CLUB PEOPLE • November 2017
My Club: the BA Super Travellers
We ask five dedicated Executive Club Members – all with very well-worn passports – about their flying habits, top travel tips, and how they earn and burn those all-important Avios
Rob Hancock
Super Traveller credentials: managing director at Marketing Know-How, who joined the forerunner to the Executive Club – BA Latitudes – over 25 years ago
Tier: Gold Guest List
BA miles flown: 1.8 million
Just back from? Croatia
Where next? Sri Lanka – which will be my 91st country
Favourite destination? Buenos Aires for the Malbec and bife; Tokyo to people-watch; Cape Town for the wildlife; and Sydney’s beaches… It’s tricky to pick just one.
Best thing about being an Executive Club Member? It gives me a sense of belonging. As soon as I enter a BA lounge anywhere in the world, I feel at home.
Top travel tip: If you are wondering whether to pack that item or not, don’t. Never check in bags unless you have to.
Ana Silva O’Reilly (@mrsoaroundworld)
Super Traveller credentials: Travel blogger and founder of Mrs O Around the World (travels pictured above)
Tier: Gold
Destinations visited this year: 23
Just back from? Austria
Where next? Vancouver
Bucket list destination? Oman, because I love Middle Eastern food and the scenery looks stunning.
What kind of traveller are you? My mother always said, “If you leave home, it has to be better. And home is very nice.” So, I’m all for luxury from the moment I leave home. I am a T5-er, which always offers an excellent experience, plus I’m a big fan of the First Wing.
Top travel tip: Be a top customer with companies you love, not an average customer with many others.
Henrik Jeppesen (@henriktravel)
Super Traveller credentials: Writer and public speaker who visited every country in the world before his 28th birthday (travels pictured below)
Tier: Blue
Total travel days in lifetime: 2,500 days
Just back from? A road trip around Europe (from Denmark to Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France).
Where next? Hopefully Guadeloupe or the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. Though I’ve visited every country in the world, I’ve yet to visit every territory. I have 34 left, according to the list by The Travelers’ Century Club.
Most surprising destination? Rwanda. The land of a thousand hills is an incredible travel experience (and surprisingly well organised), with stunning scenery and friendly people.
Best thing about being an Executive Club Member: Redeeming Avios on short-haul flights, especially with Sun-Air of Scandinavia, a British Airways franchise partner (I live in Denmark).
Top travel tip: You don’t need a huge budget to travel. I visited every country in the world by focusing on cost saving – planning ahead, staying with locals, taking buses, hitchhiking and redeeming miles.
Angie Silver (@SilverSpoonLDN)
Super Traveller credentials: Travel blogger and founder of Silverspoon London (travels pictured below)
Tier: Silver
Flights taken this year: 30 – give or take
Just back from? Barcelona
Where next? Budapest
Must-pack items: As a blogger, my camera and tech items are of utmost importance. I also never leave home without my make-up bag, and mosquito spray is vital because it seems mosquitoes love me.
Favourite hotel? Giraffe Manor in Kenya, where giraffes stick their head through the window and join you for breakfast or afternoon tea.
Top travel tip: Plan. I’m a big fan of booking ahead for hotels, restaurants and excursions. All these plans go into a spreadsheet so I can easily keep track of my itinerary.
Adam Rowland
Super Traveller credentials: Digital marketer and the man who flew 18,479 miles in five days to earn his Gold Executive Club status
Tier: Gold
Miles flown this year: Around 50,000
Just back from? Copenhagen
Where next? Austin
Earliest travel memory: Going to Kefalonia in Greece when I was five years old. We flew on a BA Boeing 737-200 (I still remember it that well) and I was able to visit the cockpit. That trip got me hooked on planes for life.
What do you spend your Avios on? The occasional trip in First. Both my partner and I have the BA Amex credit card so we try to take advantage of the companion vouchers.
Top travel tip: Have an idea of the things you want to do, see and try before you arrive – it’ll save you time. Preparation equals relaxation.