Flying Korean Air – The Most Awesome Plane Experience Ever

As I was boarding the Korean Air plane, I asked the flight attendant whether they anticipated many kids to be on board this flight. I was well fed and stocked on bottled water so there was no unpleasant experiences waiting for me to happen in this regard. It was a very long flight I had ahead of me so I wanted to make sure it will be as headache free as possible and with hunger and thirst being off the issues list, the only thing that could still turn this long haul flight into a nightmare would be screaming kids. Kids on a plane are an absolute horror of unspeakable magnitude and their presence, or absence pretty much determine whether the flight will be enjoyable or agonizing. According to the stewardess I had approached, there were very few, if any kids she was aware of that were about to board this craft.

That was great news. I also loved the plane. When I saw it from the terminal parked at our gate, I got excited. I have never flown one of those Boeing planes with upper deck (I think it was Boeing 747-400) before. I knew the top deck was where first class passengers stayed so it was off limits to me, however it was still exciting to board and fly one of those monsters. Really cool. So far nothing but complete awesomeness regarding Korean Air, but at that time I still did not know I was in for the best flying experience ever.

Double Decker Boeing 747-400 by Korean Air
This is the Boeing 747-400 Korean Air Plane I Flew from Vancouver, Canada to Seoul, South Korea With

This large Boeing aircraft has seats on both sides of the plane, the same way regular planes do, but it also has a four row seating in the middle. That makes the plane look spacious and more luxurious. I got a seat numbered 41K. It was the seat by the window and when I got to it, the other two seats from the same section were vacant. Given that Korean Air was using this giant aircraft to fly us to Seoul, I assumed it was because there were many people who wanted to fly there so in order to accommodate them all, a large craft was provided. In other words – I thought this flight was gonna be packed full.

Soon after being seated, I had to start collecting my jaw from the floor. Korean girls are incredibly beautiful and those tight, short-skirt Korean Air outfits they wear complement their beauty really well. I asked the one of them whether the flight was sold out and she said it wasn’t which once again enriched the positive feelings I’ve been experiencing since boarding this plane. I was one of the last ones boarding and so far the only one at my row of three seats. Could it be that I’d have the whole damn thing all for myself? Chances were certainly there, but what I liked even better was the fact that right behind me, right behind the raw 41, there was this large open area with emergency exit. Only one guy was sitting in that three seater with loads and loads of leg room. I asked the flight attendant if it was possible for me to sit there, provided these other two seats don’t get taken prior to take off. She said I would only have to wait until we do take off and then I could move.

Sweet – except that I didn’t wait. I moved as soon as she left me. I asked that guy who occupied the one seat if he was OK with me taking one of those and he actually said that if there was gonna be nobody in the row in which I had my assigned seat, he would actually move out of this spot and take that whole row 41 for himself, claiming it was better suited for sleeping. He said he was boarding a flight to Hong Kong after arriving in Seoul and goes straight to work from there so getting some sleep would be beneficial for him.

I sent him to take my original seat without hesitation, suggesting that there are hardly any more people left to board the plane so he would likely have the whole thing for himself. It worked out perfect, cause yet before we took off, I had an entire raw by the emergency exit for myself with more leg room than I could bargain for. The guy who was originally meant to sit here got what he wanted – whole row of seats to sleep on for himself = everyone wins.

Emergency Row Offers a Great Deal of Legroom
Scoring an Emergency Row Seat Granted me with Lots and Lots of Legroom

As we were getting ready to depart, the things just kept getting better and better. Facing me opposite that large leg room area is one seat where flight attendants sit for the take off. The hottest of all flight attendants sat there facing me, so we were just giving each other smirks. She was so cute. But the real awesomeness of Korean Air started after we were in the air. I can safely assume that flying Korean Air = the most awesome plane experience ever. The awesomeness of Korean Air simply never stopped.

The entertainment system is loaded with latest Hollywood movies and all of them free of charge. Quality headphones were provided to every passenger after take off free of charge. It was none of that cheap crap I got from Westjet after shelling out $3. Korean Air headphones are much better and are complimentary. The selection of movies as I have said was noteworthy. Normally you get one decent move and a couple of stupidly crappy ones. The good one was one of those you would have already seen and the stupid ones were so lame, you didn’t even feel like watching. Korean Air is different.

Their selection of movies included Wolverine, Terminator Salvation, Angels and Demons, The Hangover, Star Trek XI, Monsters vs Aliens, etc. Absolutely amazing selection of in flight entertainment and all of it free. You don’t pay to watch any of the movie aboard Korean Air. It is included complimentary to make your flight with them more enjoyable. And awe just continued.

Korean Air Flight - Spacious Plane with Interactive Screens
Korean Air Flight - Spacious Plane with Interactive Screens

Bottle of water was provided on every seat, but even so, before you could start feeling like you could use more water, the flight attendants would already start delivering drinks. They never stopped. They were always on their feet providing their customers with something. And then the food was served – that’s where Korean Air really got me.

I was asked whether I wanted Korean traditional meal or beef. Of course I went for the Korean dish. No question there. But what I did not expect was that in flight meals on Korean Air flights are served in actual porcelain dishes, not in some plastic stuff. Also, you get new, plastic wrapped silverware. Actual high end silverware instead of cheapo plastic crap other airliners give you to eat with.

Traditional Korean Dish I Got on Korean Air Plane
Traditional Korean Dish Served with Real Silverware and Porcelain Dishes I Got on Korean Air Plane

The traditional Korean dish I chose consisted of steamed rice and a bowl of Bibimbap – some mixture of sea weed, vegetable, minced meat and sprouts. Awesome Asian soup was part of it too as well as pickles and fruit. Kingly meal, I tell ya. When a girl who served me the dish asked me what wine I wanted, I automatically assumed it would cost money. I mean – no airline in the world, no matter what china they serve their food in and what cutlery they provide their customers with to eat with will serve you wine for free. You always pay for alcoholic beverages so I respectfully declined.

A minute later, another flight attendant comes with bottle of red wine in one hand and a bottle of white in another and asks me if I’m ready for a refill of wine. I asked how much it was for wine and she said it was all free. I took a glass full of red and must mention one more thing – the glass they provided was an actual glass, not plastic. What an awesome experience flying Korean Air.

Korean Green Tea and a Glass of Red Wine
When Asked Whether I Wanted Lipton Tea or Korean Green Tea, Of Course I Went for Korean. Glass of Red Wine Was Also Complimentary and Served in an Actual Glass, not Plastic

Everything on this flight was included, and it wasn’t an overpriced flight. I have actually bought it because it was the cheapest and I always do my homework when it comes to buying travel stuff.

I got my bonus in flight entertainment when one of the flight attendants accidentally dropped a can of coke not far from me. The can burst on impact and sprayed the legs of other flight attendants with its sticky self. These girls are absolutely gorgeous so watching them rub coke off their perfect legs with paper towels was a real treat. It was the highlight of my trip (hey, at least I’m honest with you).

An extra surprise took place when I went to use the washroom and found it equipped with disposable toothbrushes and toothpaste. These were plastic wrapped, single use units. Inside were one toothbrush and a very small tube of toothpaste. I brushed my teeth with it which was amazing given the length of flight (aka time during which you would otherwise not give your teeth any care).

I have flown many a time in my life but flying Korean Air beat any and all previous flight experiences. This was above and beyond awesome. I will always look for Korean Air flights when booking plane tickets in the future before I book with someone else. The treatment, the value for money and the presence of most gorgeous girls can not be beat by any other carrier. Korean Air rules. This was the best flying experience of my life to date. Someone’s gonna have to provide hell of an experience to beat that.

Korean Air Boarding Passes Came in a Shiny Package
Korean Air Boarding Passes Came in a Shiny Package

Around the World Travel – When is the Best Time to Start it?

Valuable money saving trick I have learned after my trip to Iceland made it clear for me that the best time to switch from corporate lifestyle to early retirement was at the break of two months. The way it works in Canada is that when you were moving to your current place of residence, you would have left the damage deposit with your landlord. Damage deposit is typically one month worth of rent. This damage deposit is then refunded back to you upon final inspection provided the apartment is in the same state as when it was given to you. Based on further arrangements, you are typically required to give your landlord one month notice in order to ensure your damage deposit makes it back to your pocket.

It was the middle of July of 2009. The premise of early retirement and the dedication to live life instead of spending it were clear to me and I knew it was only a question of short time before I would quit work to travel around the world. I only had a few things to take care of beforehand to ensure that I don’t jump into anything totally unprepared so I don’t have to face potential bitter consequences right away. Choosing the best time to start my around the world travel was one of the crucial decisions I was to come up with.

I didn’t want it to be too late as I could not stand watching more days of my life pass me by, but I couldn’t take off tomorrow either as that would only be possible at significantly increased cost. The decision was not all that difficult, even though it was an important one.

First of all, I needed to time it so I take off at the end of a month. The obvious advantage was that I would only spend as much money on rent as necessary. If I were to take off at the middle of a month, I’d have to try to make special arrangements with my landlord which would be excessively difficult, would waste a lot of my time and may not result in arrangements I’d be happy with. In order to maximize savings and avoid needlessly increased costs, timing my departure for the end of the month was essential.

I could not wait to take off so I looked at the first available end of month which was the end of July. That would send me on my way in two weeks which would be perfect. I could not do any more of that corporate lifestyle and also could not wait to get back on the road so being only two weeks away would keep the momentum going and I’d be a happy camper. However, this bore countless issues.

If I were to take off at the end of July, beginning of August, I wouldn’t have given my landlord enough notice which would result in loss of damage deposit. That’s $850 down the drain if worst case scenario comes to be, less if they have mercy on me and only swallow part of it. I would definitely lose a good chunk which seemed like a stupid waste.

July is also in the middle of summer which according to Canadian travel agents is the busiest time of year as far as vacations are involved so prices are hiked up. By giving myself only two weeks, I would have little time to leverage for better deal on plane tickets I am otherwise so good at scoring.

End of July would also give me little time to boost income from my websites I needed in order to secure myself with positive cash flow before I embark on a worldwide journey. So all in all, even though the premise of taking off this early was tempting, there were many hints suggesting that I’d be throwing myself head first down the abyss.

Naturally, I took a closer look at next available end of the month – August/September. And not surprisingly, this date seemed by all accounts to be the best. End of August fell on a weekend, which meant I would be able to take off during natural time off work which would make things less tense. I’d have enough time to conveniently give notice to my landlord, my electricity provider (Epcor), my internet provider (Rogers), my mobile phone services provider (Koodo) and they all would get them well in advance which would be no room to rip me off. The more leverage in my hands, the more money I can save.

End of August also gave me 6 weeks to look for the best plane ticket to take me away from Canada and into some third world country where cost of living is significantly lower so I could sustain my stay easily even with only $300 positive net cash flow. 6 weeks would also give me an extended amount of time to focus intensely on my website in order to boost the income to as high a level as possible so not only I have enough positive cash flow, but also end up with some extra pocket money just in case.

End of August it was. I found the best time to leave my corporate lifestyle and embark on around the world travel while having everything at home taken care of. With specifically defined goal as to the departure clearly set, I was able to start working on all necessary planning. Having your goals clearly defined is essential for how are you supposed to achieve something if it is not entirely and undisputedly clear in your mind what exactly it is that you want. Have your goals clearly defined, know what you want, say it aloud, write it on a piece of paper so you have a daily reminder and focus on it with all your conscience and subconscience. Whatever your dream, know it’s achievable. Believe in it because no matter how distant it may seem, you can have it sooner than you think. Your mind is your most powerful tool and the fastest way to the results. Make it work for you, not against.