Santiago to London Stansted to Edinburgh

The taxi came at 0400 bang on time. I had my rucksack already in its travelbag and a small cabin bag with my essentials & valuables. The trip was from Santiago to London Stansted, an all-day wait then a connecting flight to Edinburgh. The reason for this route was financial. There were no direct flights from Santiago to Edinburgh, so I thought about flying from Madrid, the cheapest one way flight was almost £300, plus the cost of getting there and a hotel for the night. I got two Ryanair flights to Edinburgh via London for less than £100, so it was a no-brainer. However, I wish I had cast my net wider because it was a nightmare.

Everything went well at Santiago, we left and arrived at Stansted on time, but then I discovered that I would not be able to check my luggage in until two hours before the flight. Not good. The situation was made worse by the fact that the only place I could sit was the transit lounge where people transit to and from their flights. It was mobbed, and when I finally managed to get a seat, I didn't want to move because it would be immediately taken by someone else, and none of the usb charging points worked. I put my phone on power save mode. Also, the place was filthy. There were so many people transiting through that the cleaners had no chance.

I had arrived at 0800 and my flight to Edinburgh was 1835, I wouldn't be able to check my bag in until about 1600. I was stuck in a noisy, uncomfortable, extremely busy, and filthy place all day. It was a truly awful experience that I will try to avoid at all costs in the future.

Eventually I got my bag checked in and went upstairs to the departure lounge, it was a larger version of the one I had been stuck in for hours, there was a much greater choice of places to eat or get coffee and some touristy type shops but it also was mobbed and once you got a seat you stayed in it.

I was glad when the flight gate was announced, and I made my way there, and although we were late in leaving the flight to Edinburgh was uneventful, and I have never been so glad to land on Scottish soil. Home is where the heart is, and my heart is here.Read more