British rowing champion and double Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell gives nowfly an insight into his top travel tips.
Airfield at the South Pole.
This has to be the best airport service ever. The plane literally pulls up next to your accommodation. It’s a long way from the norm, unless you’re John Travolta and can park your own plane in front of your house. Flying out of the South Pole, the Basler taxied up to within 15 metres of our tent. We took the tent down, packed up the sledge, loaded up the plane and got the hell out of there.
Tall Story.
I was told that if you call a member of the cabin crew over after the safety demonstration and show them that there isn’t enough room for you to adopt the brace position, you will get bumped up to a seat with more legroom. It’s never worked yet for me.
Plane Tasty.
Forget the plate of plastic food or curled-up sandwich served at 30,000 feet. The best food and drink to get you through the journey that also helps you feel more human when you arrive has to be a big bag of fruit and plenty of water. Avoid the rich food and alcohol - you’ll feel fresher than the people at the front of the plane.
Quickest route from Heathrow to Central London.
You're tired, jet-lagged and want to be far away from the airport. And you want to do it quickly. The best ways have to be:
1. Hand luggage only - travel light.
2. Iris scan - skip the long immigration queues.
3. Taxi bike - forget another queue for a taxi or snaking traffic jam. Get your leathers on and hop on a bike.