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Flight Review: Iceland Express – New York – Reykjavik – London

Written by James Clark on October 10, 2011 · 3 Comments

[Ed Force One - Iceland Express with Iron Maiden livery at Keflavik Airport]

Cheap flights to Iceland and flying with a rock star pilot

Iceland have two airlines that operate internationally from Keflavík (near Reykjavik): the full service airline Icelandair, and low cost airline Iceland Express. I booked with Iceland express purely on price. While Icelandair have a frequent Flyer program, it’s not part of an alliance so it is useless for those not from Iceland.

Iceland Express fly to destinations in Europe and North America, so it is possible to include Iceland as a Transatlantic stopover. If you book in advance this may be the cheapest flight between New York and London, and you get the bonus of visiting Iceland while you’re at it. Flight segments can be booked on the same ticket, connecting in Keflavík or, as I did, take a few days off in between flights.

Iceland Express

Iceland Express is based in Reykjavik but it is owned by Astraeus Airlines from Britain, thus your flight may say “operated by Astraeus”. As it is a budget airline there is no inflight entertainment or free meals. The flight times are short enough so these services aren’t missed.

Celebrity Pilot

This year Iceland Express have Bruce Dickinson as a pilot. Bruce who? I hear some of you ask. Bruce Dickinson also happens to be the lead singer for Iron Maiden. Don’t let that put you off though, as he is a licensed commercial airline pilot with years of experience, as well as being the Marketing Director for Astraeus.

Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden
[Bruce Dickinson circa 1983 (from An Evolutionary Study Of Bruce Dickinson’s Hair).]

My flight from New York to London was on Ed Force One, which is an Astraeus owned jet with Iron Maiden livery. When I saw I was going to be flying on this jet I was so excited. I thought it might have been the bands private jet, and I had visions of a jacuzzi, lounge chairs and whatever else goes on in private jets of rock stars. Sadly it was the usual 3×3 seat configuation and no backstage rider menu.

From Reykjavik to London Mr Dickinson was a passenger on the flight, commuting back home to England after flying the overnight flight from New York. If you didn’t know who he was you wouldn’t pick him for a rock star. With his trimmed hair and smart Iceland Express suit, he really does look like a pilot.

To see Bruce in uniform check out this travel Q&A with Bruce Dickinson by Lonely Planet’s Robert Reid.

Another Stopover Option

[Visit the Blue Lagoon]

If you have booked two connecting flights and there is a few hours in between flights it is possible to visit the famous Blue Lagoon, as it is only 20 minutes from the airport. There are special buses that run from the airport to the Blue Lagoon, so if you have time it sure beats sitting around in the terminal (with no wifi).

Flight Details

Flight: Iceland Express 5W 514 Date: 25 Aug 2011 From: Newark(EWR) To: Reykjavik (KEF)
Flight: Iceland Express 5W 511 Date: 30 Aug 2011 From: Reykjavik (KEF) To: London (LGW)

Categories: Flight Review - Tags: airlines, blue lagoon, england, iceland, iceland express, london, new york, new york city, pop culture, reykjavik, uk

Phat Phuc Noodle Bar – A little bit of Saigon in London

Written by James Clark on September 3, 2011 · 1 Comment

One of the many things I love about London is how practically all of the nations of the world are represented when it comes to food. I always like to look at the menus from the countries I have been to and see if I remember the dishes (and compare the prices). Walking down Kings Road in Chelsea a sign caught my attention.

The Phat Phuc Noodle Bar sounds funny in English but the name actually means Happy Buddha. Either way the sign lured me off the Kings Road and into a little open air court yard. My intention was to check out the menu, but smell of the noodles instantly had me seated for second lunch. What really got me though was the noodle bar. Yes there is an actual noodle bar, set up on a mobile stall decorated with Vietnamese and Chinese ornaments.

[Noodle street stall - London style]

I ordered the chicken Phở, which was prepared in front of me, while chatting to the friendly girl behind the bar who was from Northern Thailand.

[Chicken Pho]

The noodles were as good as anything I’ve had outside Southeast Asia, and the unseasonably warm September day added to the occasion (26 degrees – in London!).

At £6.95 that is about 200,000 Dong more than you would pay in Ho Chi Minh City, but I have been back in west long enough now to be over the sticker shock, and I was happy to slurp down some noodles in a street stand environment.

On A Related Note
Speaking of Ho Chi Minh City, the city’s namesake spent time in London when he was in his twenties. There is a plaque on Haymarket in the West End which commemorates the location of the hotel where he once worked.

[Ho Chi Minh Plaque - London]

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: england, food, ho chi minh, ho chi minh city, london, uk, vietnam

Victoria Station, London – UK

Written by James Clark on October 1, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Victoria Station, London – UK.

Categories: Travel Photos - Tags: england, london, train station, uk

Coffee of the day: The Troubadour, London – UK

Written by James Clark on December 4, 2009 · Leave a Comment

When I’m in London I usually stay around the Earl’s Court/Gloucester Rd area. It’s in well to do leafy West London and has good transport connections. It is also home to one of my favourite cafe’s – the Troubadour.

Troubadour Cafe - London

The Troubadour has been around since 1954 and it was a famous music venue in the 60′s. Musicians who have played there include Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Sammy Davis jnr, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

The cafe is worth visiting just to see the collection of intruments hanging from the ceiling. For me, I like coming here knowing that Led Zeppelin once graced these rooms.

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: blogsherpa, cafe, coffee of the day, england, london, uk

Classic Mini Tours of London – A Cool Alternative to Big Bus Sightseeing Tours

Written by James Clark on November 22, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I have lived in London for two years of my life and I visit once a year for work. In all that time I have never been on a tour. The idea of getting on one of those big buses has never appealed to me.

So when I was contacted by smallcarBIGCITY and offered a ride in a British design icon, I found myself on my first tour of London.

smallcarBIGCITY provide retro tours of London in classic Mini Coopers. The Mini’s range in vintage from the 60′s to the 90′s, and the tour guides/drivers dress the part in period 1960s uniforms. They bring swinging London to life – Italian Job style.

[smallcarBIGCITY - Classic Mini Tours of London]

I was met at my selected location by co-founder and driver Oliver, and fellow guide Alastair. When I saw the Mini I was wondering how a 6 foot guy would fit. I was about 4 foot when I was last in a mini. I had visions of me like a circus clown with my knees hanging out of each window. They turn out to me more roomier than than they look (like Dr Who’s Tardis).

The advantage of a mini over a bus was shown as soon as we started. Being able to squeeze through small traffic lanes is a big advantage in the maze like streets of London. If there was a car built driving in London it was the Mini. At one point we veered off Whitehall (the road between Parliament and Trafalgar Square) down a narrow side alley to see a point of interest. Try doing that in a big tour bus.

I did the A-list Tour, which covers the essential London for tourists checklist. Having lived in London I thought I knew alot about the capital and I didn’t think I would learn much from this tour. Boy was I wrong. I found out all sorts of interesting facts about places that I have walked past dozens of times previously. These guys really know their history, and as a fellow Londo-phile I had a great time sharing their passion for all things London.

smallcarBIGCITY have a number of tours to choose from, and you can be picked up from any location in Central London (Zone 1 on the tube map). They also provide bespoke London tours to your own requirements.

There are plenty of tours on offer in London, but if you want to do something different and in style then have a look at smallcarBIGCITY.

James went on tour courtesy of smallcarBIGCITY.

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: england, london, tours, uk

Travel BlogCamp 2009 and the Future of TBC

Written by James Clark on November 11, 2009 · 4 Comments

One of the best events during the World Travel Market week in 2008 was the Travel BlogCamp, which was started by Darren Cronian of Travel Rants.

Word had obviously got out what a great event it was as TBC 2009 was “sold out” within 18 hours.

The 2009 event was once again put on by Darren and moderated by Kevin May from Tnooz.com.

The event began with an introduction to the sponsors, followed by a Q&A session. The topic that was most prominent was Twitter. Kevin noted that at last years event Twitter wasn’t even mentioned.

The night featured five speakers with various backgrounds in social media and travel blogging.

Joel Brandon-Bravo from Frommer’s discussed Web 3.0 (real time web) and news sites possibly using a pay for content model.

Guillaume Thevenot spoke about his industry leading Hotel Blog that he writes in his spare time outside of his day job.

Eva Keogan from Lastminute.com covered company blogging and Twitter strategies.

Murray Harrold from Advantage Travel shared his experience as a travel agent going from a High St to online travel store.

Darren finished the night off with the good and ugly side of travel blogging. There was alot of ugly to talk about with the dangers of litigation travel bloggers face by publishing editorial and unmoderated comments left by the public.

It was a great night all round and if it wasn’t for Kevins moderation we’d still be there now debating the topics covered (there was enough free food to keep us going for another week).

I have been fortunate enough to attend the first two Travel BlogCamps, and if I can I will attend in 2010 as well.

If I could add my feedback I would like to see a bigger event. I have spoken to Darren about this and he wants to keep it as a small event. I can understand his point that the smaller event makes it more interactive. The current event is timed with the WTM so there is also the limition of time people have with their commitments at that event.

What I would like to see would be a weekend event held at another time of year (ahem, preferably in a warmer month). There is a travel bloggers weekend happening in the US in 2010. I would like to see a UK version.

Darren spoke about how he hasn’t taken Travel Rants full time as travel companies aren’t exactly lining up to offer sponsorship on a site that rants about travel. I wouldn’t expect Darren put on another event like this either, given the amount of unpaid time it takes up. I am sure though that there would be enough people willing to form a committee to put on a Travel Blogcamp Weekend in London (or elsewhere in the UK).

Would anyone else attend a Travel Blogcamp weekend?

More Travel BlogCamp Reviews
Travel Rants: Travel BlogCamp Review
Travelling Online: Social media tips at Travel Blog Camp
Heather on her travels: Travel Bloggers’ meet-up
Joobili: Travel BlogCamp 2009 review
Journeys Through Travel: Notebooks not needed: Travel Blog Camp review
iwannagothere.com blog: Travel BlogCamp 2009 review
Berkeley PR: PR’s view of Travel BlogCamp
Sam I Am’s Blog: Review of Travel BlogCamp

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: london, travel blogcamp, uk

Coffee of the day: London Stansted – UK

Written by James Clark on October 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I never would have thought that a coffee from an airport Starbucks would make it as coffee of the day, but I didn’t want to leave the UK without mentioning the current exchange rate.

Coffee of the day: London Stansted Airport - UK

At the moment 1 AUD is around 53 pence. In my 10 years of coming to the UK the Australian dollar has never been so strong. At one point 1 AUD got just 33 pence. So this £2 coffee in 2009 is a bargain at $3.77 . In the darkest days of the weak Australian dollar this £2 coffee would have cost me $6.06 AUD.

I never thought that I would be saying that I came to London and had a cheap holiday.

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: coffee of the day, england, london, money, uk

Visiting London – 10 years on

Written by James Clark on October 1, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Ahh London, it’s good to be back. This city feels like my second home, and for a while it was my home.

2009 marks 10 years since I first came to London. I arrived in 1999 on a 2 year working holiday visa, unaware at the time that I had the travel bug. I couldn’t have known then that I would be back to London at least once a year every year since.

I was here in 1999, 2000 and 2001 on the UK work visa, 2002 and 2003 passing through on the Irish work visa, then every year on the way to European destinations to create content for online travel articles.

I use London as the entry point for Europe as the cheapest fares from Australia are usually into London, though this might change with the increase in Air Passenger Duty.

I’m staying in Victoria, which is a handy transport hub if you are in London for a short time. I get the bus to Stansted Airport from here to my next destination.

London Victoria Station

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: england, london, uk

T5 is working but Heathrow is still terrible

Written by James Clark on December 26, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Heathrow Terminal 5 is fully operational but it hasn’t made Heathrow a better airport. Heathrow was recently voted in yet another aiport poll as the worst in the world. I don’t hate it that much. I find the location is handy and it’s actually one of the most economical airports to get to (£1.50 via the underground train).

The problem with Heathrow is that it’s on a parcel of land that is too small for the airport that Heathrow deserves to be.

My flight from Munich to Heathrow was with British Airways so I got to see the T5 terminal for the first time. My impression of T5 was that it’s a great looking terminal compared to the rest of Heathrow, but surprisingly small. When the flight arrived the landing slots were full so the aircraft was parked on the tarmac nearby and we had to be bussed to the terminal.

[Bus to Heathrow T5]

From T5 I had to connect to a Qantas flight at T4. The terminals are connected by a bus service and the trip is 18 minutes between terminals.

[Qantas at Heathrow T4 and T5 in the background]

The London Airport Dilemma
Even with 5 airports serving the city, Heathrow is the third busiest passenger airport in the world, (and the busiest in Europe). It should have an airport like Hong Kong or Dubai. Instead it has an airport that that began life as an RAF airfield in 1943 and has been expanded over the decades as demand required to the point that it has outgrown its location. There are two runways which aren’t enough and the planned third Heathrow runway hasn’t got past planning.

There are plans for a new London airport, the Thames Estuary Airport, which London mayor Boris Johnson is in favour of considering.

Building a new airport from scratch would be the sensible thing to do, but closing Heathrow and moving the principal airport to the other side of the city is a situation no one wants to make a decision on.

Categories: Travel Blog - Tags: airlines, airport, england, london, qantas, uk

Flight Review: easyJet – Gatwick to Gibraltar

Written by James Clark on November 14, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Flight: easyJet EZY8901
Date: 13 Nov 2008
From: London Gatwick (LGW)
Date: Gibraltar (GIB)

In October 2007 easyJet bought fellow UK carrier GB Airways. Most of the flights operated by GB Airways have since been integrated into the easyjet network. The acquisition meant that easyJet now has rights to fly to Gibraltar.

I am travelling to Morocco and I want to arrive via ferry, so I thought this was a good opportunity to fly to the legendary airport at Gibraltar.

Out of the 5 London airports, I probably like Gatwick the least because it is so expensive to get to. My flight ticket cost me £37 and the train to Gatwick costs £10.

The flight left at 7.30 and checking in with easyJet at Gatwick is relatively painless. They have so many flights out of Gatwick that they have a general check in line and you can check in earlier if you get there before 2 hours.

[Over the South of England]

As this flight was over 2 hours long they showed a movie (Hancock) on the shared screens. It was free providing you brought your own headsets, otherwise you would have had to have bought a pair.

[Airshow]

Gibraltar is a UK Overseas Territory at the bottom of Spain, and on a clear day you can see Africa. It is a tiny little peninsula of land not big enough for a runway, so it extends out over the water.

Map of Gibraltar

If you are flying to Gibraltar you will get a great view of the famous Rock if you are sitting on the left hand side of the plane.

[Rock of Gibraltar Landing View]

The runway cuts across a road which is shut down when flight activity is taking place. When you leave the airport the frontier to Spain is next door to the right, so you can walk to the town of La Linea across the border.

[Gibraltar Airport and The Rock]