A dance music-loving grandfather paid Ryanair £23 to fly 1,500 miles to the party island of Ibiza to go clubbing with friends before returning home in under 24 hours.

Andy Armstrong, 63, said there was nothing on the television and he couldn’t think of anything better to do – so hatched the madcap plan to visit the White Island in double quick time.

He booked a flight with Ryanair, jetting out from Newcastle at 5.20pm on Monday and landing three hours later.

He met friends in San Antonio, before heading to dance club Pacha in Ibiza Town, raving through the night, sleeping on a sun bed and heading to outdoor club Ushuaia for breakfast.

He then caught a 1pm return flight and was back on his own sofa 24 hours later having spent about £300.

The steel worker drew admiration from fellow clubbers when he detailed his escapade on Facebook, saying ‘YOLO’ and adding: ’63 and growing old disgracefully!’

Many said he was an inspiration.

Andy, a widower, said he first visited Ibiza with his friends in 1981 and has loved it ever since, going there on family holidays with his wife and daughters Tiffany, 33, and Ellie, 24, when they were little.

it ever since, going there on family holidays with his wife and daughters Tiffany, 33, and Ellie, 24, when they were little.

In fact, it was Tiffany who got him hooked on the island again recently when she took him to Ushuaia at the age of 58, telling him she’d seen plenty of older tourists there and he shouldn’t feel self-conscious about his age.

Andy, of Yarm, North Yorkshire, said he first hatched the plan to visit in under 24 hours with mates on his oil rig, where he works offshore as a steelworker for weeks at a time.

He explained: ‘I’ve been to Ibiza three or four times this year already, it’s my happy place.

‘I was there a month ago and did three nights in Pikes and four in Ushuaia.

‘I love all types of music and saw Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta and Fat Boy Slim.

‘I went back to work and was chatting with the lads, they were asking me how my holiday was, and I just said “You know what, I could just go for a night if I wanted to”.

‘They all laughed and said “No, you couldn’t do that”. But I thought “Yes I could”.

‘It started as a bit of banter, but then there was nothing on TV one night so I thought I’d just do it.’

Andy packed his passport, wallet and a spare shirt into an Asda carrier bag before heading for the airport for his £23 flight out of Newcastle.

On landing, he hitched a cheap cab to San Antonio with some people he had met on the plane, then had a few hours to kill before Pacha opened so went to meet some friends.

From there he got the ‘disco bus’ to Ibiza Town and went into the superclub’s Flower Power night, spending £26 on two beers and £23 on a gin and tonic.

He danced the night away, leaving the club when it shut at 6am and walking to Playa d’en Bossa, where he waited for beach hotel Ushuaia to open.

He then grabbed a £50 breakfast from there and sat on a sun lounger before making his way back to the airport, where he had booked a £130 return with Jet2 at 1pm.

He even asked a passerby to take a picture of him at the famous airport Burger King – known as a haunt of knackered returning clubbers – before boarding.

Three hours later, he was back in Newcastle – and an hour’s drive took him home.

The whole mini break lasted a staggering 24 hours almost exactly.

‘It was more of a challenge than anything else. I’d definitely do it again,’ Andy added.

One person who saw his exploits said ‘Excellent work sir’.

Another added: ‘Pure class.’

One added: ‘On the island and inspired by this post this morning, changed some admittedly loose plans and headed into Flower Power at Pacha. It did not disappoint!

‘Salute to you sir as I head back to the floor for one last boogie!’

And another fan said: ‘This is how you do it. I’m jealous, my friend. Maybe we need to start taking a leaf out of your book. Be more random and spontaneous.’

The lower-middle class in America today is in worse health and has fewer savings when they enter retirement compared to 20 years ago.

This ‘forgotten’ class has a lower life expectancy, is expected to suffer from chronic illnesses and have less overall wealth when compared to the previous generation of Americans who had a similar income in the 1990s.

Americans who fall into the lower-middle class category are often overlooked because they earn too much money to qualify for state or federal assistance, such as Medicaid, food stamps or housing vouchers, but they earn too little to adequately have the resources to cover the increasing costs of healthcare and housing.

In a study released Wednesday, researchers analyzed the health and economic well-being of select cohorts of middle-aged Americans between 1994 and 2018. They gathered data from the National Institute on Aging-sponsored Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal survey of American households with at least one adult aged 51 or older.

Survey participants spanned multiple races and consisted of men and women aged 53 to 58 years old across the US.

‘The public conversation about inequality tends to focus on the challenges faced by only the most vulnerable populations,’ said Bryan Tysinger, co-author of the study and director of health policy simulation at the USC Schaeffer Center. 

‘But our models found that there has been an important divergence in the middle of the economic distribution’. 

While there are no hard boundaries for what defines the middle class, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates it as people who make between approximately $38,000 and $114,400 per year. 

For the study, the individual earnings among people researchers deemed lower-middle class was $31,110 and the average for those deemed upper-middle class was $57,233 over the 24 years measured.

The study found the healthy life expectancy of people 60 years old increased by five percent over the 24 years observed to approximately 84 years old for women and 78 years old for men. 

Healthy life expectancy remained mostly unchanged for people in the lower economic class over the study time period, with an expected life expectancy of 78 years old for women and 75 years old for men.

Researches also said the health status of people at 50 years old worsened for both the upper – and lower-middle classes, but the rate it has deteriorated has been faster for those in the lower class. 

While about one-fifth of higher-earners smoked in 1994, that number was slashed in half by 2018. Among lower-earners, approximately one-third smoked in 1994, a number that was virtually unchanged in 2018. 

People reporting chronic pain increased in both cohorts, but increased at a faster rate among lower earners. 

One area with the reverse trend was obesity. Overall, more men and women across both economic classes were obese in 2018 than in 1994.

However, the percentage of higher-earning men was higher in 2018 than lower-earning men and increased at a faster rate. In 2018, the percentages of obese men in the upper-middle class (about half) surpassed that of obese men in the lower-middle class (about one-third). 

Among women, obesity increased at nearly the same rate in both classes. 

‘Our findings suggest that today’s lower-middle class will spend a larger proportion of their older life with poor health’, said Jack Chapel, the study’s lead author. 

‘For example, an average 60-year-old woman in the lower-middle in 2018 will reach age 84. We project that almost 40 percent of her remaining years will be lived with a disability – an increase since 1994’.

Not only has the life expectancy and health gap between the classes widened, but the wealth chasm has grown as well. From 1994 to 2018, the combined financial value at 60 years old of people in the upper-middle class grew by 13 percent. In the lower-middle class, wealth barely grew, increasing just three percent. 

Additionally, homeownership, and the wealth that comes with it, drastically dropped for the lower-middle class between 1994 and 2018. While the homeownership rate in 1994 was approximately 10 percent lower than the upper-middle class, the gap tripled by 2018. 

‘Our study projects lower-middle Americans will spend a longer proportion of remaining life with significant healthcare needs, but with no more economic resources to attend to those needs than similar cohorts had 20 years earlier’, said Dana Goldman, co-author of the study and dean of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. 

By Ailbhe Macmahon For Mailonline

Updated: 11:00 EDT, 23 August 2023

By Ted Thornhill, Mailonline Travel Editor

Published: 08:44 EDT, 14 August 2023 | Updated: 09:39 EDT, 14 August 2023

Ever wondered what it’s like to travel in Eurostar‘s swankiest class – business premier?

Two travel experts from The Points Guy lift the veil, and reveal whether it’s worth paying the extra, which can be over £130 more than standard class.

The pair film their experiences in business premier class and standard on a trip from London to Paris. Read on for more, from barely noticeable recline functions and food that ‘looks like a bucket of sick’ to swanky lounges and free onboard Champagne.

BUSINESS PREMIER 

Points Guy Editor Nicky Kelvin put business premier to the test, paying £325 for his ticket from St Pancras International to Gare du Nord.

He enjoyed a speedy security process, lounging around in the business premier lounge before boarding and was served Champagne at his seat.

He told MailOnline Travel: ‘One of the biggest wins of business premier departing from London is being able to dodge the security queues at the station. I had access to a priority security lane, which had no queue whatsoever.

The lounge, meanwhile, ‘is a relaxing place to hang out before boarding the train and such a high-end lounge is rare in train travel’.

Nicky continued: ‘On board, the seat is comfortable with plenty of legroom and the food and beverage service is of a high quality – plentiful, fresh and very tasty.’

Any downsides?

Nicky said: ‘While business premier passengers benefit from a queue jump at security, there is no such benefit at passport control, where the queues were rather long, and there is no priority when it comes to actually boarding the train, although it wouldn’t make a huge amount of difference as boarding is relatively relaxed.

‘Also, the seat does not recline much and may become uncomfortable on longer journeys, such as to Amsterdam.

‘And the single seats have airline-style fold-down tray tables, unlike some other first-class train seats, which are a little roomier with a fixed solid table. The pair and quad seats seemed to benefit from proper tables and would be my choice next time.’

STANDARD CLASS 

Putting standard class to the test was Liam Spencer, who paid £195 for his ticket.

He listed several plus points.

He said: ‘I was impressed with the diverse range of food and drink choices available in the onboard cafe. The menu featured a wide selection, from sandwiches and hot meals to fresh juices and a solid choice of alcoholic beverages.’

He opted for a coconut dhal curry, which he says ‘looks like a bucket of sick… but tastes better than it looks’, and a ‘refreshing’ gin & tonic – ‘a delightful treat in standard class’.

He continued: ‘My cabin offered a quiet, clean, spacious environment. I was fortunate to have a four-person table to myself, a rare luxury that gave me plenty of room for stretching out, using my laptop, and enjoying a peaceful journey. While this was certainly a stroke of luck, even with seat neighbours I don’t think I would have been short of space.’

Another upside to his trip was the check-in, security, and boarding process, which he described as ‘straightforward, unfussy, and stress-free’.

He added: ‘In contrast to the potential chaos at airports, international train travel offers a far calmer experience prior to reaching your seat.’

Any downsides?

Liam said: ‘It’s a shame that Eurostar doesn’t offer a service for ordering food and drinks directly to your seat. This option is available on various other train providers, including LNER.

‘And while the Wi-Fi was free, it was practically unusable due to how frequently it dropped out.’

The seat, too, came in for some criticism, with Liam declaring it ‘firm and inflexible’, with a recline button that was ‘essentially futile’. He added: ‘It barely shifted back more than a few millimetres when pushed down.’

For more from The Points Guy visit thepointsguy.com/uk-travel. To see the original TPG Eurostar video click here. 

Popcorn at the ready. 

Travel experts have pitted two British titans of transatlantic travel against each other in a fascinating battle of the business classes.

The Points Guy travel site filmed its experiences in Virgin Atlantic’s upper-class ‘Retreat Suite‘ – which can be configured to form a quad socialising area with the adjacent seat – and BA’s ‘Club Suite’ on flights from London to JFK.

The reviewers enjoyed, among other things, ‘sexy fun and a giant entertainment screen’ on the former and ‘delicious food’ on the latter. But there were downsides on both flights. 

Below are the verdicts and the trailer for the full review video.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC UPPER CLASS

Putting the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Retreat Suite to the test was Points Guy Editor Nicky Kelvin, with his ticket between Heathrow Terminal 3 and New York’s JFK on an Airbus A330-900neo costing 47,500 Virgin Points plus £627 in taxes and fees.

There were plenty of ‘ups’ for his flight.

He told MailOnline Travel: ‘The Virgin Atlantic ground experience at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 is second to none for a business-class ticket. The exclusive “Upper Class Wing” is a private, efficient and unique way to arrive at the airport. Private security and a world-class lounge, up there with some first-class lounges complete the ground experience.’

He continued: ‘The regular Upper Class Suites on this aircraft are very comfortable and spacious, but the Retreat Suite is particularly huge, comfortable and private, especially for sleeping and the inflight entertainment screen is giant.

‘There are welcome extras on board like pyjamas that are available on request and “the Loft” is a fun social space with drinks and ice creams at the back of the cabin.’

He added: ‘Virgin provides a service that mixes incredible professionalism with a cheeky, sexy fun that you won’t find elsewhere.’

And the downs? Nicky revealed there were a few.

He said: ‘The boarding process does not match the exclusivity of what comes before it on the ground. And it’s not possible to have the biggest and best seat (the Retreat Suite) as a window seat. There are also only two seats in the cabin, so you may need to be lucky to sit there, and you’ll have to pay extra for the privilege.

‘Plus, while the food and drink is plentiful and tasty, the food is less refined than you might find on other business class products.’

BRITISH AIRWAYS CLUB SUITE

Putting the British Airways’ Club World business-class ‘Club Suite’ to the test on a 777-200 flight from Heathrow to JFK was Liam Spencer, with his ticket costing 80,000 Avios plus £175 taxes and fees.

What were the positives of his flight with the national flag carrier?

He told MailOnline Travel: ‘The real winner on this flight was the food. From fresh smoked salmon and asparagus to braised leg of lamb, each mouthful was more delicious than the last. Don’t forget to check-out the extensive cocktail menu, too!

‘And despite being more than four years old, BA’s Club Suite feels as fresh and enticing as ever. The cabin was spotless and if you’d told me the seat was new out of the factory, I would have believed you.

‘Plus, the fully-closing door adds a level of privacy that really heightens the business class experience.’

Any downsides? A handful.

Liam added: ‘As a fully-flat bed, British Airways’ Club Suite can’t quite compete with leading products such as Qatar Airways’ QSuite when it comes to comfort and space.

‘And the business-class check-in experience at Heathrow Airport is perfectly fine, if not a little underwhelming, especially when compared with Virgin Atlantic’s separate wing for Upper Class passengers.’

For more from The Points Guy visit thepointsguy.com/uk-travel. To see the full Virgin Atlantic vs British Airways video click here.

Would YOU refuse an upgrade to first class on a plane to stay with a loved one in economy? Most people would, research reveals…

By Michael Norton and Ximena Garcia-rada and Rebecca K. Ratner For The Conversation

Updated: 14:32 EDT, 30 May 2023