Spontaneous trips

[MissBurrill]

As I drove home this very early this morning from yesterday afternoons' spontaneous road trip to Sydney for KFC and a hug (friend off overseas for 4 months) I thought back to a trip a few years ago where I booked a flight from Canberra to Sydney with just a couple of hours notice. This trip a few years ago was also for a hug.

I'm wondering if I'm just a crazy romantic or if anyone else has jumped on a plane (or in their car) for a similar reason. Traveled all that way spontaneously to see someone for a few minutes to a few hours. Mmm, this post is reminding me of the Tiger show the other day where the daughter and relatives flew to wish Mum a Happy Birthday but their trip was planned.

I should throw in the disclaimer that I'm on leave at the moment so it was very easy for me to throw shoes on yesterday, turn up the stereo and cruise up the highway. Couldn't jump on a plane as Ulladulla lacks an airport.....

Karen

 

[Maca44]

About 10 years ago I took a friend to Sydney International teminal as he was flying to Europe for several months, so I stayed with him at the Terminal for several hours and then drove home to northern beaches. However, could not get it out of my system; seeing everyone at the airport going somewhere, so the next morning I flew to NZ for five days as that was all I could afford at that time. Not much of a trip (time wise) but it did get the bug out of my system for a while.

 

[whereishome]

When I was informed at my new job last year that in December I would be required to take leave (which I hadn't accrued) over the 3 week Christmas shut down I thought "bugger this" and booked a JQ fare to NRT. Shortest time I've ever booked an international flight in - 3 weeks from purchase to departure.

Shortest domestic - had a free weekend a few months back and a friend was having a house party in Melbourne because their landlord was booting them out so he could sell the place. Found out Thursday night, booked a flight Friday AM at work and flew out at 6.30pm that night.

 

[chrisb]

I've always wanted to do this, but being in PER the options are limited and expensive. (Or there's Kalgoorlie...)

 

[drron]

Spontaneous!Whoa.I am planning my August 2010 DONE4 now.Will book it in 5 weeks.

 

[markis10]

Shortest time I've ever booked an international flight in - 3 weeks from purchase to departure.

3 hours is the shortest time I have booked an international ticket and gone, was having issues with local managment and decided to have a face to face meeting with my regional boss in Singapore, so I grabed the 3PM Syd flight.

 

[dajop]

Two years ago , had a week leave planned. Still unsure what to do we were looking at some TG fares online Friday night for BKK (ex MEL return for $700), but couldn't book online with such short notice (although knew they were there). Went into FC at midday, and we had the option of taking the 4pm or midnight flight. Whilst the former was tempting, ended up going for the midnight departure, so that was 12 hrs in advance... could have easily been four. In the end we open jawed into HKT, out of BKK.

Oh and for work, once on Wed night I got a call from my Singapore (dotted line) boss asking me if I could be in Buenos Aires on Monday for a global meeting, as he couldn't make it. So he got necessary approvals over night. Of course no availablity on LAN, and QF/AA via LAX was megabucks, so went for a oneworld Global Explorer via Europe. So ticketed Fri afternoon and flew out Friday night. One advantage booking so close that I was able to check the weather to decide where to route via/stopover, and ended up in Berlin for 24hrs

 

[zig]

I'm not very good at spontaneous travel

I get nearly as much pleasure from the planning and anticipation of the travel, as from the travel itself. So I like to maximise that enjoyment by planning my travel in advance. Suppose I'm just fairly boring.

 

[misstam]

Most of my overseas travel is relatively spontaneous - usually booking a trip & leaving within a few weeks.

The first time i went to Malaysia, I'd been casually checking out airfares - then one night i found a super-cheap fare...but the only flight available at that price was the following morning.
So i went - what the hell! This was about 10pm when i booked the flight online.. then stayed up booking travel insurance, connecting flights, accommodation for the first few days, packing......was at the airport early in the morning.

Had just enough time before boarding to send off some hurried SMSs to let folks know i was heading off on another adventure.
They were like :shock:.... but these days, it's more like "oh there she goes again" (eye rolling)!

 

[Flashback]

Business wise, a server went down in BME and I was on the next flight up there; about 3 hours from the incident I think.

Personally... at the end of last year we were to be working all through the Christmas period, but then the work that was supposed to occupy us never came through so we were encouraged to take some leave. Booked a trip to Brunei/Sarawak to catch up with a friend from Uni and left a few days later:!:

 

[notzac]

The only properly spontaneous travel I've done was domestic - 2 hours from booking to flying MEL-BNE. I've done a couple random weekends in NZ, but there's usually been a few weeks between buying the ticket and flying.

 

[JohnK]

A couple of years ago I was going to be 30SCs short of Platinum and one Sunday I booked SYD-CBR-MEL-SYD around lunchtime and was at the airport a few hours later....

 

[NM]

Business wise, a server went down in BME and I was on the next flight up there; about 3 hours from the incident I think.

I once had a phone call at 9am telling me to go directly to Kuala Lumpur - do not pass go, do not collect $200. Called Mrs NM to let her know I was going, and her phone was sitting on the desk next to me, so no way to contact her. I left a note on the kitchen table along the lines of "Hi Honey. Gone to KL. Don't know when I'll be home. Flight departs 1pm. Call me at the airport when you get home."

So 4 hours from phone cal to departure.

Personally... at the end of last year we were to be working all through the Christmas period, but then the work that was supposed to occupy us never came through so we were encouraged to take some leave. Booked a trip to Brunei/Sarawak to catch up with a friend from Uni and left a few days later:!:

nothing too crazy on the personal front since I was married. But before that a mate and I drove to Sydney for the weekend to see a movie (or that was the excuse) with no planning. Just sitting around one day and decided to see a movie. Then we could not decide which cinema to go to so some bright spark suggested George St in Sydney. So off we set.

I am too "mature" for that these days . Or so I have to try to convince my kids when they want to do crazy things like that.

 

[tuapekastar]

The trip was not spontaneous but the mode of transport was. Years ago, we had a work 'social club' weekend (read gigantic pi55-up) at Albury. Last thing the organiser said to me in the pub on Friday night was "don't miss the train at 0900 tomorrow"! Of course, stupid me woke up Sat morning to see an alarm clock showing...0900!

So I rang East-West Airlines to see if a standby to ABX could be had. She couldn't of course guarantee anything but said I was unlikely to be disappointed. So off to the airport...I left Melbourne several hours after the rest of 'em, and arrived in Albury just shortly after them.

I did not miss the return train.

 

[anat0l]

Hmmm...I wish a bit more of my travel was spontaneous.

We've had those moments in our family - specifically my mother and father have gone through that - but that's due to my grandparents passing away. (I've only one grandparent left alive now).

One time last year when I was still a PS, I was so fed up with work and all that I booked flights and hotels just to shake off everything. They weren't cheap fares (I even points-upgraded one sector), but it was enough of a weekend to iron out the travel bug and the work bugs (temporarily for two days anyway )...until Monday morning when I had to face a delayed DJ flight (not the best thing to happen on your first impressions flight of a carrier). I even wrote a TR about it.

So that one was two days - that's pretty spontaneous for me.


Another time was a bit different (and I've quoted this many times). I was wanting to return home from KBR, but there were no seats left on the MH KUL-BNE flight (plenty on the KBR-KUL flight, however). Dad was fine and confirmed, but I was waitlisted on KUL-BNE. Mum called in the morning and they said there were still no seats.

Then we got a call at 12pm-ish saying that a seat had opened up - should I take it? Of course! KBR-KUL was going to leave in 2 hrs though and I didn't look one bit packed up and ready to go, so the next hour or so was a mad flurry (not to mention Mum wanted to stuff as much cargo as she could in our luggage to take home for her).

As an added surprise, Dad and I were op-upped on KUL-BNE!


Of course, there have also been a few times where I've missed some other forms of transport (not planes) and I've ended up taking a taxi and praying that it arrived quickly and that there was no traffic going to the airport.....

 

[Ms Lucy]

Well, not very spontaneous in comparison to many stories here, but fairly spontaneous for ME! (I'm a worrier / planner) A few years ago I had two weeks leave booked, expecting to be driver/ carer etc for parent post-surgery. Ten days before leave, the surgery was postponed, leaving me with time off work and nothing to do. Didn't want to cancel the leave because I was chronically tired and VERY in need of being well away from work, and, though tempted, didn't want to "waste" the time doing absolutely nothing.

Had vague thoughts of Darwin. Dropped into the nearest FC on my way past one lunchtime to pick up a brochure full of hotels and day tours. As favourite staffer at our regular cafe was making coffee, he inquired about where I was off to. Turns out said lad was originally from Darwin so I immediately requested advice about where to go if I did head there (damn fine latte and free travel advice; winning combination). He advised Litchfield, Katherine, and possibly Kakadu if time permitted. (Also recommended restaurants and particular satay stall at the night market).

Too late to rope in any friends as tour companion so decided a solo trek was in order. Onto to web that night to book flights. As it was so close to departure, finding flights that fitted in with my long (public transport) commute to airport from home meant paying outrageous prices so opted for using my FF points instead. Booking so late, trip up from Melbourne meant going via Sydney and Cairns so decided to do it "properly" and go Business class (trip home Econ due lack of points) to lessen the pain.

Consultant at FC was most impressed the next day when I went in with preferred hotel, along with list of three day trips, with dates, spaced with free day in between, and tour company specified, including exact tour booking code. She commented that it was nice to have someone doing something a bit different; they get a bit sick of booking package trips to the Gold Coast.

Anyway, I had a fabulous time. Even my long day getting to Darwin was enjoyable. First experience of Business class so I was very impressed. Also enjoyed the novelty of hanging about in the lounges between flights. Same cabin crew between Sydney and Cairns, and Cairns and Darwin, and was well looked after. Meals were nice and wine fabulous. The lime icecream while watching movie also very welcome.

Day trips were long but very enjoyable, and travelling on my own meant I could please myself on the days in between. Spent several afternoons lazing with a book by the pool (I was there at the start of the wet season so the humidity was a bit high for this Victorian) and some nice room service dinners (yes, they do exist). Trip thrown together very quickly but turned out to be a fabulous break; just what I needed at the time.

 

[straitman]

Many years ago when in the RAAF I was called in by the CO one day at about 1300 and asked if my needles were up to date. Of course they were not, so it was off to medical for multiple jabs and then home to pack. At 0600 next morning it was a Huey ride from Canberra to RAAF Richmond for an 0800 C130 flight to Butterworth Malaysia, for an undefined period. (A two day trip by Hercules) When I arrived they gave me the only air conditioned room as I had come from a Canberra winter. Needless to say I ended up with the worst possible sinus infection which of course extended the stay even further.
I was there for several weeks checking out the base Huey pilots as all the RAAF Hueys had all been grounded after a fatal accident.
No notice of the trip but it turned out to be a lot of fun once things settled down.
Shortly after returning home i got to go and do the same training at RAAF Pearce.

 

[MDC]

Where do I start?

A few years ago I was missing the then girlfriend (now wife) while I was stuck working in Auckland. Called her on the Friday to tell her to cancel her weekend plans and to pack because I had booked a flight over so we can have dinner that weekend.

Then there's the time that my boss called me while I was waiting for a flight from SYD to MCO (via AKL, LAX and DFW). He was calling to tell me that there was a change in plans and I would now be heading to London. Nice journey that one: BNE-SYD-AKL-LAX-DFW-MCO-LGW in one long leg. All in whY.

I often get "Can you be in xx_XX tomorrow?" from work.

Strangest one I didn't do... I was in Katherine NT a few weeks ago and one of the guys I met said he was heading down the road to get some Maccas. The closest Maccas is 300kms away!

 

[anat0l]

I applaud all the honey-drippers and gold-hearted people here who have admitted spontaneously and unconditionally travelling in the name of love.