By Hannah Mcdonald For Mailonline
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A jet-setter who ‘loves airplane food’ has showcased 15 years of first class meals while globe-trotting over four million miles on 2000 flights.
James Asquith, 33, from London, has taken to social media to review and document his different in-flight feasts.
Mr Asquith has been able to put his passion into his work, launching his own travel business Holiday Swap, where you can rent out your house or exchange the property for a period, saving him thousands on accommodation costs.
He regularly posts pictures of his lavish lifestyle on Instagram alongside his Scottish partner, former Emirates flight attendant Robyn Ferguson.
By the time Mr Asquith was 24 years old, he had travelled to every country in the world, which cost him £125,000.
Mr Asquith explained: ‘I love airplane food, and by almost living on planes you get used to it.
Mr Asquith, 33, from London, has been travelling for 15 years and takes to social media to review his different in-flight feasts (Pictured: Food served to Mr Asquith in Emirates Airlines first class)
Mr Asquith explained: ‘I love airplane food, and by almost living on planes you get used to it’ (Pictured: Mr Asquith’s steak dinner in first class)
He regularly posts pictures of his lavish lifestyle on Instagram alongside his Scottish partner, former Emirates flight attendant Robyn Ferguson
‘I have to say the Japanese meals and wagyu steaks on the Japanese airlines of ANA and Japan Airlines have been the best.
‘The strangest meal I have had was a leaf with some sauce on. It was rather plain – I think that was on Sudan Airways.
‘I won’t fly private because I don’t find it responsible, I actually prefer commercial – it reminds me of where I came from, and I simply love the buzz of people around me. I’m really serious about offsetting the carbon with this as well.’
Mr Asquith’s travelling has changed from his younger years and he said he is extremely proud of the fact he hasn’t had the trip paid for by sponsors via Instagram.
He is often pictured with a stuff toy monkey who is lucky enough to join him on his luxury journeys and has been able to bring his parents along for a first class Emirates flight.
His Instagram shows his luxury trips away, often with Miss Ferguson, to beautiful locations such as the Maldives and Tuscany.
He continued: ‘When I first travelled when I was 18-24 years old, I was largely backpacking and living on a shoestring. Now, after working for quite a few years, things have changed for me in a really good way but Holiday Swap is what was missing for me when I travelled.
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His Instagram shows his luxury trips away, often with Miss Ferguson, to beautiful locations such as the Maldives and Tuscany
Mr Asquith said: ‘I won’t fly private because I don’t find it responsible, I actually prefer commercial – it reminds me of where I came from’ (Pictured: Mr Asquith enjoying caviar in Emirates Airlines first class with his toy monkey)
Mr Asquith said: ‘I have to say the Japanese meals and wagyu steaks on the Japanese airlines of ANA and Japan Airlines have been the best’ (Pictured: Mr Asquith on Japan Airlines)
Mr Asquith’s travelling has changed from his younger years and he said he is extremely proud of the fact he hasn’t had the trip paid for by sponsors via Instagram (Pictured: Mr Asquith in a first-class suite on a Singapore airline as the toy monkey relaxes in bed)
James Asquith has travelled four million miles around the globe on 2000 flights, visiting every country in the world, and documenting his plane food meals as he goes (pictured: Mr Asquith flying first-class to Japan with Japan Airlines)
‘There was no such thing as sponsored posts or travel so I’m proud a lot of hard work paid off. I worked all sorts of jobs even as early as 12-years-old and squirrelled away every penny I could. I aimed to buy a house, but I guess that all changed at 18 when I discovered solo travel.
‘I saved money before travelling and worked along the way to pay to travel on a shoestring, so I really immersed myself in the culture, the food and the people. That’s what always excited me. I had a decent paying job in investment banking when I was 21 to pay everything off and continue with the journey.
‘The travel bug is very real. I never thought I wanted to visit every country in the world.
Swiss Airlines: In an Instagram story Mr Asquith describes his meal as ‘Not bad, not great.’ He also describes the menu as ‘Ok but not mind-blowing’.
Etihad: Mr Asquith was let down by the airline’s champagne offering and said the product quality had been downgraded since Covid.
British Airways: He criticised the menu options, saying he had received the same ‘boring’ meal six times in the last few months. Complemented a breakfast dish by giving it a 7.5/10 however said this was ‘as good a food rating BA could get’.
Emirates: Mr Asquith described being ‘finally back in bliss’ as he raved over the the airline’s food offering. Going as far as to call one course ‘mighty impressive’.
Lufthansa: Admitting he is not a fan of the airline, Mr Asquith said: ‘A thin slab of cow and a gigantic leaf. This meal should keep me going for a few days to be honest. Not forgetting the hard rock of a roll.’
‘I have travelled for nearly 15 years now, and because of the experiences from my travels, I wanted to give back and share it with others at a more affordable prices, which is why I founded Holiday Swap.’
The entrepreneur continued: ‘I made this business to allow people to exchange their homes, or even their rooms for a day, a week or a month, allowing people to be fully flexible if they’re renting for example, but want to travel for a bit of time.
‘It’s the most affordable way to travel and saves 90 per cent versus hotels, so I wish I had that when I was travelling.
He said he saved money before travelling and worked along the way to pay to travel on a shoestring, so that he really immersed myself in the culture, the food and the people (Pictured: Mr Asquith and Miss Ferguson in Tuscany)
Mr Asquith said there was no such thing as sponsored posts on Instagram when he started travelling and was proud his hard work had paid off (Pictured: Steak carpaccio served to Mr Asquith in the British Concorde room in British Airways First)
Mr Asquith said he aimed to buy a house but that all changed when he turned 18 and discovered solo travel (Pictured: Mr Asquith onboard American Airlines)
He said: ‘I saved money before travelling and worked along the way to pay to travel on a shoestring, so I really immersed myself in the culture, the food and the people’ (Pictured: Mr Asquith painting in Air France first class)
‘I actually seem to travel more now for work than when I was on a six-year journey to visit every country in the world but now I seem to see the inside of planes and meeting rooms more than being an actual tourist, but I love what I do.’
‘Reviewing the food was never something I thought I’d be able to experience so often, so like a kid I’m always quite excited looking at the food and drinks available on each flight.’
Mr Asquith still gets the same buzz jetting off on a new adventure and said the feeling has never dwindled despite all his flights.
As seen on his Instagram, he has even been able to treat his parents to a first class Emirates flight (Pictured: Mr Asquith with his mother at an Emirates first class bar)
Mr Asquith said that reviewing the food was never something he thought he would be able to experience so often, so like a kid is always quite excited looking at the food and drinks available on each flight (Pictured: Mr Asquith enjoying a a luxury meal with his toy monkey)
Mr Asquith still gets the same buzz jetting off on a new adventure, the feeling has never dwindled despite all his flights (Pictured: Mr Asquith’s luxury meal of caviar and blinis on Etihad Airways)
He added: ‘Looking out the window, taking off or landing, it never gets old for me.
‘My travels so far would potentially have cost around £150-200k, however thanks to Holiday Swap I think this would be possible for less than £100k now, by saving accommodation costs.
‘I also think it’s important to recognise a lot of companies are jumping on a bandwagon of ‘greenwashing’ with sustainability as well.
‘It’s important to research how offsetting emissions can be done right but a lot aren’t doing this in the right way.
‘I really thought I’d never pick up the travel bug, but it was genuinely the best education I’ve ever had.
‘It was all about taking that risk and now I want people to go out there and do the same.’
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group