Strict Covid measures were still in place all over Italy and you had to wear a mask on the aeroplane. After 2 years of disruption to our lives, I just want to seize the day and make up for my lost travelling years starting there and then,
This was my chance to fly with the family for the first time since my fear of flying course. My father had been ill for some time and I wanted to help out as much as I could. This was the beginning of our adventures. It’s not like anything could stop us in 2020!
Our two youngest daughters True and Rio (yes I liked Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran) are the closest sisters I have ever seen, despite a near 4-year age difference. And what’s more they both really enjoy being with us old parents of theirs. We’ve always done “Mystery Tours” – nothing really fancy a lot of the time. We just get up in the morning and jump on the car ferry (we live on the Isle of Wight) and go somewhere. It can be anything from Brooklands motor museum to the Science museum. However, I have misjudged their nerdiness at times. Like the time we took them to Myrtle Avenue near Heathrow to do plane spotting.
This was the mystery tour of a lifetime though. We told them to pack a bag for 2 nights. We wound them up on the train by whispering about having to get across London but we weren’t going that far. At Gatwick Airport I got up and said “get out”. They were so shocked and got out on the platform. Then I said “Only joking get back on the train”. I think I went too far. Look at their poor faces!
I said we were stopping for food at the airport. We went into a restaurant at the airport and the kids were so gutted. True wasn’t even talking to me. I had to tell them. We were going on a plane – their first time because as previously blogged I hadn’t been on a plane for 20 years. True was still suspicious another plane spotting incident was in the offing and didn’t believe me until we were in our seats.
It was only 35 minutes from London Gatwick to Schipol Airport and a short train ride to the Amsterdam City Centre. We stayed at the DoubleTree By Hilton which is super convenient for everywhere and overlooks the cute Chinese Restaurant in the water called the Sea Palace. It’s tucked away behind this picture of the warm welcome cookie. I’d never had a welcome cookie before. It was lovely and it’s a good job I had it because Dave is now coeliac and I’m a bit dodgy on the old gluten too!
We had an executive room with a separate bedroom for us and two converted beds for the girls in the living/dining area. There was a fantastic coffee maker, complimentary mini bar and snacks in the living room.
Because we were in a suite we also got free access to the Sky Lounge on top of the hotel which is actually a place that people pay to go to see Amsterdam. Dave was most aggrieved to have to pay 9 Euros for a pint of beer though (again before he found out he was coeliac).
Luckily he got his own back at “Happy Hour”. This Hilton had a special lounge for suite dwellers and there was free booze and food and he got his 9 euros back that way!
The kids didn’t mind what we did for an activity they were just so chuffed. We went on canal boat guided tour which I thought they’d hate but they just soaked it all up.
I used to be a really confident flyer before I had kids. I stopped flying when I was 28 after a really bumpy flight with my firstborn on my lap. I suddenly became anxious, which without being kept in check became a real fear and I subsequently didn’t fly for the next 20 years.
Once the kids (Dave and I have 6 between us) were bigger I wanted to start going places but my crippling fear of flying was stopping us all. It was my problem and it was something I had to deal with.
I’d looked it up several times and In November 2017 finally booked a place on the Virgin Atlantic Flying Without Fear course at the Holiday Inn near Gatwick Airport.
We were on tables of about 8 and we had a flying mentor on each table. In the morning there were talks on what all the noises are, how planes fly, how turbulence doesn’t crash planes, that if we have any sort of medical incident the crew have access to a doctor at the end of the phone who can talk the crew through all manner of complicated medical procedures etc etc. They also taught us coping mechanisms like twanging an elastic band on your wrist to confuse your brain that this little bit of pain is what is making you anxious or something. Captain Dave was marvelous as was Paul Tizzard who was running the course.
We had a lovely lunch and were then put on buses to Gatwick North Terminal. Lots of nervous laughter on the bus. We were all handed a ticket from Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport. This was going to be a flight like no other. One hundred passengers on the same flight who all woke up this morning scared to death of flying. Could it be done?
I’d bonded with my table of 8 and we all got on the aircraft and were supporting each other. We just wanted to do it now.
A few people got on and got off the plane a few times.
I sat by a window and texted my family “I’m on – I’ve got this” and then quickly turned to aircraft mode as I didn’t want to push my luck!!
Only one passenger didn’t get on. I felt so sorry for him and couldn’t help thinking if he’d been in our group he might have done it.
Doors closed, we pushed back from the air bridge and then we were taxiing to the runway. There was silence. We hurtled along that runway all twanging our elastic bands on our wrists and then we were up. We all cheered and clapped. As Paul said it was impossible for a plane not to take off if 100 people are willing it to so much!! I liked that. I had tears in my eyes. I looked around and all the others in my group were as ecstatic as I was. We’d done it.
Eat Sleep Fly Repeat 