To put the final, final bow on my latest UK trip, let’s talk about getting home. Yes, I know I’ve been home for over a week, so (spoiler alert) I obviously made it back safely, but I feel like I need that closure in my blog before opening the chapter on my next trip. Which, spoiler alert again, is happening VERY soon!

This final post is just a quickie to confirm that, indeed, I did make it home. 🙂 With a planned departure time of 9:20 AM, Bill and I figured we should be at the airport no later than 7 AM, giving us a nearly 2.5-hour buffer. Now, I know pretty much EVERY airport tells you that you should arrive three hours early for international flights (sometimes longer if there are staffing issues, strikes, etc. impacting the specific airport you’re flying from), but with an earlier flight, 7 AM felt like a safe enough time, especially knowing that flights are often a bit delayed anyway. Not to mention the fact that a 7 AM arrival time meant that we would need to meet at Earl’s Court at 6 AM for the 45ish-minute tube ride. And backing things up further, that meant a 5 AM wake-up call. Joy!

Remember how I said in my last post that I didn’t sleep all that well on Thursday night? Yeah, that made that 5 AM alarm feel even earlier, but hey, I made it. Other than shower, I just had to pack up my last few things, so at least I made it easy on myself (I can’t imagine leaving packing to the morning!). Then I had to get myself and my TWO suitcases (I never check two bags, but did on this trip so I’d have a smaller one to take to Wales) to Earl’s Court, which was an easy walk so early in the morning. I was crossing my fingers that I wouldn’t have to deal with rain and…I didn’t! We have to be thankful for small mercies when traveling this early, eh? Although I didn’t see Jason or Bill when I arrived, Bill showed up a few minutes later (never saw Jason, but he was going the opposite direction, so would have been on a different platform anyway) and we (sleepily) road the train to Heathrow, with plenty of time to spare.

I always find the check-in and security process at Heathrow (and most non-US airports, really) is easy and efficient. And that was true again on this Friday morning, where we had no wait to check our bags, followed by maybe five minutes in the security line. Being so early in the day, neither of us had eaten, so we decided to hit up an airport lounge to do that. My Platinum AMX card gives me access to quite a few lounges, including Delta Sky Club (as long as I’m flying Delta), but Heathrow doesn’t actually have one, at least not in Terminal 3, instead offering a Virgin lounge, which offers some overlap with Sky Club access, but unfortunately not my access.

<sad trombone>

But never fear because I had a back-up plan at the Centurion lounge, which we got into with no problem. Jackpot! It was actually somewhat busy, considering how early we were there, but there was still plenty of seating and lots of tasty food to choose from. I didn’t eat TOO much, since I knew I’d be eating more on the plane a few hours later, but I enjoyed what I got (I think Bill did, too).

And as for the rest of the airport experience? Just fine! We stayed in the lounge until it was close to our boarding time and then we made our way to the gate, where we sat around, playing the waiting game. Bill got himself a Delta One upgrade, so he knew he had a delightful, lay-flat seat waiting for him. I wasn’t able to upgrade myself this time around, but I did still have a nice Premium Select seat (as I did on the way there) and I was perfectly comfortable. I do think Premium Select is worth it because it does feel like a nice space upgrade as compared to even Comfort+, but as with the previous flight, I didn’t do any sleeping. Womp! But I watched several movies and had some decent food, so you can’t ask for much more than that. Well, I could ask for sleep, but that was unlikely to happen, so…. 😀

My main meal, on the left, was actually a breakfasty/brunchy dish of apple crepes (made sense with the morning departure time), while the smaller, we’re-landing-soon meal, on the right, was a slightly-spicy chicken wrap

Next thing I knew, it was eight hours later and we were landing in Minneapolis, home from another amazing trip to my favorite place. Customs was a breeze (I still use Global Entry, but even if you don’t have that, the process is always pretty quick at MSP) and luggage didn’t take long to come down, so I was soon hitching a ride home with Bill. And then I was unpacking, doing laundry, and trying to stay awake through the evening to reset myself (I made it to about 8:45 PM and was basically back to normal the next morning). I had fun with my friends, revisited some favorite places, and made lots of new memories. Now it’s onto the next trip!

What is that next trip? You only have a few days to find out, but here’s a hint – it’s a new-to-me country in mainland Europe. 🙂