...need to get up and stretch your legs for this one

The first flights I took from London to Tokyo were one-stop flights.

It was around a 15 hour flight time from London to Anchorage with a short 'Technical' stop before getting back on the plane for another 8 hours flying to Tokyo.

I can't remember just how short the technical stopover was. Not long.

Thank goodness for BA007 making London to Tokyo in just under 12 hours. Usually

Recent activity from Qatar:

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38877091

and it seems the 777-8X will be the ultimate long haul airliner in the future.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-reveals-ultra-long-range-777-8x-387108/

In 1955 I flew (with my mum) from Heathrow to Singapore.

Total journey time...3 days, including 2 overnight stops and 7 re-fuels.

I imagine in '55 that was quite unusual and a real luxury to afford such a journey.

It was... and the 21 day cruise back home, 3 years later... even more so.

I flew that same route also in '55 on a Qantas Super Constellation stopping at Rome, Athens, Cairo (overnight), Karachi, Bombay, Calcutta (overnight), Bangkok, and Rangoon; we were supposed to stop in KL, my intended destination, but a tropical storm put paid to that. Having arrived in Singapore, I was put on a MAS DC3 for the short and very turbulent hop back to KL. I was an unaccompanied child and very well looked-after by the crew.

Our plane was one of these... (Hermes 75 seater) :

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Here is the ship that took us back to England:

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Im sure as a youngster those trips were well and truly etched on the mind, something obviously never to be forgotten.

Yes, believe it or not, though only 4 years old on the trip out there, I have clear memories of both journeys... and in fact for most of the time we spent living in Malaya, and attending school in Singapore.
It certainly gave me a lifelong fascination with South East Asia. My older brother was also inspired to teach in Africa, before becoming a career diplomat. My younger sister went to Iran to work as a nurse, before being forced to return to the UK when the revolution against the Shah broke out.

Yes it would seem so What prompted the journey, your parents were dilomats or possibly armed forces? I must admit my first air journey did not give me a lifelong fascination in Spain I really do wish that I had experienced visiting the Philippines earlier in life but at the same time glad I ventured there in the first place.

My father was in the Royal Navy... 30 years eventually, followed by 15 years training Army recruits. In Malaya, he was helping to train up the Royal Malayan Navy, sufficient to take over after the 1957 independence... which ocurred while we were there of course.
My mother was also from a military family, her father having served during the whole of BOTH world wars. 35 years in all.

Big brother has retired from the FCO now, but not before having reached 'Ambassador' rank.
Funnily enough, he headed up the (worldwide) visa section a few years ago... before it was offloaded.

Always great opportunities abound in the armed forces and especially so from that era it would seem. Obviosly those young experiences also made an impression on your brother.

Yes, in fact my son is just about to join the military (next month). My dad would have been proud.

Not quite as many countries flying the British flag now of course.

Yep a different era but still a great opportunity for a youngster to experience and grow from. Good luck to him.

In my case Dad was Our Man in Mogadishu whither we went by the Simplon Orient Express to Venice and from there by sea aboard Lloyd Triestino's "Europa".

The family flew to Aden and home on the "Uganda" but I was ill and was flown by Aden Airways DC3 to Nairobi and after hospital thence to Nice by Super Constellation to Nice (intention Paris, baggage handlers strike!) and to London by a JET - a Caravelle.

French baggage handlers strike... there's something you don't hear often