Page 2 | Would you got to Spain for a day?

livealittlemore · 08/06/2022 10:07

Is it a child free trip or are you taking any other children with you? If with children, it'll be no fun for them and they will be exhausted by the travel and the lack of sleep. Possibly doable if it's just the 2 of you, but even then with the airport chaos, you might end up being there just for a few hours, so it'll be far from a fun or relaxing trip.
If you can go a bit earlier on Friday and come back late night on Sunday, you'll get more time, but even then it'll be hectic especially with all the flight delays and cancellations
Why not do a nice spa hotel stay in the UK? that'll be more relaxing

Swayingpalmtrees · 08/06/2022 10:09

Fly out first thing Friday
and return on an evening flight on Sunday and it would be worth it

I would not leave a tiny newborn baby with anyone at 8 weeks, or even 8 months so it would be a non starter for me.

The weather looks set to improve here, I would book a lovely hotel here instead. The airports are in disarray everywhere not just in the UK and we had to arrive three hours before the flight at both places, and only just made our flight due to the massive queues.

shinynewapple22 · 08/06/2022 10:12

Not at the moment with all the queues and delays - no. It probably also depends on where you are flying from and to - what the length of your journey is. You would have very little sleep as you would need to be at the airport a couple of hours before your early morning flight both days - even without luggage you still have to go through security .

I have been a couple of times for long weekend and that is definitely worth doing - although again I would probably wait until the risk of cancellations has reduced if wanting to get back for a young baby .

ThreeonaHill · 08/06/2022 10:13

Why Spain? If it was for a specific event I really wanted to go to, sport or music for example, then yes. To mooch around, sit on the beach and eat in restaurants, I'd rather go somewhere closer to home.

Rubyroseyposey · 08/06/2022 10:17

Good on the people who wouldn't leave the baby? Its being cared for by family, not left alone. The op wasnt asking for views on this but guess its too tempting to include it anyway 🥱🙄

shinynewapple22 · 08/06/2022 10:21

I think a mid day flight on the Friday and Sunday would make all the difference - still wouldn't plan it with current chaos though .

Abra1d1 · 08/06/2022 10:24

newbornbubble · 08/06/2022 09:34

DH birthday next Friday and I have been looking at going to Spain just for the day really, we would land at 11:55pm Friday then have the whole day Saturday then fly back at 7am Sunday.

DS is only 8 weeks old so I wouldn't go any longer than that and the kids have school etc.

Is it a waste of time ?

I once went to Lisbon for a day. Portugal, not Spain, but similar trip. I came back very very late the same day and saw what I particularly wanted to see for a project.

coffeecupsandfairylights · 08/06/2022 10:30

No - not with the airport situation the way it is. You'll be tired and fed up by the time you get there!

Billandben444 · 08/06/2022 10:31

I wouldn't do it now with the airport chaos but I did in 2019 pre covid and Brexit. I flew to Malaga from Stansted on the 7.20am flight and took the local train to Fuengirola (our favourite place) for noon (one hr time difference) . Had wine and tapas on the seafront and chilled on the beach for about 4hrs and then some decent paella before picking up some cheap cigs and back to the airport - back home by 10pm.I used my concessionary bus pass to get to and from Stansted, flights were £35 and food and drink about a tenner. The half-price cigs were 'given' to a friend who donated £45 to pay for my day out - the whole thing was a bet that the day wouldn't cost me a penny and it didn't. I've done the trip so many times that it was relaxing and I came home having caught the sun in March. Would I do it now? Not on your nelly!

Butteryflakycrust83 · 08/06/2022 10:31

Def depends on airport - my boss has a house in Spain and frequently flies out Friday night from City airport and back Sunday, breezes through the airport and out within half an hour.

Fleur405 · 08/06/2022 10:33

Not on this itinerary! So you arrive midnight Friday. By the time you get to your hotel and get checked in and to bed it’ll be what 2am? Then for your 7am flight on Sunday you’ll have to leave at what 3/4am (on the assumption that Spanish airports have some of the issues we do)?

I’d definitely stay in the uk and have a more relaxing time!

Original poster

newbornbubble · 08/06/2022 10:38

The only thing that is putting me off is the airports at the moment I was hoping they have calmed down by now.

I'm not to fussed about leaving DS nanny is fab and probably does a better job than I do. I know he is in the right hands.

Will have to look over here I just fancied a bit of sun!

OP posts:

GreenCard · 08/06/2022 10:40

Go for it! Hand luggage and prepare to love in the airport. But it sounds crazy and fun and something to remember.
plan the day and then plan again if you’re late and go for it!

minipie · 08/06/2022 10:41

No I wouldn’t as there’s just too much of that precious baby free time spent in airports. Especially with the horrific queues and cancellations at the moment. Standing in a 2 hr queue for check in, and then another one for passport control the other end (thanks Brexit!), is not a great birthday treat.

Weather in England looks pretty nice next Friday. Why not book a lovely hotel somewhere here? Or train to Paris if you really want to go abroad?

CMOTDibbler · 08/06/2022 10:41

I would. Somewhere with a very short transfer like Malaga and have a lovely day pootling round in the sun having drinks and meals. At my local airport the nightmare time is the early morning flights and for baggage drop, so if you have hand luggage only its OK

BarbaraofSeville · 08/06/2022 10:44

Billandben444 · 08/06/2022 10:31

I wouldn't do it now with the airport chaos but I did in 2019 pre covid and Brexit. I flew to Malaga from Stansted on the 7.20am flight and took the local train to Fuengirola (our favourite place) for noon (one hr time difference) . Had wine and tapas on the seafront and chilled on the beach for about 4hrs and then some decent paella before picking up some cheap cigs and back to the airport - back home by 10pm.I used my concessionary bus pass to get to and from Stansted, flights were £35 and food and drink about a tenner. The half-price cigs were 'given' to a friend who donated £45 to pay for my day out - the whole thing was a bet that the day wouldn't cost me a penny and it didn't. I've done the trip so many times that it was relaxing and I came home having caught the sun in March. Would I do it now? Not on your nelly!

Sounds great. The main thing is finding somewhere where there's a morning and an evening flight, which is probably easier said than done in a lot of cases as it's often a once a day out and back flight for the airline.

Then you need to be able to easily get to the airport by public transport, again easier said than done in my experience, because if you drive, parking is likely to be a minimum of £30+, even for a day trip, but you've obviously got an easier airport connection than I have.

Get over those two hurdles and it would certainly make for a nice day out, providing both your flights run on time.

I've been to the Isle of Man for day trips for work many times and that's fairly stress free, and is a nice place to have a look around, but not the guaranteed sunshine that you would have in Spain.

Blossomtoes · 08/06/2022 10:45

Back in the days when flights were really cheap I used to go to Italy for the day to buy cheap cigarettes. A wander round the shops in Bergamo, nice lunch, sit in the sun with my book for a couple of hours, buy fags and come home. I did it several times and once to Pisa for a change, I did some of my Christmas shopping that time. We went to Rome for the day for our wedding anniversary one year, it was a lovely day out.

Wotrewelookinat · 08/06/2022 10:46

No way…not with a child that young, not with the current airports problems, and definitely not for environmental reasons,

StarlightLady · 08/06/2022 10:46

I would avoid, especially when you factor in the amount of time you will be faffing about in airports, travel to and from the airport, and potential delays in non-EU passport queues.

Sirzy · 08/06/2022 10:48

No especially not with the chaos ar the moment.

I have done two nights over to MiL and that was bad enough as we basically spent most of the time travelling!

Dinoteeth · 08/06/2022 10:50

Op, I'd go for a localish spa hotel. It seems a lot of effort to get some sun. Esp the airport delays and issues just now
.

SleepingStandingUp · 08/06/2022 10:50

If you land at midnight what time will you get to your hotel? How much sleep do you need?

If you fly at 7 am what time do you need to leave? How much sleep do you need?

Getting to hotel for say 2am, straight to sleep, up at 9, bed at 9 to be up at 4 am would give you 12 hours. I could think of better ways to spend a weekend away from a newborn and it involves more sleep.

Is it possible to get say a flight that lands at 8pm so you could get a normal bedtime, get up a little earlier and then get a flight that leaves at say midday so you can stay out for a late dinner and get a proper sleep?

At 8 weeks pp, sleep was all.

warofthemonstertrucks · 08/06/2022 10:53

No but I'd go to Paris or Bruges on the euro star. We recently did this and it was so easy and quick. Left home at 6.30 am, eating moules et frite in Bruges by 12.15!

backinthebox · 08/06/2022 10:53

Yes, I would. I once took my kids to Rome just for one night (they were 5 and 8.) We had a great time. People thought I was nuts, but I am not like them. 😆😆

I would be prepared to be a bit more relaxed than usual though wrt to flight chaos. And I would not leave an 8 week old baby myself but mine were breastfed and everyone is different.

WallaceinAnderland · 08/06/2022 10:55

Waste of time. Unless you hire a helicopter or something.