From Vancouver to Brighton

Every great adventure starts with the journey—and this one couldn’t have gone much smoother.

Before I even left Vancouver, Sanjay surprised me by transferring one of his Air Canada 50K Status Passes to me. That meant priority check-in, fast-track security, lounge access and priority boarding. Now that’s how I like to start a trip!

I had also reserved an emergency exit seat, which gave me plenty of legroom. The only surprise? No window! A small sacrifice for a comfortable flight.

Landing at Heathrow was just as effortless. Immigration took all of about 30 seconds, and by the time I reached baggage claim, my suitcase was already waiting on the carousel.

The train journey to Brighton was mostly straightforward, although Britain’s ticketing system managed to confuse me a little. If you’re not heading to Paddington, it isn’t exactly obvious which ticket you need. I bought the wrong fare and had to pay the difference when changing trains at Farringdon. Apart from that small hiccup, everything went remarkably smoothly.

England, here we go!Read more