First off, saving the pennies. What is the one luxury that you cannot possibly live without? When the chips are down and the banks are printing more money just to make the world go round, I would say the one material thing I could not go without is a good holiday. Buyer beware, or caveat emptor as we lawyers might say. A cheap holiday may leave you with a whole lot more than you bargained for.
Take for example a flight with a low-cost carrier. More often than not, these airlines employ a "stealth pricing strategy" involving added charges for hold baggage, seats together, so-called priority boarding (have you ever seen us Chinese queuing???) and don't even get me started on expensive food. The cruellest and most evil thing anyone can do on a plane is to order one of those overpriced ham and cheese toasties, or a bacon sarnie and smile sweetly as the scent wafts gently down the aisle of the aircraft. Enough said.
Anyway, by the time you have paid for all these added extras, you may as well have gone with a regular airline, got your free paper, drunk your bubbles, thank you very much, and not had to wear a jacket that doubles up as a suitcase. Besides, the flight times with these more traditional fleets generally tends to be more civilised so travelling is just less stressful.
On our recent trip to China, Mr Cross insisted we pay for Premium Economy as he is six foot tall and played American Football at university (it's called college football for those in the know, and it's called a lid and not a helmet in case you were wondering!). On the return journey, I was so exhausted and stressed out from the 16-day tour, that I made up my mind that I was going to get us a complimentary upgrade to Club. If you don't know me, as many of you don't, you will soon learn that when I decide to do something, I don't do it by halves. All or nothing as the croupier might shout.
The short version of the story is that it took me 30 minutes of refusing to budge from the check-in desk, my best Sportmax coat, a lot of charm and patience, and a combination of English, fluent Cantonese and conversational Mandarin, and sheer dogged determination, and after that half hour, I emerged floating in a bubble, not quite believing I had done it, but I had. And no, it didn't cost me the 11,000RMB per person I was quoted from the outset. It cost me some time, possibly one grey hair (Mr Cross can pull it out at a later date), and a few glares from some staff and fellow passengers, and all I can say is that for the 13-hour flight back to Terminal 5, it was the best deal I have struck thus far. Well I don't count my marriage contract - there are some that may say that Mr Cross has done a deal with a little red devil.
Call me what you like, but just remember this: DON'T CALL ME JANE!!!
