After just over 24 hours in the German city of Bremen, it was time to head home and that of course meant a Ryanair flight back to Stansted. I was hoping for another short uneventful flight, partly as I had work at 0600 the following day and had chosen Bremen for this trip because the return flight was balanced perfectly between allowing time to explore and getting back at a reasonable time. Whilst the flight itself was short and uneventful, the lead up to it was not, so keep reading if you want to join me when things don’t quite go to plan.

After seemingly working every Bank Holiday weekend in 2024, I was pleased to have ended up only being rostered to work on the Bank Holiday Monday itself for the 2025 Late May Bank Holiday and so I decided to make use of the weekend and head out of the UK for a trip somewhere. Bremen is a destination that I have planned a trip to previously, but for one reason or another didn’t actually make, and so with some cheap Ryanair flights available, it seemed like the time to visit the German city. And so, early on a Bank Holiday Saturday, I was at Harlow Town station waiting for a delayed Stansted Express to the airport.

My trip to Eindhoven and The Netherlands had unfortunately only been partially successful and, having ran out of things to do in a closed Eindhoven, I was back at Eindhoven Airport a few hours ahead of my flight home. I’d once again be flying with Ryanair to London’s Stansted airport, the low-cost carrier’s largest base and an airport I’m not a fan of arriving into as its quite often chaotic. Would it be any different on this occasion?

Back at the end of March, with a few days off work and a yearning to explore, I had booked myself some cheap Ryanair flights for a daytrip to Europe. Just across the North Sea from the UK, The Netherlands is one of our closest neighbours, meaning it was just a short flight from Stansted that would take me to the Dutch city of Eindhoven. Whilst I’ve visited The Netherlands a couple of times before, this would be my first visit to Eindhoven, and I was looking forward to exploring. However, first I had to get there!

After an enjoyable couple of days exploring the beautiful city of Bilbao, it was time for me to leave the Basque Country and head home. As with my flight out, my flight back to the UK was with low-cost carrier, Vueling, who would take me from northern Spain back to London’s Gatwick airport.

Back at the end of February, with the winter weather starting to get a bit boring, my next trip came around just at the right time to get a bit of winter sun. Bilbao would be my destination, located on Spain’s northern coast and as the Basque Country’s largest city, I was looking forward to a trip full of history and culture. But before I could start exploring the city, I had to get there and for that I was trying out a new airline for me, Vueling.