How to fit in when travelling First Class

Stow your own bags and play it cool: a first-timer's guide to luxury travel. Photo / Andre Sr, Getty Images

Q. Thanks to our adult children, we are about to celebrate a significant anniversary and have been shouted the trip of a lifetime. We are a little nervous as it will be first class all the way, which is not our style at all. Do you have any tips?

A. Let’s look at the biggest do’s and don’ts when you’re trying to pretend this is just another day in Monte Carlo or aboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2.

We’ll start with the emolument in the room: tipping. For Kiwis, this is a real mind… mess. It is almost always expected you tip hotel, restaurant, taxi staff in the US. In Japan, Australia, Aotearoa and many other countries, it’s an insult - a signifier that “I’m more entitled than you” – so research the local rules before you leave.

On cruises, it can be problematic. High-end lines, such as Seabourn, Silversea and others have “no tipping” policies; they factor gratuities into their all-inclusive fares. On other lines, you will be expected to leave cash on the bedside table when you leave. Up to you, but remember many cruise staff are not well paid and tips help feed families back home.

In most other dealings with staff, it’s the old rule of “treat others as… " If the hotel’s front desk is overwhelmed, go and get a coffee and come back in 15 minutes.

Quite a bit of bad behaviour happens on long-haul flights where many of those who turn left at the front door lug more than their carry-on; they bring a swollen sense of entitlement, expecting everything to be done for them and the champagne/cocktail to be brought at a snap of the fingers. Actually, no. Stow your own bags and play it cool: you’re not going anywhere for the next 16 hours.

Menus are handed out soon after takeoff. On most premier airlines, it’s an on-demand service, so if your flight is leaving Auckland at 12.30am, think when you’d prefer to sleep and when you’d like to eat. Yes, they do serve bottomless drinks in First Class. Don’t be that Australian cricketer in Seat 1A.

When you board a cruise, your room attendant or butler will visit to show you the ropes. You don’t need to make them your new best friend but do be pleasant – they will be cleaning your room and waiting on you during the trip.

At a First Class or five-star-plus hotel, your best source of information is the concierge, who knows the city/locality, can get you tickets to that West End or Broadway show or a table at the Michelin-starred restaurant. Be aware, though, that the little restaurant that only the locals know about could belong to their brother-in-law.

Dress codes have relaxed over the decades but there are still a few no-nos. In top-tier hotels, always wear decent clothes when outside your room, togs only at the pool and a collared shirt for men, smart casual for women in dining rooms.

Ditto for flights (no shorts, jandals or tanktops). Smart airlines like Emirates and Cathay Pacific offer guidelines for First and Business Class fliers. They will likely offer you pyjamas on a long-haul flight. Use the bathroom to change, please.

Top-end restaurants – many of which are inside hotels – still hold to a more formal standard; check their websites or ask the concierge before you go.

Travelling luxe, at hotels and resorts, on cruises and planes, you are far more likely to bump into celebs. Respect their privacy, please.

Especially since Covid began to come on holiday with us, personal space is a priority. Many travellers have bought a First- or Business Class ticket because they want to use the flight time to work. If the person in the next seat is doing any of the following, do not try to start a conversation: snoozing, typing on a phone or a laptop, reading papers or a book. Sure, you’ll have Wi-Fi and likely phone access, but restrict the phone to texting, not calling the grandkids to tell them you’re 36,000 feet above Iran right now.

Personal space is even more important on a cruise; there’s not a lot of it. Keep at least a couple of loungers between you and the next person, if you can. Ditto at dinnertime, especially if a couple appear to be enjoying a romantic dinner, and always ask the seated diners if you can join a communal table.

So, enjoy your trip, but don’t steal the monogrammed bathrobes.

The First-timer’s Guide is a fortnightly column where we’ll answer your travel-related questions — anything from roaming around Rome to reining in roaming charges. Send your queries and travel tips to travel@nzherald.co.nz with “First-timer” in the subject line