You haven’t lived until…

OP got my interested when I noted I'd done all 5 of theirs, completing Hanoi (and HCMC) road crossings recently.
1. Been in a car crash, a bus crash and a train derailment.
2. Travelled through a war zone.
3. Slept on top of a mountain so as to see the sunset and sunrise.
4. Warmed hands by the radiant heat of molten lava.
5. Climbed over the Berlin Wall from East to West.
 
Were on a shark's lunch menu.
Been through 5 coups -2 in Thailand, 3 in Fiji.
Have had converstions with 4 Prime Ministers -2 Austalia, 2 Fiji and 1 future king.
Have hosted Russia's 4 top Australian diplomats for a weekend.
Kayaked beside a humpback whale less than a metre away.
 
this is fun thinking about memorable moments from travel.
many above are familiar, but my 5 would be ....

1. caught a barramundi and had it for dinner
2. invited to coughpit (from upstairs 1st on a B747-200) for landing at Heathrow
3. landing on frozen lake (east of Yellowknife) and seeing northern lights that night
4. midsummer in Norway, on a deck in Flam having a beer overlooking the Sonja fjord
5. upgrade from business to Concorde (LHR to Washington) when BA stuffed up.
 
1. Saw the Northern lights in Northern Norway.
2. Been rescued by the helicopter owned by the Governor of Svalbard.
3. Had dinner at Noma in Copenhagen.
4. Skiied chest deep dry powder.
5. became a WP
Had a geologist friend who withstood an inquisitive polar bear he stumbled upon in an abandoned hut on Svalbard by screaming at it. His gun man was outside. Polar bear noped out.
 
Mr Denali says diving Iceland and touching Nth America & Eurasia tectonic plates. For clear visability, he also said diving Niue

1717895710301.png

Im going to say dawn seeing this but I admit to tearing up seeing my first Van Gough in person (in Amsterdam)

1717895861655.png
 
2. invited to coughpit (from upstairs 1st on a B747-200) for landing at Heathrow
It’s going to be difficult for anyone who hasn’t lived yet, to ever live from this point forward, based on this!!
 
another thought... the ones listed earlier were already done, so something still on my bucket list is to perch on a hill in Wales watching the military aircraft through the Mach Loop (assuming being in one is impossible).
The guys at 4:25 in this video are having a "you haven't lived until..." moment.
 
You haven't lived until...
1. Your driver on the Istanbul to Vienna bus stops in the middle of nowhere and says he's not going any further
2. Your taxi driver in Athens takes the 'scenic' route back to your hotel
3. The airline passenger beside you says 'Would you like my First Class upgrade? I can't be bothered moving'
4. You order mushroom omelette in Bali
5. You have a close encounter with a bear in the Great Smokey Mountains US
 
Australia's highest-earning Velocity Frequent Flyer credit card: Offer expires: 21 Jan 2025
- Earn 60,000 bonus Velocity Points
- Get unlimited Virgin Australia Lounge access
- Enjoy a complimentary return Virgin Australia domestic flight each year

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

another thought... the ones listed earlier were already done, so something still on my bucket list is to perch on a hill in Wales watching the military aircraft through the Mach Loop (assuming being in one is impossible).
The guys at 4:25 in this video are having a "you haven't lived until..." moment.
My sister lives in the Usk valley a little west of Brecon so those flights are a frequent noisy nuisance.
 
Oh, another one to add
6. Your bags are priority tagged and actually come out first
Hasn't happened too often. . . . . but once in Singapore (when I still checked bags in) it came out first as I reached the carousel and I hardly broke stride.😁

I have had the opposite of no bags 3 times, once in New York for a very cold weekend and my coat was in the bag.
 
My sister lives in the Usk valley a little west of Brecon so those flights are a frequent noisy nuisance.
Is your sister in a position to set up an Air BnB or something similar, given her fantastic location?
 
A few years ago we were driving around Wales and happened upon a beautiful lake. Stopped, got out to take some photos and was approached by another person with a camera asking if I knew when the planes would be flying through the valley, had no idea it was a bit of a training run. Didn't see any planes, but the countryside is stunning.



Screenshot 2024-06-18 165355.pngScreenshot 2024-06-18 165419.pngScreenshot 2024-06-18 165430.pngScreenshot 2024-06-18 165549.pngScreenshot 2024-06-18 165609.png
 
Not sure about things that I must do before I die, or other, but a few odd ones over the years include:

1. Being on a bus going from New Delhi to London, I don't do drugs, never have, but couldn't believe it when the largest joint I had ever seen was being passed around as we drove from Herat in Afghanistan to the Iranian border, at the time one border you did not want to mess with. A few English guys had driven the bus fitted out a camper type thing to India, spent a few months there, then when they were returning it to England, added a few seats and sold tickets to fund their trip back. We were stuck in Herat for a few days and crossed into Iran the day after the Shah left.

2: Sleeping in a Police station in Uganda, sleeping mats and bags rolled out in view of the poor buggers locked up in the cells.

3: Seen the Midnight Sun in northern Sweden.

4: Gone into a railway station London and asked for a one way ticket to Moscow, what! was the reaction, no-one does that. Everything else from Moscow to Beijing was organised by InTourist.

5: Pitched a tent on a Highway in what was then Zaire, basically a dirt road which had been blocked by bogged trucks. Took a couple of days to get out of that one.

6: One more, traveled from Kathmandu to Pokhara sitting on the roof of a bus, my major regret was not having a camera!

Zaire, I forgot, we got bogged as well! One more, sleeping out under the stars in the Sahara!

Screenshot 2024-06-18 174838.pngScreenshot 2024-06-18 175147.pngScreenshot 2024-06-18 175220.png
 
Last edited:

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top