<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Batty on Tour: Travel Stories]]></title><description><![CDATA[Personal travel stories from Batty—real routes, real decisions, and the occasional “this was definitely not the original plan” moment.
Blended with connoisseur-level tips, hidden spots, and recommendations that are genuinely worth the detour (and sometimes the extra fuel).
]]></description><link>https://www.battyontour.com/s/travel-stories</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!p30N!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56637916-85d5-4678-a5f4-df75db6dfb97_1254x1254.png</url><title>Batty on Tour: Travel Stories</title><link>https://www.battyontour.com/s/travel-stories</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:47:16 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.battyontour.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Batty on Tour]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[batty@battyontour.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[batty@battyontour.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Batty on Tour]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Batty on Tour]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[batty@battyontour.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[batty@battyontour.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Batty on Tour]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Batty on Tour: Boutique Airlines & Big Feelings (somewhere over Samui)]]></title><description><![CDATA[How a tiny Thai airline quietly outclasses half of Europe&#8230; without trying too hard]]></description><link>https://www.battyontour.com/p/batty-on-tour-boutique-airlines-and</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.battyontour.com/p/batty-on-tour-boutique-airlines-and</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Batty on Tour]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:35:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qCbj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2d645e7-b801-473e-8e42-b700422395cc_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Batty has been flying Bangkok Airways for over 30 years now. Yes&#8230; three decades. That&#8217;s basically Jurassic Park in aviation years.</p><p>Back then? Chaos with charm.<br>Every second flight cancelled because&#8230; &#8220;not enough bats onboard.&#8221;<br>Tiny propellers spinning like nervous fans.<br>And on Koh Samui? A &#8220;terminal&#8221; that looked like a beach hut with a scale that could weigh either luggage&#8230; or small elephants.</p><p>Fast forward to today:<br>Same spirit. Just&#8230; upgraded.</p><p>Batty lands on Samui Airport and immediately forgets what stress feels like. Open-air terminal. Palm trees. No aggressive boarding calls. No existential crisis at Gate 1. Just vibes.</p><p>And then comes the real plot twist:</p><blockquote><p>This airline decided, somewhere along the way,<br>&#8220;What if flying was&#8230; actually nice?&#8221;</p></blockquote><p><strong>So now you get:</strong></p><p>&#8211; Real Business Class in an A319/A320. Not the European &#8220;middle seat as emotional support&#8221; concept.<br>&#8211; Food on a 1-hour flight. Actual food. Not a philosophical biscuit.<br>&#8211; Drinks that don&#8217;t require a small loan.<br>&#8211; And yes&#8230; a lounge. For Economy. Batty checked twice. Still real.</p><p>All of this&#8230; at prices that don&#8217;t require selling your Batcave.</p><p><strong>And the service?</strong><br>Pure Thai hospitality. The kind that makes you feel like the only passenger onboard&#8212;even when the cabin is full. Meanwhile somewhere in Europe, a crew is explaining why water is now a premium add-on &#8220;based on customer feedback.&#8221; Fascinating species.</p><p>Batty keeps asking the same question mid-flight, somewhere between coconut juice and unexpected happiness:</p><div class="callout-block" data-callout="true"><p><strong>How does a small boutique airline manage this&#8230; while Europe slowly removes everything except the seatbelt?</strong></p></div><p><strong>Because in Europe:</strong><br>MAXIMUM Optimization <br>SOS Experience </p><p><strong>In Asia:</strong><br>Experience &#10084;&#65039;<br>Common sense &#9992;&#65039;</p><p>And honestly&#8230; that hurts a little.</p><p>Because places like Austria used to understand hospitality. That warm &#8220;Servus in the sky&#8221; feeling. That pride. That small extra that made flying feel&#8230; human.</p><p><strong>Today?</strong><br>More spreadsheets than smiles.</p><p>Batty conclusion after 30 years of field research (and several mango sticky rice incidents):</p><div class="callout-block" data-callout="true"><p>Aircraft matter.<br>Seats matter.<br>Service matters more.<br>But how you make people feel&#8230; that&#8217;s the whole flight.</p></div><p>And somewhere on a tropical island with a runway and a beach hut origin story,<br>a little airline still gets that exactly right.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qCbj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb2d645e7-b801-473e-8e42-b700422395cc_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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