LONDON: easyJet Traveller, the award-winning in-flight magazine for easyJet, today (December 3rd 2018) announced its 12 'alternative' travel highlights of 2018 as part of its new #easyjetbestof awards.

 

More than 30 of the magazine's regular contributors and editors pooled their discoveries from a year of flights around the easyJet network and handed out awards in categories including 'Best cocktail in disguise', 'Best pool with a view' and 'Best vegan burger'.

 

The winners were then handed easyJet rosettes in situ (images and videos available on request).

 

easyJet Traveller Editor Jonny Ensall said:

 

“The #easyjetbestof awards are a refreshing alternative to stuffy travel guides. They celebrate the real experiences that gave us goosebumps this year.

 

“We have a fantastic network of travel writers, bloggers, vloggers and photographers who were all very keen to share the great things they did in 2018 that would otherwise go under the radar.”

 

Loyal customers of easyJet were also invited to share their highlights using the #easyjetbestof hashtag, and their suggestions appear alongside the official list in the December issue of the magazine.

 

Lisa Blair, Chief Marketing Officer, easyJet, said:

 

“2018 was an exciting year for travel experiences, with customers brimming with travel suggestions.

 

“It goes to show there is far more on offer than just the typical tourist hot-spots to fill our customers with that get-up-and-go spirit.

 

“Social media has really driven people to seek more adventure, more unique experiences and great Insta-worthy locations to share with their friends.

 

“We added a number of new destinations to our network this year so customers have even more to explore, including Aqaba in Jordan, Rovaniemi in Finland, Volos in Greece and Pau in France.”

 

The 12 best travel experiences of 2018 were:

 

Best cat café

Maison de Moggy Edinburgh, UK

An emporium for tea and cakes with some of the prettiest kitties in Europe on your lap.

 

Best pool with a view

Hotel Miramonti Merano, South Tyrol, Italy

The saltwater infinity pool at this recently refurbished hotel overlooks a stunning Alpine valley.

 

Best public toilet

Strait Street Toilets Valletta, Malta

These arty toilets in the European Capital of Culture 2018 feature a striking neon design.

 

Best wild escape

Stedsans in the Woods Halland, Sweden

A gourmet campsite near Gothenburg celebrating luxury eco-living and good food cooked over open fires.

 

Best vegan burger

Temple of Camden London, UK

A new fast-food joint offering seitan-based vegan cheeseburgers that taste shockingly like the real thing.

 

Best cocktail in disguise

Bellboy's Keep Clean #2 Tel Aviv, Israel

A citrussy drink served in a miniature bathtub at Bellboy bar, topped with edible foam and a rubber duck.

 

Best hotel for Instagram likes

Paradiso San Antonio, Ibiza, Spain

This recently opened hotel is a millennial pink marvel designed for influencers and their Instagram feeds.

 

Best éclair

L'Eclair de Génie Paris, France

Reinvented éclairs served fresh every day by chef Christophe Adam in his five Paris locations.

 

Best cycle tour

Moustache Tour Ljubljana, Slovenia

A guided cycle ride celebrating the lives and facial hair of Slovenians Jože Plečnik, Ivan Cankar and Rihard Jakopič (an architect, a writer and a painter).

 

Best escape game

The Crystal Maze Manchester, UK

A vast and unmatched immersive experience based on the Channel 4 TV show.

 

Best vinyl cave

12 Tónar Reykjavík, Iceland

A record shop and label, with a treasure trove of vinyl in its basement, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018.

 

Best alfresco art

Fondation Carmignac Porquerolles, France

A beautiful new gallery and landscaped sculpture park on a remote southern French island.

 

The winners are revealed in the December issue of easyJet Traveller, available on all easyJet flights. Honourable mentions were also made for runners-up in each category. The awards will run again in December 2019 with new categories to suit the year's travel trends.

 

Temple of Camden owner Pat O'Shea, winner of the Best vegan burger 2018, said, “We're thrilled to have been awarded Best vegan burger! It's been a massive year for us. The opening of our second London site in Camden has been hugely challenging and rewarding. This award is great recognition for all the hard work of our kitchen and shop staff.”

 

Maison de Moggy owner Laura O'Neill, winner of the Best cat café 2018, said, “I am so proud to have our wee Edinburgh café being selected by easyJet Traveller for such a huge accolade as Best cat café! It means so much to get recognition for all the hard work that the team does to keep our standards so high and our cats so happy. It really doesn't get much bigger than that!”

 

L'Eclair de Génie chef Christophe Adam, winner of the Best éclair 2018, said, “I am very proud to share with our teams that our L'Eclair de Génie pastries have been listed as the best in Europe! A nice reward and a big thanks to easyJet!”

 

 

easyJet flies to 157 destinations in Europe and beyond, spanning almost 1,000 routes in more than 300 aircraft.

 

Images and videos of six of the winners receiving their #easyjetbestof rosettes are available on request.

 

 

Contact information

For any media enquiries related to easyJet Traveller magazine and the #easyjetbestof list:

Kate Crowther: kate.crowther@ink-global.com / +44 (0)20 7625 0725

 

For any media enquiries related to the easyJet business:

Andy Cockburn: andy.cockburn@easyJet.com / +44 (0)1582 525 252

 

 

 

About Ink: Founded in 1994 in London, Ink is the world leader in travel media, connecting thousands of advertisers and brands to a highly receptive, and growing global audience of 802 million passengers through inflight publications, video and online content and ambient and experiential advertising opportunities. Ink creates and delivers inspiring, award-winning content for the world's biggest and greatest airlines, railways, travel companies and their passengers, by producing 31 magazines in 14 languages and video content for all digital platforms. Partners include easyJet, American Airlines, Amtrak, Etihad Airways, Norwegian, United Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. It is accepted that airline passenger numbers will double in size by 2035 making Ink an ever-stronger leader in the media world today. 

 

Ink's work has been recognised with numerous awards including Customer Magazine of the Year and Editorial Team of The Year for easyJet Traveller in 2018. In addition to its headquarters in London, Ink has offices in Singapore, Miami, New York, Abu Dhabi and São Paulo.

 

For more information please visit www.ink-global.com

 

About easyJet: easyJet flies on more of Europe's most popular routes than any other airline. easyJet carries over 80 million passengers annually, of which more than 12 million are travelling on business. easyJet flies more than 300 aircraft on almost 1,000 routes to over 150 airports across 31 countries. More than 300 million Europeans live within one hour's drive of an easyJet airport.

 

easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in seven countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports a number of local charities and also has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £10m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.

 

The airline takes sustainability seriously. easyJet invests in the latest technology, operates efficiently and fills most of its seats. Since 2000 easyJet has reduced its carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by over 30%. Its latest target is a further 10% reduction from today's performance by 2022 and a 38% improvement from 2000.

 

Innovation is in easyJet's DNA – from our launch almost 20 years ago when we changed the way people fly to the present day where we lead the industry in digital, web, engineering and operational innovations to make travel easier and more affordable for our passengers.

For more information please visit mediacentre.easyjet.com