[Travel] Airports and flying

[happypig]

I was very use to stresses and bad atmosphere at home when building up to a family holiday. A huge packing list, a fear of missing something vital and ‘someone’ insisting that the house is left pristine no matter the angst. I thought this was just unlucky me, until several clients told me they tread on eggshells at home in the days prior to a flying holiday. Add the stress at airports, ensuring you don’t lose the key docs, collected everything from the security trays (without me last November, Mrs.W left a new Kindle in one) and pointless whining about delays.

Then a few years ago I discovered travelling alone sometimes, meeting similarly minded folk overseas. Calmly packing one case the day before, my heart rate not raised one beat, paradise. Relax and go with the travelling flow

We have a system in our house: We each sort our own clothes and I sort the chargers/adaptors etc. A few days before we fly I put the case (if we're taking two) on the spare bed. Mrs H then flutters about gradually putting her stuff in the case. After a couple of days, when she's done, some items having gone in and out of the case several times, I spend 20 minutes lobbing all my gear in.

Would it be the end of the world if Easyjet just locked up the overhead lockers completely and forced all these medium sized suitcases into the hold where they properly belong? Time was when the overhead lockers were for items you needed for the duration of your flight, not the duration of your holiday

I recently flew back from Corfu and at the airport they said the flight was full so would we like to put our carry-ons in the hold. As we already had a hold bag, and our valuables were in our under-seat bag, we were happy to. They were also checking carry-on sizes, the first time I've seen them do it anywhere in 50+ flights with Easyjet.
I think most people take the carry-ons to save money; It used to be cheaper to book an up-front seat which came with a second, under-seat, carry-on along with a standard size carry-on and speedy boarding. I don't think it is cheaper now.

 

[Weststander]

I haven't flown since 2019 . . . Walked off the plane and down the steps in BOlogna, 30m accross the tarmac, into the terminal, and straight out to a hire car.

I think I was on the road driving inside 10 minutes.

Linate next month, I doubt it'll be anywhere near as simple now.

Oslo, Helsinki the same .... but too cold for you?

 

[Weststander]

We have a system in our house: We each sort our own clothes and I sort the chargers/adaptors etc. A few days before we fly I put the case (if we're taking two) on the spare bed. Mrs H then flutters about gradually putting her stuff in the case. After a couple of days, when she's done, some items having gone in and out of the case several times, I spend 20 minutes lobbing all my gear in.



I recently flew back from Corfu and at the airport they said the flight was full so would we like to put our carry-ons in the hold. As we already had a hold bag, and our valuables were in our under-seat bag, we were happy to. They were also checking carry-on sizes, the first time I've seen them do it anywhere in 50+ flights with Easyjet.
I think most people take the carry-ons to save money; It used to be cheaper to book an up-front seat which came with a second, under-seat, carry-on along with a standard size carry-on and speedy boarding. I don't think it is cheaper now.

For that reason alone, I've always envied folk with a spare bed. Days ahead you can gradually accumulate clobber and papers, in a no-mishaps clear bedroom.

I should've seen the pre-holiday stress writing on the wall ... 25 years ago being accused of "Not telling me what clothes to take"

 

[zefarelly]

Oslo, Helsinki the same .... but too cold for you?

I'm not going to Italy for heat. warm enough here.

Food and cars though . . . And some nice architecture.

until about 20 years ago I flew regularly for work, got it all down to a tee. A simple manbag/briefcase had everything in it all the time ( inc spare pants, socks/shirt). For when BA lose your lugguage. Also got good at compact packing and only taking what I need, from touring on Italian shopping bikes. The crap some people take is incredible. Most of it never used.

 

[Weststander]

I'm not going to Italy for heat. warm enough here.

Food and cars though . . . And some nice architecture.

Very mature of you.

I love the saying …. A fortune spent on fast cars and even faster women.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Times have changed though. If I’m on a city break long weekend I don’t want to spend ages on a Friday afternoon/evening waiting to collect my case when I could be sat outside a nice bar on a nice square.

Trouble is, 200 people on the same flight have the same idea. So there's 200 people all josting for space for their medium sized suitcases in the overhead lockers

 

[BrightonCottager]

I was tempted by the new sleeper trains to Berlin but the prices are just eye watering. I do have a few long distance train journeys when heading out to the Rugby World Cup though.

We're going to Berlin by train but via Amsterdam for a few days. Flying back from Berlin due to cost / time, though it'll probably be delayed.

I normally keep this to myself but if you want to avoid crowds at Gatwick N, there's a viewing area with benches through a short tunnel to the left of Spoons.