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Flying with Class…Business Class

Back in the start of March I had to fly back to the United States. I’d been invited to sit on a mentorship panel for up and coming helicopter pilots at HAI’s Heli-Expo 2016, and to participate in the Mil2Civ (Military to Civilian) mentorship and transition workshops that were being held in Louisville, Kentucky.

I remember when the Airbus A380 first rolled off the line and I thought to myself – I can’t wait to fly on one of those! And then the pictures of the business and first class areas started to make the rounds on the internet and I swore that I’d be flying business class on Emirates one day – soon. Well, this was the perfect opportunity.  Continue reading “Flying with Class…Business Class”

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[Updated with Q&A] Voting from Overseas – and Why I am Voting for Donald Trump

So this is a two parter. The first part is just a simple reminder that you, as a world traveling American still have the opportunity, and really – obligation – to vote from overseas using the absentee ballot system. How do you do this? It’s actually, theoretically, simple. The first step is to contact your local election office and ask for them to email you a ballot. Once you get it find a printer, print it out, fill it out and take it to the local US Embassy and they will process it for you and send it back to the US of A.   Continue reading “[Updated with Q&A] Voting from Overseas – and Why I am Voting for Donald Trump”

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How powerful is your passport?

Henley and Partners have released their passport strength analysis and, being a travel fanatic and blogger, it made sense to post their link here.

Much to mu surprise the US passport is NOT the most powerful passport in the world (it’s still #1 in my heart) but comes in at a rank of #4.

Leading the charge at #1 is Germany. Check out the full list here, and then plan your trips!

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Perks of Living International – Tailors

So, admittedly there are some pretty awful things about not being home in the United States. My friends and family are all back there and I miss the hell out of them. However – that being said, there is too much amazingness in this world to NOT travel and live abroad. I’m going to start writing a bit about the perks of living abroad, to include tech and food and anything else that strikes my fancy.  Continue reading “Perks of Living International – Tailors”

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On life, turning 30, and goals.

         “The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.” – Robert Frost

Tomorrow is January 29th, and once more I’ll be marking a birthday. To say that it is exciting to have made it this far would be an understatement – though a bit of a tired cliche as EVERYONE seems to think that they’ve “survived” the first 30 years of their lives. However, in all actuality, all things considered, the fact that I’m here now writing this, doing what I love for a living is a testament to some good luck, some good karma, and a whole lot of perseverance. In hindsight, after writing this, I should have broken it up into multiple posts. But I didn’t so you’ve got some reading ahead of you.

Continue reading “On life, turning 30, and goals.”

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The Dubai Marathon -or- Mom and Dad visit the Middle East

However you want to title it, this is a really cool post to be making. One of the things I vowed, resolved (whatever), to do this year was to run more. I’m not a huge fan of running, I hate it really – but the benefits to your health are black and white. So, last year I signed up to run the Dubai Marathon, well…ok just a portion of it. But none-the-less it was time again to lace up my sneakers (pun intended) and head out.

This trip was different from my past trips though, as I was meeting my parents on the other side. They’d flown into Dubai a couple days ahead of me (armed with my Dubai in a day guide) to see the city. Then they were going to come cheer me on for the race, and together we were headed back to my new home so I could show them around where I was living. I couldn’t have been more excited! Continue reading “The Dubai Marathon -or- Mom and Dad visit the Middle East”

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One word. AMSTERDAM! (Pics)

Ok. Ok. Listen, I know, the title says one word, but really there are 4 words in the title, and of course I’m going to type up some stuff here too to kind of give you an idea of what is going on in this post. One word would be a hard limit to stick to on a blog.

I’d just made it back from Egypt and I had a sudden opportunity put in front of me. Two of the guys I work with, good friends, were going to stop over in Amsterdam on their way home, and they wanted me to come along too. UMM…let me think…YES! Then one of our American friends, Beth, decided to join too! This trip was going to be awesome. We had 4 days to really take in the city and have an awesome time and unwind.

This blog doesn’t need much set up – other than it was, like Egypt, rather spur of the moment and one of the things I love about living on this side of the planet. So much is just a short flight away!

Click through for the pictures and fun anecdotes.  Continue reading “One word. AMSTERDAM! (Pics)”

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Egypt in a day? Sure, why not. (Pics)

I’m going to quickly develop a reputation as that one travel blogger who only stays in places for one day and then moves on. There is something to be said for that approach, jet lag isn’t a problem because you’re back home before you even acclimate a bit, you spend less money, and at the rate I’m going you see everything everyone else does.

So lets do Egypt? I mean, why not right? It’s a stones throw away from where I’m working right now on any number of regional airlines. When the new schedule was finished by our lead pilot I noticed I had a remarkable, rare, and to-be-coveted 4-days off. Not sure how it happened, or why it happened but I was excited.  Continue reading “Egypt in a day? Sure, why not. (Pics)”

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London in…maybe 7 hours

My leave in the United States seemed to end far quicker than it began and I quickly found myself boarding British Airways for a flight back to my real job – being a helicopter pilot. If I could be paid to just travel and write this blog, and I mean…that would be nice.

Anyways, I had a 10 hour layover in London before my connecting flight back to the Middle East, and there was no way I was going to sit on my hands in the BA terminal (it’s a nice terminal – in case anyone from BA is reading and wants to sponsor the blog); not when there was a beautiful, thriving, vibrant London just a quick shot down the tube waiting to be discovered!

That was meant to be a bit sarcastic given the usual grey, damp, backdrop to London that the rest of the world just assumes is the weather 100% of the time, however while I was there it was blue skies and only a little bit of rain. Continue reading “London in…maybe 7 hours”