journey begins with the best flight of our lives.

the high and excitement of it all? perhaps, but no. for the first time ever on an international flight, we flew business class (thanks mom & dad!) and holy shit it was amazing. the 19 hours in the air went by in a snap! from the cozy lie-flat seats and plush blanket & pillow to the cocktails, the slippers, eye cream & mask, the tasty menu of food, snack bar & non-stop service – we were in relaxation heaven. we totally geeked out and didn’t care.

the entire day of travel couldn’t have gone smoother. dad loaded us up early on NYE and we got to LAX without once tapping the brakes (unheard of) and before dad was back on the highway, we were checked-in and through security (even sneaking my over-the-limit 4-oz bug spray on). after a breakfast sandwich, we boarded a new American Airlines Boeing 777 for the first 12-hour leg to Toyko/Narita where we celebrated new year’s with champagne, a fruit & cheese platter and ice cream sunday. we toasted a few times… as we crossed the international date line and again when it was midnight in Phoenix.

after landing in Japan, we spent the duration of our quick 1.5 hour layover in the Osaka first class lounge having dumplings & cocktails before our 7-hour flight via a brand new Japan Airlines plane to Bangkok. upon landing in Bangkok, we breezed through customs, hailed a cab and were “home” just after midnight Thai time – marking 24-hours of travel. thanks to our comfortable flights, we were up for nightcap cocktail, so we dropped our backpacks and walked to a local spot with our Airbnb housemate, Kelly, where we chatted and got some of our Bangkok questions answered.

so far, we definitely don’t feel like “backpackers” — and i don’t mind it one bit :)