It's really hard to go home at the end of a trip.
You need to repack your suitcase with all your dirty, sweaty, smelly clothes. Try to figure out how everything fit so perfectly before and why it doesn't now even though you didn't buy anything. Then there is that gripping fear that you forgot something, but can't figure out what (I didn't).
Our airport transfer is to pick us up around 2PM and we don't have to check-out until noon so at least we won't be rushed. Enough time to have a good breakfast, pack and then sit out by the pool. When it's that time, we just make a quick change into some cleaner clothes and then wait up in reception for the bus.
Once on we are advised that the flight home will be approx 45 minutes late. But that's not too bad. There was one trip I took to the Dominican Republic and our flight was delayed 12 hours, what a waste of a precious vacation day.
We arrive at the airport, grab out bags and go to check-in. Once again I'm struck by the needless chaos because they don't have just one queue for all the check-in counters. So people are jostling for position and then audibly griping when they realize they've chosen the slower line. Really what does it matter? You've got preassigned seats. Are you in that much of a hurry to get to the other side to just sit around and wait?
And wait we did. The Paphos airport is not all that large and with the few flights that have been delayed there is just not enough seating for everyone. There is only 1 small touristy type duty free shopping and then the other shop that you see in every other airport (the one with the chocolate, perfumes, alcohol and cigarettes).
Eventually we do find a spot to sit. The seats are fairly wide so I end up sharing one with B as we are both small. The noise is defining. Screaming, crying kids, frazzled parents, the overhead announcements that no one can really understand. According to the flight status board our flight is on time, with no gate assigned even thought the actual time is 60 minutes after we were to take off. Glad to see things are up to date here.
It's times like this having a laptop come in handy. I pull it out of my pack and get caught up on my journaling (or blogging as it is now). But if I didn't do this then there is always a book, but I try to save the reading for the actual flight as you can only read the in flight magazine so many times.
They finally call our flight and we get ushered from the main departure lounge to an inner lounge as we wait for the shuttle to take us out to the tarmac. An elderly couple sitting next to us notice our Canadian passports and mention we are a long way from home. So we launch into the whole, we moved to Glasgow thing. They are traveling with their daughter and son-in-law and their Grandson who is just a little cutey with curly blond hair. He seems to take great delight in ever so gently touching my knee and then laughing.
Flight home was uneventful.
One week is just not long enough for a trip. Particularly when you're coming from a high stress environment. It takes a couple of days to truly unwind and at that point you are already starting to think about what will await you on your return. Two weeks should be the minimum, three weeks is even better.
Being independently wealthy, traveling all the time and not having to work to survive?
Perfect.
You need to repack your suitcase with all your dirty, sweaty, smelly clothes. Try to figure out how everything fit so perfectly before and why it doesn't now even though you didn't buy anything. Then there is that gripping fear that you forgot something, but can't figure out what (I didn't).
Our airport transfer is to pick us up around 2PM and we don't have to check-out until noon so at least we won't be rushed. Enough time to have a good breakfast, pack and then sit out by the pool. When it's that time, we just make a quick change into some cleaner clothes and then wait up in reception for the bus.
Once on we are advised that the flight home will be approx 45 minutes late. But that's not too bad. There was one trip I took to the Dominican Republic and our flight was delayed 12 hours, what a waste of a precious vacation day.
We arrive at the airport, grab out bags and go to check-in. Once again I'm struck by the needless chaos because they don't have just one queue for all the check-in counters. So people are jostling for position and then audibly griping when they realize they've chosen the slower line. Really what does it matter? You've got preassigned seats. Are you in that much of a hurry to get to the other side to just sit around and wait?
And wait we did. The Paphos airport is not all that large and with the few flights that have been delayed there is just not enough seating for everyone. There is only 1 small touristy type duty free shopping and then the other shop that you see in every other airport (the one with the chocolate, perfumes, alcohol and cigarettes).
Eventually we do find a spot to sit. The seats are fairly wide so I end up sharing one with B as we are both small. The noise is defining. Screaming, crying kids, frazzled parents, the overhead announcements that no one can really understand. According to the flight status board our flight is on time, with no gate assigned even thought the actual time is 60 minutes after we were to take off. Glad to see things are up to date here.
It's times like this having a laptop come in handy. I pull it out of my pack and get caught up on my journaling (or blogging as it is now). But if I didn't do this then there is always a book, but I try to save the reading for the actual flight as you can only read the in flight magazine so many times.
They finally call our flight and we get ushered from the main departure lounge to an inner lounge as we wait for the shuttle to take us out to the tarmac. An elderly couple sitting next to us notice our Canadian passports and mention we are a long way from home. So we launch into the whole, we moved to Glasgow thing. They are traveling with their daughter and son-in-law and their Grandson who is just a little cutey with curly blond hair. He seems to take great delight in ever so gently touching my knee and then laughing.
Flight home was uneventful.
One week is just not long enough for a trip. Particularly when you're coming from a high stress environment. It takes a couple of days to truly unwind and at that point you are already starting to think about what will await you on your return. Two weeks should be the minimum, three weeks is even better.
Being independently wealthy, traveling all the time and not having to work to survive?
Perfect.
2 comments:
Yes, two weeks off minimum should be mandatory, even if you just go away for a week and have a few days either side. Bliss.
Glad you had a lovely time.
Independently wealthy, travelling all the time and not having to work to survive? If you find a way, can you let me know cos I don`t want to come home ever! Do you want to live in my flat for another year?!?!?! Haha...
Post a Comment