I am a budget traveler and it’s no secret. The 2013 birthday trip was my biggest one to date in all aspects. This was the farthest I’ve ever been and the longest flight I took. It was also my first time to fly with Etihad Airways and this experience has spoiled me – oh no!

For any flight, I cannot stress this enough, do web check in. Like my Bangkok shopping trip, the web check in line was non-existent compared to the normal check in counter when I arrived in NAIA 1. 


Traveling long haul for the first time gets to you. I tried my best to sleep and I was able to sneak in a few zzzzzs but wasn’t able to sleep straight. I am thankful for the pillow and blanket that Etihad provided because it really helped me doze off. I am getting old because I can’t imagine myself sacrificing comfort for price. Remember I experienced 2 8-hour flights to travel from Manila to Athens. I had a brief stopover in Abu Dhabi.

Non-budget airline food is a complete revelation to me. I looooooved the grub we had from Manila-Athens. The Frankfurt-Manila fight wasn’t as stellar so I’ll be showing the Manila-Athens leg only.


The food featured above is for 2 flights, Manila-Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi-Athens. The amount of food was overwhelming; I should not have eaten before the flight!  I knew I was gonna get fat on this flight. Haha You really feel hungry even though you’re just seated!


You do get what you pay for. I paid a lot for this ticket but I had a fantastic experience flying with Etihad. If I get another opportunity to fly with them, I would love that reunion.


* Additional photos from Tin Samson.