TravelStories Episode 59: Around the World with Hello Kitty

Around the World with Hello Kitty

Episode 59: Show Notes.

When EVA Air released its Hello Kitty livery on a 777-300ER, we just knew we had to hop on! Today, 10 years later, we reflect on our EVA Air Hello Kitty trip and why this particular adventure is still one of our most memorable. We discuss how we became aware of the Hello Kitty jet, the near-disaster of our first connection, and the wonder of our in-flight experience with Hello Kitty branding, literally, everywhere!  Then, we examine our itinerary, which included stops in Taiwan, Bangkok, Vientiane, Laos, and Singapore, before detailing our experience of the Crowne Plaza Vientiane and other attractions Laos had to offer. We also learn of Tom’s unlikely affair with beer, his aversion to Thai foot massages, why we’re definitely going to do an entire Fifth Freedom Flight episode, and why taxis in Singapore may have saved Trevor’s marriage. To end, we share fond—and socially unacceptable— memories of the entire Lufthansa First-Class (drink!) service, and we rank our Hello Kitty trip as a complete travel experience worthy of high praise.      

Key Points From This Episode:

• [00:00] Setting the tone and reintroducing the Drinking Word of the Day.
• [02:25] Why our Hello Kitty trip from 10 years ago is one of our most memorable adventures. 
• [03:25] How we found EVA Air’s Hello Kitty jet, and our first boarding debacle.  
• [07:29] Our onboard experience – so much better than the average 777 flight!  
• [10:59] Unpacking our slog of an itinerary, and everything we remember about Taipei. 
• [15:00] Flying to Bangkok and Laos, the Crowne Plaza Vientiane, and activities in Laos.  
• [21:15] The COPE Visitor Centre, the Mekong River, and beer with ice cubes.
• [27:25] A rooftop bar in Bangkok, Thai foot massages, and a Freedom Flight to Singapore.    
• [31:13] Why taxis are a better option than mass transit in Singapore.  
• [33:30] Lufthansa First-Class (drink!), and the most interesting purser we’ve encountered. 
• [40:03] More love for everything Lufthansa First-Class (drink!) has to offer. 
• [43:34] The joys of having a premium experience in the final leg of your trip. 
• [45:14] Ranking our Hello Kitty trip: A wonderful experience from beginning to end.  

Quotes:

“Everything was Hello Kitty. You had the Hello Kitty-imprinted butter. You had Hello Kitty signage everywhere. Even the toilet paper in the lavatory was Hello Kitty.” — @tmount [08:31]

“That’s probably the only airline experience that I’ve ever had that has been so complete. It was almost like a Disney World-type experience where they just had everything right; everything aligned to Hello Kitty. I was really impressed with that.” — @tmount [09:09]

“Any lounge that provides ice cream – they get an extra star automatically.” — @TktweetsKim [14:43]

“I am absolutely not a beer drinker. I actually usually detest the beverage – [but] for the weather, for the environment, [Beerlao] was just the best beverage.” — @TktweetsKim [24:22]

“I cannot think of a bad Cathay flight that I’ve flown.” — @TktweetsKim [29:37]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

EVA Air 

EVA Air | Hello Kitty Jet

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