On Air...

Whilst planning a little trip to Malaga at the end of this month, I stumbled across a fantastic app for searching out some great independent digs whilst you're away - airB&B...

As you would expect from any well-connected app these days, traveller reviews play a key role in the format of airB&B, allowing you to see what others thought about their stay before you book. The great news is, thanks to the app's focus on independent accommodation, you can also contact the 'host' with any questions you may have before you travel.

Searching for your digs is made really easy with these handy filters. Everything is laid out in a really simple format, making the initial search process a breeze.

The design of the app blends in seamlessly with iOS7 for apple devices and also enhances the app's authority on good design and complements the standard of properties available. Another great tool accessible from the side menu is 'Wish Lists' - allowing you to trawl through any number of potential places and save them to a quick menu for you to review and compare from later making it even easier to narrow down your search.

Search results are displayed in a scroll of beautifully mouth-watering photos, meaning that the only downside to the app is that there is almost too much choice. You can spend hours viewing these properties as they are presented to you in their Sunday best. That said - you could also argue that this is the best bit!

Well done airB&B for taking independent lets which all to often end up looking sorry for themselves and unappealing on similar sites. As always I will be writing a trip report when I return from the good old Costa del Sol early next month and I'll be sure to include my thoughts on whichever pad we decide to go for.

A Quick Turnaround

It always makes me smile when I'm talking to someone about my job and the inevitable "what's your favourite  destination/do you get to stay over/how long do you get there?" question is asked. I suppose to the flying public we are only ever seen on the aircraft and if they are getting off... Why wouldn't we be?!?

For the record; if we have been on the ground for more than an hour, then the chances are we're late! It really is that quick. Bish bash bosh: seats for departure. This doesn't mean however, that I don't ever get chance to enjoy the destination. I'm a bit of a plane geek so there's always something to look at. Even when the apron is empty, most of our destinations are so beautiful that you can enjoy a few rays of sunshine  and admire the mountains or coastline from the back steps whilst you're waiting with a cup of tea for the cleaners to finish in the cabin.

And so here it is: The world through the eyes of a trolley dolly...

A view of the Alps from the tarmac in Geneva

Sunshine beaming down in Split, Croatia

Monarch were the first European airline to take delivery of the new Airbus A320 fitted with 'sharklets' this year. Here are both of the new sharky's parked together next to the infamous Boeing 727 'ghost plane' in Faro, Portugal...

 Another shot in Faro of a lovely warm evening in late September... Not a cloud in the sky :)

From the good old baby days... although I think this is in Birmingham... Not quite so glamorous!

One of the most impressive places we fly to is Gibraltar as 'the rock' seems to climb up straight off the runway. Gibraltar is so small that the airport is actually wider than the territory itself... there's even a railway-style level crossing across the runway that closes when a plane is taking off or landing...

Tease Me...

I have stumbled across something amazing this week.... it's called TRIPTEASE.

This new app for the iPad not only looks stunning, but is completely created by its users to give a really personal alternative to travel reviews.

The format helps readers to quickly digest what the writer is trying to say, with short concise reviews of places, restaurants, hotels and anything else you might be interested in whilst on your travels, all backed up with a big focus on imagery. After all - a picture tells a thousand words!

Here are a few of the reviews I have created so far using the app:

And a few of my favourites created by others:

Triptease is available for free on the Apple app store without ads. Here is a link to my profile which you can also view on a standard web browser: http://triptease.com/profile/adam-bown

Vancouver 2012

Here are a few photos from my recent visit to Vancouver, Canada. I'd like to thank my friend James for the amazing opportunity. The city is fabulously clean, super quiet and full of stunning buildings. When youre out of the city, the scenery is just how you would imagine Canada to be - SPECTACULAR!

I had a great time - I'd urge you to visit if you ever get the chance!

The view of Greenland at 39000ft from the window of the beautiful new AirTransat A330.

 The British Made steam powered clock in Gas Town.

 Sea Plane taking off from the harbour.

View of the skyline from the marina.

Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen!

On my way to Estonia for the winter, I took a flight via CPH and spent the day there en route... Even though the weather was literally atrocious I managed to get a fairly good look around and I wasn't disappointed... It's called Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen for a reason you know!




Reminds me of Chesterfield!!!



Corkscrew!!



The Tivoli Gardens theme park.... It looked really pretty lit up at night, just a shame that (as like everything else in Scandinavia) you have to re-mortgage your house to be able to get in!




It gets cold up north! They even like to keep the bridges warm in the winter!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Copenhagen, Denmark

Route Map

I had time on my hands whilst I was on Standby this morning so I decided to create a new route map to replace the old green and grey one which used to appear at the top of this page...

Ta da!

Out with the old, In with the new...

This year my life has really changed for the better and I decided to update flyBown and my CV with a new look to match.

My old theme was starting to look a little tired and whilst it served me well, it's always good to move on if you ask me!

So here is one last look at the old flyBown...

And here's a glimpse at my new CV... stay tuned, the blog will evolve and become much brighter over the next few weeks! flyBown has gone BOLD!