My seven-year-old makes calendars when he’s really looking forward to something, so he can cross off the days.
Usually they’re present-based events – Christmas, his birthday– but at the moment he’s counting the sleeps until our first holiday abroad in six years. (We were just about to book one in 2020 when…)
This latest calendar started when there were 237 days to go, so you can imagine the excitement now we’re down to double figures. But with every wobbly red X, my anxiety rises exponentially. Is it really going to happen?
After last weekend’s hellish scenes at Dover – and the months of airport chaos that preceded them – it’s not surprising a new survey’s revealed half of British people are unlikely to go overseas next year. Obviously money worries amidst the cost-of-living crisis were a factor, but more than a quarter of those who took part said it was simply too much hassle.
Anyone planning to cross the Channel this weekend – the busiest of the summer – has been warned of more seemingly endless queues. This is part of what’s been declared a Major Incident that’s seen cars waiting up to 21 hours.
Depending who you listen to, it’s due to a perfect storm of pre-pandemic passenger levels and either post-Brexit extra border checks or the French being arsey.
We all saw the thousands of people who’d had their flights cancelled or delayed recently, forced to sleep on airport floors, their dream holidays turned into nightmare experiences.
Even those lucky enough to actually travel on the flights they booked and paid for have often found themselves arriving without their luggage. And a baggage handler at Manchester Airport has predicted months more misery as the cut-back, demoralised workforce struggles to deal with demand.
So our flight – for which we have to check in at the fantastically convenient time of 3.30am – not being cancelled would only be the beginning.
We’re travelling on a budget airline where it’s a shock they’re not charging us extra if we want to talk to each other on the plane – by the word – because they have for everything else.
We’ve stumped up to put luggage in the hold, and it goes against everything my husband stands for to pay for something and not use it. But what are the chances of us ever seeing our bags again? I have visions of us instead boarding the aircraft wearing our entire summer wardrobes, one item on top of another like that Friends episode where Joey puts on all Chandler’s clothes. We won’t be able to take our seats because we’ll be wearing so many pairs of trousers our legs won’t bend. Confident it won’t be a problem though, as long as we pay the extra standing fee.
So I’m glad my son is enjoying the build-up to our break. It’s making me feel like I need an additional one, just to recover from it.
Still, it will all be worth it when/if we get there and finally relax. For two minutes, until I start worrying about the journey back. And it so shouldn’t be like that.
Our holidays – always looked forward to and treasured – have never been more anticipated, precious and important than now, after the last few horrendous years. It’s not good enough that we’re all having to fight so hard, and put up with so much, just to take them. Why is nothing being done about this?
Maybe instead of making promises, showing off and squabbling on telly, the Tory leadership contest should consist of a single challenge.
First candidate to make it abroad with all their luggage wins.
