[It has been so long since I’ve blogged because I have had these Africa pictures hanging over my head. John took over 6,000 photos and that is an insane amount of pictures to weed through. I think I may have gotten it down to a manageable (and interesting) few.]
We took a rather circuitous route to Africa. Being the travel junkie that I am I spent hours pouring over possible routing that could make the journey more enjoyable. Sometimes this can mean more stops to get better planes, better seats, and shorter flights. It can also mean having the opportunity to stop somewhere else along the way.
We used frequent flyer miles to London so that we could cross the Atlantic in a lie-flat seat for free. We had a lovely 24 hours at Gravetye Manor in West Sussex (much more on that later). Then we flew on Emirates through Dubai to Nairobi. This is not the most direct way to get from London to Nairobi, but Emirates planes/seats are way better than British Airways and they were substantially cheaper than BA. Once in Nairobi we took a much smaller plane to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania and from there about an hour in the jeep to Arusha where we would spend the night before heading out on our safari.
John’s United Airlines frequent flyer miles for all his tortuous work travel paid for this hot fudge sundae at 40,000 feet. He was snoozing away already by the time I partook.Most airlines have a handful of these double-decker A380s. Emirates has over 90 of them. And when you fly business class from certain airports you actually get to board the plane directly from the lounge without having to wait in line.The Emirates Lounge magazine choices kept me from getting to my reading.Upstairs on the A380. Our seats were the two in the middle next to each other. Being a middle eastern airline, we refrained from getting snuggling. I’m holding the champagne for effect. I don’t drink much and if I do, champagne wouldn’t be my choice.I like watching the tail cam as we takeoff.In the Emirates Lounge in Dubai, I had to sling all of this over my shoulder so I could use the bathroom. John was off having a massage and there was no way I could have waited until he was done. The lounge in Dubai was absolutely huge and had tons of amenities but it was also really busy and we were cranky from an overnight flight.Emirates has really made Dubai the hub of hubs. I think this is the most variety I have ever seen on a departure board.In Nairobi looking a little worse for wear. We had to cool our jets (no pun intended) in the rather warmish old part of the airport before hopping our plane to Tanzania. After all the flying and changes in time/sleep/eating etc. we were pretty exhausted by this point. The cruel thing is that outside the stuffy terminal the weather was cool, fresh, and low humidity. The walk to the even hotter plane was really delightful.
That seat configuration is the same as BA which the staff hate and isn’t great for passengers either. But you got a personal drinks chiller by your side it seems which you dont get on BA
But there is one really big difference. On BA you have to step over someone’s legs to get to the aisle (or someone has to step over yours). On Emirates everyone has clear access to the aisle.
Oh, I also failed to mention that when you buy a business class ticket on Emirates you get a free limo to and from the airport. Up to a 90 mile radius I believe. And there is a stand-up bar on board. And the seats are a click or two more comfy than BA’s biz class. But the seats on the 777 from Dubai to Nairobi were only angle flat, not like the fully flat on the A380.
I visited all the posts for your trip and just wanted to say, what a trip! A trip of a lifetime, I’m sure. Very niice flight accommodations as well. I’ve never even left the country so I really have very little to compare it too but looks like you were comfortable for the most part.
So interesting! I’ve seen lots of travel photos on blogs but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any from an actual flight. I’m glad you got lie-flat seats, that is a looong flight! I’ve only ever flown first class on short flights — I’ve flown from the states to Japan back and forth three times and it was terrible in coach. I’m tempted to fly to Africa now that I’m in Europe but we only have two years left and I have so much I want to see here I probably won’t get to it. Off to read the rest of your posts!
I can understand you wanting to do Europe while you are living in Europe. But you might want to consider how much harder it will be to get to Africa after you leave Europe. As for blogging about flights, there is a whole world of bloggers and YouTubers who do nothing but post stories/videos about flights. I am addicted to them.
hogglestock 
That seat configuration is the same as BA which the staff hate and isn’t great for passengers either. But you got a personal drinks chiller by your side it seems which you dont get on BA
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But there is one really big difference. On BA you have to step over someone’s legs to get to the aisle (or someone has to step over yours). On Emirates everyone has clear access to the aisle.
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that’s a huge difference. I’m off to look at the Emirates prices in that case rather than the BA flight I was just about to book
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Oh, I also failed to mention that when you buy a business class ticket on Emirates you get a free limo to and from the airport. Up to a 90 mile radius I believe. And there is a stand-up bar on board. And the seats are a click or two more comfy than BA’s biz class. But the seats on the 777 from Dubai to Nairobi were only angle flat, not like the fully flat on the A380.
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I visited all the posts for your trip and just wanted to say, what a trip! A trip of a lifetime, I’m sure. Very niice flight accommodations as well. I’ve never even left the country so I really have very little to compare it too but looks like you were comfortable for the most part.
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Ti, we need to get you a passport and get you out of the country. For a vacation that is, not for good.
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So interesting! I’ve seen lots of travel photos on blogs but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any from an actual flight. I’m glad you got lie-flat seats, that is a looong flight! I’ve only ever flown first class on short flights — I’ve flown from the states to Japan back and forth three times and it was terrible in coach. I’m tempted to fly to Africa now that I’m in Europe but we only have two years left and I have so much I want to see here I probably won’t get to it. Off to read the rest of your posts!
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I can understand you wanting to do Europe while you are living in Europe. But you might want to consider how much harder it will be to get to Africa after you leave Europe. As for blogging about flights, there is a whole world of bloggers and YouTubers who do nothing but post stories/videos about flights. I am addicted to them.
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I dream of that Business Class journey on an A340. Lucky you.
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