Donkey ears and the naked traveller...

My trip to Scotland on Wednesday proved quite eventful and stressful...had booked Ryanair flight Poitiers (thanks for lift Norman) to Stansted...no problem other than had to sneak my oversized/overweight bag on-board which included my laptop with duff screen, kept thinking "don't ask me to fire it up" - they didn't. Taking it to try and get it repaired.

When I tried to scan my boarding pass at departures for my onward Easyjet trip to Glasgow it wouldn't 'work'. Had to seek out assistance where I told 'the man' I had a problem " sure do mate,you should be at Gatwick". Senior moment perhaps but I had in fact booked myself on a Gatwick flight!!!! By the time I had decided to go to departures I was too late even to take a very expensive taxi ride to catch it.

The first lady at the Easyjet help desk was not very sympathetic...shame but...the best she could do was 9.40pm to Edinburgh. She asked if I had the credit card the flight was booked on,no I didn't, had used Pauline's over the phone. Could I phone my wife so she could pay using it...don't have a mobile...let me use theirs but Pauline was visiting her mum at the hospital.Could I send her a text on her mobile...sorry don't know her number...it's in my laptop... remember the duff screen!

Used cyber cafe to let Pauline know I had my donkey ears on then back to 'help' desk where eventually convinced them (second lady very pleasant) to let me use my French card. I would however have to come back after my missed flight had taken off so they could rebook me - asked her what time it was now -no watch. I could see her incredulous look - who travels without a phone /tablet/laptop/credit card...not even a ### watch. (thus my reference to naked traveller)

Didn't end there,my hire car would be sitting at Glasgow waiting for me - off to hertz office - said I should contact Glasgow office - gave me the number but remember...no phone etc. Was kind enough to contact for me and allowed me to use their phone.

Long wait for Edinburgh flight - doesn't Easyjet's bag sizer look even smaller than Ryanair's? Managed to get my case through security without my laptop being checked and on board the plane but as I was one of the last to board...don't do the 'long stand' thing at airports - even less necessary now 'low-cost' carriers allocate seats- there was no room over head and I was rumbled - "it is obviously to large" but the cabin crew were so nice they simply tagged it and sent it back down to go in the hold -job done (with smiles). Don't you just hate these kind of travellers?

Arrived at Edinburgh around 10.30pm but then had to wait to get my case from baggage reclaim...long time since had to do that. The car hire offices at the airport are a 5 min (seems longer) walk from the main terminal and  I was greeted by pleasant young lady who (she told me) would be there 'til midnight. "did I have the credit card the car was booked with?...oh oh

Did eventually get the key-less car, another few senior moments of trying to suss it out - why do they assume we'll know? - before setting off. As you leave the compound you have to sign the paperwork to show you have checked the car for damage...in the dark?...said I could check it in the morning and phone in any problems.

Finally arrived in Ayr at 12.30am...quite a day!

I have featured the French cartoon character who goes by the name of Gaston Lagaffe (modified his pic to look more like me) before, here  - he just can't seem to put a foot right! on Wednesday I was that man again.