The most surreal press trip ever

How the other half live...

I get to do some very cool stuff in my job. Viewers of my Creator Diary YouTube channel will have seen this first-hand. I’ve been on multiple flights already this year and my travels have taken me as far as Asia. Twice.

However, last weekend was easily the craziest trip so far, and it’s one I’m still trying to process.

The invite to the Euros came from BYD a few weeks back. How would you fancy joining us on a trip to Germany in June to watch England play Serbia in their opening game of Euro 2024, they asked.

My response could have been measured in milliseconds.

To put this into context, I’ve always been a football guy. I played it relentlessly as a kid, transferred that passion to Sunday league in my twenties and used to watch every episode of Match of the Day religiously. I’ve fallen out of love with it a bit in recent years due to the abundance of overpaid players, complications of VAR, and numerous competing interests, but the sport has never completely left me.

I’ve always watched and supported England at big tournaments. Every England fan will know this is a thankless devotion which, since 1966, hasn’t been repaid with any form of silverware. We came close at Euro 2020 but lost to Italy in the final. On penalties. At Wembley. You couldn’t write it.

Actually, you could.

Despite my tireless (and highly questionable) watching of nearly every minute of English tournament football, I’ve never actually seen England play in person. The opportunity simply hasn’t arisen and, for whatever reason, I’ve never felt inclined to seek out tickets. The thought of experiencing such disappointment without the safety net of a TV remote control is perhaps what has always subconsciously stopped me from doing so.

The invite to the Serbia game from BYD was, therefore, one of the biggest ‘firsts’ of my life. This was for two reasons. The first was, obviously, the ticket itself; it was bought and paid for by BYD and would see me not only watching my home nation play football at a big tournament but doing so in a country I’ve come to really love - Germany. Secondly, as I found out on the day, the travel method was utterly mind-blowing.

We were flown out on a private charter jet to Germany from the Signature Aviation terminal at Luton airport. This is the building from which you fly if you’re either famous, incredibly important, or have an absolute boatload of cash in the bank (I’m aware all three usually go hand-in-hand). On Sunday 16th June 2024, a wide-eyed tech YouTuber from Northampton trundled into that lounge with nothing more than his passport and a rucksack and got to experience how the other half lives.

It was a fascinating window into their world. The check-in experience was just a case of giving someone your passport while they usher you into a lounge where you can enjoy the free bar and views of your private jet. Squint closely enough, and you can see the regular terminal in the distance. Security was one of the nicest experiences I’ve had in any airport; the guys checking our bags even laughed and joked about the football. The same happened at the other end when we landed during ‘passport control’ (which consisted of a guy behind a desk who smiled, scanned our passports and engaged in some friendly banter). I’m not making any of this up.

The flight itself was lovely, too. Thirty of us piled into a small jet and quaffed champagne en route. It took just fifty minutes to reach Dusseldorf in what felt like the fastest aircraft I’ve ever been on.

For two days, we were treated like celebrities. But that wasn’t the thing that struck me the most during my private jaunt to Germany - it was the ease with which the travel was undertaken. That’s what the people who travel like this all the time are used to; there’s no fretting, no being shouted at by security staff for no discernible reason, no fighting your way through queues, and no wandering around looking for free uncomfortable seats on which to sit while you wait for your packed flight to board at a snail’s pace. It was the most relaxing travel I’ve ever experienced.

I doubt I’ll get to fly like that again (if I do, it certainly won’t be on my dime!), but I’m glad I experienced it, and I’d like to thank BYD once again for the opportunity. It made what was, to be honest, a rather tepid England performance all the more special.

If you want to see the behind-the-scenes vlog of my trip to the Euros, you can watch it here.

Travel and accommodation for this trip were paid for and arranged by BYD.