I’ve always loved flying.

There’s something about soaring through the clouds in a metal capsule which never ceases to amaze me. Which reminded me of this hilarious Louis CK clip, (the whole thing is worth watching – the flying bit starts 2.40 in).

I love airports and always lament how little time I have to do any shopping.

I tend to get to airports with as little time as possible left before I board… It’s driven many of my friends insane and entailed a lot of sprinting around airports… I’ve had my name called over the tannoy, had fellow passengers clap when I finally turn up onboard after the plane’s been delayed (and they’ve been angrily waiting), and generally almost missed a LOT of flights.  (Although, I’ve only actually missed one – on my way to Barcelona, thanks to being trapped on a broken down train, resulting in a third of our long weekend away being spent at Luton airport…).

I love flying from Heathrow. It has the best restaurants, (as far as airports go…), and is the closest airport to home.

Take the tube or get cheap Heathrow Express tickets by booking in advance. Otherwise, if there’s more than two of you travelling, an Uber is usually cheaper, and almost as quick if the traffic isn’t bad.

If you’re flying out of Heathrow, sit on the left and try to spot Windsor castle.

If you’re flying into Heathrow, sit on the right, and you’ll get a spectacular view of London’s landmarks. You’ll see City Airport’s runway, the Olympic Park, the O2 and Maritime Museum in Greenwich, Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, the City of London, The Tate Modern, St Paul’s Cathedral, the London Eye, House of Parliament, Hyde Park, the Albert Bridge, where we live and where we work. It’s beautiful, and a great welcome into London!

We’ve generally tried to visit Australia at least once every 1-2 years and have a few frequent flyer points that we’ve used to upgrade to business class. It’s generally better value to upgrade to business with points then it is to pay for an economy ticket with points.

I’ve been fortunate to fly business class a few times. It makes a massive difference when you fly long haul – I love it.

The Qatar Airways lounge at Heathrow far surpasses whatever we’ve experienced in BA’s terminal 5. Qatar’s onboard business class service is also superb.

They are not well advertised, but there are three BA lounges in Terminal 5. The biggest if you’re flying business class is near the spa on the south side. There’s hot food and cheap champagne there, and it’s far better than the small space situated right by security which is usually over populated and sparsely stocked.

I’ll always do what I can to make sure I have a window seat – for me the view is what flying is all about!  One thing that really pisses me off, is how you can reserve a window seat, and for some unknown reason there is no window! WTF! It’s definitely something you should be warned about when checking in!

If you’re flying with Emirates and have a seat preference. It’s worth calling in advance to make sure that they have your seat preference on record. Seats are allocated far in advance and many families often request to sit together, which means that window seats are hard to come by when online check-in opens.

If possible, I always try and fly on an A380 or A350 – they’re far roomier, quieter and more comfortable than other planes I’ve flown on.