It's A Small World After All

The Golden Age of umpteen-stop plane journeys was thrilling and adventurous, but the convenience of today’s one-stop wonders is better

The topic of holidays and travel is often raised when meeting friends and neighbours (almost more than the weather!). We live in fortunate times. Direct routes are opening up new destinations, and if we pause for reflection, we should consider how lucky we are to spin the globe, decide to jump on a plane and 12 or 16 hours later, voila, we’re on the other side of the world.

I recently flew on what is currently the world’s longest commercially operated flight, a distance of 9,042 miles (14,552km) and a mere snip at 17hrs 40 mins from wheels up to wheels down. It passed surprisingly quickly.

A recent surprise gift left me thinking about just how lucky we are to have these easy journeys available at the click of a button or the swipe of a phone. The gift was a copy of the 1934 Bradshaw’s Air Guide, and it is an amazing reminder of just how far we have come in a relatively short time.