceptive pill increased choice for women, leading to sexual revolution and homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK.
Read 17 Ideas for a Day In Brighton – A Perfect London to Brighton Day Trip
Waking up far too early, I wandered down from my Mum’s house, to the Kings Lawns in Hove. This is right next to the beach and it was a wonderful sunny day that greeted me. This time I had volunteered to wear my uniform so I didn’t get one of the T-shirts. It turned out that a few other people who were a few uniform wearers that hadn’t turned up and so there was just myself and one other girl in the bright red bright suits.
Before leaving the house I had applied my Pride flag with that trusty old crayon and whacked on some glitter. However, there were two make up artists there and so I got a glitter upgrade.
We blew up loads of beach balls to throw out to the crowd and the group was split into two unequal groups. Most people were up on the float, and the rest of us were to pound the streets. There were a few people in t-shirts, everyone in uniform and a small group of models in swimwear and bedecked in a tonne of glitter.
We consumed lots of liquid (no dehydration on the route please) and then had to run to the toilet across the road in The Brunswick pub. It’s a very friendly pub with a performance space attached that houses the “Brighton Beach Boys”, a fun cover band.
Pulled on a huge truck, we had a mock-up of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. This was all to do with the competition we were running, and mixed with the huge part San Francisco has played in the lovers of both the hippy and gay populations in the USA. On here our colleagues danced and waved, throwing our beach balls to the crowd.
On the ground we were giving out sunglasses, stickers and helping with the beach balls. We had two large instagram frames for people to jump into. I carried one of these for at least half of the parade and I really enjoyed dancing with it despite it being quite heavy. Oh how my sore my arms were the next day!! We were encouraging people into it for photos and it was great to have an easy way to interact with the crowds. We danced with them, sang with them, snapped photos for them and I got a good few high fives (as well as the odd kiss).
Starting in Hove, we walked East towards Brighton. We paraded past the remains of the West Pier and the shiny new Brighton i360. At the bottom of West Street we turned North up to the clock tower and then turned again down North Street. At the Old Steine we turned once more making a new line for Preston Park, the end point of the parade
Brighton and Hove Pride is a much more local affair. Local businesses and support services all parade. The emergency services, as well as the local military are all represented. Everyone’s favourite bit is when the firemen get out their hoses….no pun intended. You also see alot more people who just dress up and join in.
Floats are big, loud and very brightly coloured. One of my favourite floats has to be the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, who always put on a real show on the way round.
I am biased. I know I biased, but being by the seaside, in the sun in a city full of love was brilliant. The parade is a real family affair so everyone can enjoy the day.
Afterwards, there are a few choices. You can get a ticket to go to Preston Park. They have rides, stages and tents. You can go down to the beach and hang out in the sun with an icecream. You can go to the “village”. Brighton’s Kemp Town is ticketed and contains most of the city’s best gay bars. Basically, the whole place is partying and you get to choose the way you want to.
Whilst in East Sussex, if you’re visiting in November you have to go to Lewes Bonfire Night – The Best Fireworks Night in Britain
Parading is exceptionally fun. A wave of adrenaline sweeps you down the street but be warned, when you reach the end of the route, you will CRASH! In London I spent the rest of the day trying to fall asleep on my feet and in Brighton, walking 23,000 steps in my work high heels suddenly crippled me when we reached the park!
If you are just coming to watch, have a brilliant time. Support Pride and enjoy every second of the day!
(Thanks to Jacqui, Karl and Naomi for your wonderful photos)
Rosie xx
Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class cabin is their top most cabin offering. It is listed as the Virgin Atlantic business class cabin and so lies somewhere between British Airways Club World and First Class (just as a comparison). We are very excited to share our experience of flying Upper Class from London to Hong Kong.
On 22nd March 2017, our Virgin Atlantic plane was hit by lightning, which was very normal. We returned to London Gatwick Airport, which was not. What happened? Is lightning dangerous? Will I finally get the right things out of the overhead locker!?
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Oh my goodness…oh my goodness. Today I turn thirty years old and that’s rather a big number. It starts with a three and everything! Thirty years young today, wow!
The last ten years have been pretty amazing. Ten years ago I was a second year student at London Metropolitan University. I had an almost/kind of boyfriend and I was a definite size 8 (a US 4). I was struggling for money regularly, like everyone at university, but I was having a lovely time. Ten years of education behind me, I was very independent but I hadn’t quite done “adulting” yet.
Check out our 25 Tips for Visiting New York City.
So in the last ten years:
I have seen that awkward, it’ll-never-last sort of boyfriend grow into a husband. I am even adopting my new married name ‘Fluskey’ as enthusiastically as I can (just in case you were wondering what a Flying Fluskey was, and if you’d ever seen one on safari)
Here’s a pic from our wedding in London. We love London, check out all our adventures around our home city.
My enjoyment of holidays has grown into a real passion for travel.
We love South Africa, check out Seals, Sun and Sushi – Cape Town, South Africa
My waistline has grown by a good three inches (I’m working to reverse that one though)
In my thirty years I’ve seen 33 new countries on 5 different continents.
Many of those were seen on our five month adventure around Asia, the best five months of my life. It has left me bereft of long term travel ever since.
Check out Riding the Rails – The Joys of Train Travel
I have had jobs from Primark to Harrods, been a Christmas Elf and a Steward at the Royal Albert Hall. Now, I’m working at Heathrow Airport for Virgin Atlantic Airways after a few years of trying to break into travel. Finally, I know what it’s like to turn left on a plane…pretty sweet.
Recently (in the last month or so) I have decided to follow these wise words:
No one is ever going to ask you to do the thing you really want to do. So think about what you’d like to do, then start doing it. – Jordan Bach.
That is why I have been blogging happily away as Flying Fluskey. When I get home from Sri Lanka I am going to get to grips with it and start on the long journey to making it look and feel a touch more professional.
I am also having a life crisis about house deposits/how should the logo for my blog look/the pressure from other people to make babies/my desire to travel all the time/whether Karl will make me have a dog one day/what is SEO and what the devil is a long pin/Brexit/should I start yoga again because my flexibility is declining/can I handle the embarrassment of the lady fart incident if I tried yoga again/seriously, my desire to go travelling again, ALL THE TIME/can I just pretend I’m twenty again?
Ah well, best to stop worrying, at my age it may well give me forehead wrinkles. Let’s pull silly faces instead. I know I am incredibly lucky, living a life I can’t entirely afford. I have some excellent friends who do amazing things and a hubby who I can rely on to correct my spelling, hold my hand and see the things I can’t. Not to mention my family, who are exploring the world, are incredibly supportive and accept each crazy life plan I have with pleasant “she’s mental” smiles.
Here’s to the next ten years, may they be half as fulfilling and exciting as the last thirty. I hope to get to see even more of this super planet.
Rosie xx
