Who’s Heading Back to England?
This girl!
Yesterday, WestJet rolled into town to make an announcement. I had been invited, along with other media and travel professionals, to hear about their new route firsthand (though of course, everything was leaked on the Internet first).
Starting in May 2016, WestJet will be making seasonal, daily, direct flights to Gatwick (just outside of London, England) from St. John’s and five other Canadian cities. Whee! There was tea and little sandwiches to celebrate the unbelievable introductory rate of $199 one-way, taxes included. Oh and with WestJet, if you’re flying outside of Canada and the US, your first checked bag is free!
(Update January 29, 2018: WestJet has since cancelled this route.)
Everyone in attendance was given a cute little container of WestJet teal tea to take home along with a coupon for 50% off their next flight. Yep, that was totally worth getting wet in the rain and a parking ticket to get here.
But they didn’t stop there. They had a return flight for two that would be given to the winner of Heads or Tails. So WestJet. Put your hand on your head for heads and your hand on your butt for tails. Then a coin was flipped. If you guessed wrong, you were out. After four rounds, I was the last one standing and one excited blogger. I was even filmed for the local news. Man, I talk fast when I’m nervous and excited.
Guess who just won a trip for two to Gatwick!! pic.twitter.com/FqUamoM65I
— Melissa Hogan (@avalonmel) September 15, 2015
Such a baby. Kinda still wish I still had those dusty pink cords.
So I’m headed back to England (and beyond?) sometime between May and August 2016. It’s been 11 years since my one and only trip there. Time for some updated photos.
After winning, one of my first thoughts was, “I wish I could take Mom.” See, six years ago I won two tickets with WestJet through Twitter. I immediately called my Mom and we planned a week in Vancouver, where neither of us had been before. Go big, or go home.
It was a tough week because she was sick and I worried a lot. But we had such a good time together. I wouldn’t realize just how special that last mother-daughter trip was until she passed away the following year. So thank you WestJet, for being the catalyst for the trip that gave me some of my most precious memories.
And now I’m looking forward to making some new memories. Will I explore England? Will I use London as a jumping off point to go somewhere else?
September 16th, 2015 at 5:12 pm (#)
Melissa it’s so wonderful that you won the free trip to London. I attended the media event in Edmonton, didn’t win the trip, but still pretty grateful for that 50% deal. And how wonderful that you were able to take such a meaningful trip with your mom to Vancouver. I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time in London and beyond.
September 19th, 2015 at 9:02 pm (#)
Wow, congrats on winning!! I’ve been to London twice but I’d love to see more of the country. Have a blast!
November 7th, 2018 at 9:31 pm (#)
[…] The big news though is that I bought a one-way ticket to London, England in August. How? Why? What? Well, a while back I was invited to a Westjet media launch where the airline announced a new flight route from Canada to Dublin, Ireland. As a thank you everyone attending got a 50% off a Westjet flight coupon. A few lucky people even won a free flight like Melissa from Suitcase and Heels. […]