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….

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….