The Big Day

Well, it’s the big day of my trip. I am all packed and ready to go, I am been met at the airport by Jesus. (My Spanish host not the son of god) I say my goodbyes to my family at the train station as I head off to Manchester airport. My outward flight was with Monarch, my favorite airline, I was not disappointed, with the quality of service and efficiently. Before you know it I was on the plane and heading off to the sun. I had left the grey skies of the UK behind me.

My bag was the one of the first off the baggage reclaim and seemed to have no battle scars and was intact. I headed off to my collection point to find Jesus ( no pun intended) I had just realized I was going to have to approach  men to ask if they were there to collect me, which was not ideal, however I didn’t need to worry, I spotted a friendly face waving at me, my chariot had arrived. My holiday had begun. It was too late to back out now what did I have to lose….

Travelling lighter or not….

I now had my plane, train and ferry tickets, travel insurance (my younger self never used this but my older self thinks this is a travel essential) European medical card and currency organized. Just a quick mention that having a pre-paid money travel card was a safe and easy way to use money overseas, I found the Post Office offer a good service for this as well as currency.

So now I had to tackle my packing. The blog title of Travelling Light is not a reference to luggage but about having a lighter mental state, been more open to change, flexible and worrying less, a state of mind much harder to attain mid-life.

However, in this post it does apply to my suitcase. I have never mastered the art of travelling light; I envy people who can travel with a carry-on 10 kg bag. I have always felt the need to pack for every occasion, just in case? Life is really not possible without a hairdryer, travel iron, a full medical kit and several pairs of shoes. I remind myself these are baby steps and not to be too tough on myself as I need 20 kilos and not 10 kilos or even the 8 kilos travel buffs take, this would have to be a challenge for another time.

After much deliberation and taking away and putting back I packed my case. I was aiming for 19-20 kilos even though I had a 22 kilo allowance. I would have to carry my case on occasion even though it had wheels. I reduced the amount of books I was taking by using kindle books on my tablet, packing a Spanish/English phrase book, guide book and puzzle book only.

I had managed to stay within the limits I had set myself and had purchased a small rucksack (which I have never owned before) from a well-known sports shop for my hand luggage.

I had a photocopy of my passport, all my paperwork in a file and had left a detailed travel plan with my family. I had ticked off every item on my to-do list, so there is nothing left to do. I think I had gone into planning overload, but realize that this is really about any anxieties about the trip rising. The only thing left to do is have a good night’s sleep to be ready for tomorrow.

A Place to Call Home

Having decided against a package holiday and the high costs of staying in a hotel, (I really don’t enjoy hotels that much either...) I needed an alternative.

One of the companies that kept coming up in conversation was Airbnb, the concept of this is that you stay in a spare room or rent someone’s entire home for a day, a week or much longer depending on your requirements.

I had heard good things and it seemed perfect for me, I filled out a bio for myself and found an image that wasn’t too unflattering and put my dates and destination in the search engine. I was rewarded with pages and pages of available homes to rent. What sheer bliss, I love looking at other people’s homes. I always think when you are house hunting certain properties seem to speak to you, I selected four, all in some why comparable with my own home, and sent a short introductory message to the hosts in question. I was rewarded with a positive response, everyone would be very happy to let me stay and I received some lovely personal messages. I now had four places to visit, three in Mallorca and one in Barcelona.

I printed off the details and put these together with my flight tickets and other information. How exciting I can’t wait…

Fly Me To The Moon….

Well, not quite the moon, Mallorca in fact, although it certainly felt like it. With such a wide variety of airlines and booking agents and the popularity of the resort this should have been much easier.

I had been told that to get a really good deal you need to allow at least three months and travel mid-week rather than booking a flight at the start of the week. I only had a month before travelling but I did have some flexibility on the flight dates. I used the Sky Scanner comparison site which does cut down on the time spent searching, although it’s best not to place the booking through them and go directly to the airline and neither would I advise using a booking agent as they take a booking fee and actually do very little in return. When booking online it’s a good idea to photograph the online booking form on your phone because when the flight is booked the information disappears from the screen and you have no proof of the original charges which can vary when you receive your booking confirmation.

After, some frustration, I did find two flights: a mid-week afternoon flight which arrived in the early evening, whilst still light and early enough to go out for a drink and something to eat. This wasn’t as cheap a flight as I hoped for, but it was with Monarch, my favourite airline for service and comfort, and I think you get what you pay for with all things. My return flight (very cheap) was with Ryanair and I repeat the above statement. I was going to have to make a very early start in the morning, but would at least arrive home early in the afternoon. (or so I thought).

Having just warned against using booking agents, there are a few exceptions. As, I was going to have plenty of time to travel, I decided to take a boat to Barcelona rather than fly.

Trasmediterranea and Balearia are the main ferry providers but trying to book a ferry from the UK as a non-Spanish speaker proved to be a step too far. Direct Ferries offer an online service which is easy to use and offers reasonably priced tickets.

I now had my plane and ferry tickets; (all non-refundable) this trip was now a reality and was going to happen very soon….