Travel Day Trauma: Florida September 2025: Travel Day

Well well well…the day is finally here. It very nearly wasn’t; but unbelievably happy to say…ITS TRAVEL DAY!!!

Bit of context to my enthusiasm? Oh go on then…This morning should have been a leisurely jaunt from the Premier Inn within the boarder lands of Gatwick airport coupled with a nice easy van drop off at the North Terminal Maple parking before a quick monorail across the South to our check in gate. Ahhh, a nice easy well planned out Travel Day; bliss.

The reality? Well; let me tell you a tale of trauma and torment, where The Fletchers very nearly missed another Gatwick flight. I’m beginning to think this airport is cursed.

Busy, busy day yesterday…work, a quick last minute paranoia check over the house and animals. Jordan? Well she’s delayed as usual, but we’re finally in the van and ready to roll…next stop; Gatwick!!!

Well…that was the plan. The van had other ideas and decided an evening on the hard shoulder of the M4 in Newport was a far more enjoyable evening. Van breaks down, I break down, Jordan break dances…wait what??! Stop that Jordan, this is serious.

Nice one Van…not like we have a flight to catch or anything. Luckily we were 18 hours early for the flight; it’s ok, we can salvage this. Right…kids, wake up!! It’s time to enjoy this evening on a nettle covered embankment whilst we await rescue. This was traumatic in itself; boredom filled Alaska and Grayson played a game of ‘give Dad an MI’ as I had visions of them tap dancing across the M4. Kids stay still, rescue is on its way…in 3 hours. Damn; that’s our evening plans ruined.

Luckily, Dad swoops in to action and comes to the rescue. The kids, the cases and Paul quickly veer home whilst I sit with an insufferably overexcited Jordan; chatting copious amounts of rubbish and giving the viewers of the cameras along the M4 corridor a Birds Eye view of what happens when a valleys girl has a full bladder. Ladies and Gentlemen…my wife 😱. To be fair, she may have been suffering the early symptoms of hypothermia as she mistook a Welsh September evening for a Florida summer. No you can’t have my nice warm jacket Jordan…

To be fair, we were in Newport so she fit in quite well…

Finally help arrives as Jordan begins to suffer frostbite and delirium, and Stan the Van catches a piggy back aboard the the recovery truck. Back to Mags house please drive!!

£270 (this was painful), and a wasted Hotel room and airport parking later, and Stan is unloaded and left for dead over the next fortnight whilst we construct a plan of attack to actually get us to Florida. Luckily Dad enjoys driving long distances on very little sleep, and is more than happy to cancel tomorrow’s jobs in work…or so I convinced myself; cheers Dad!!!

4 hours later (and following a strangely accurate 1 hour and 57 minutes of sleep; Dad was very clear to tell us this), we were bundled in the back of Dads car and on the way to the airport.

Round 2 Ding Ding

A surprisingly quiet morning drive to the airport. Quick coffee stop and before you know it…Ta-Da, we’re here; see Van, it’s not that difficult.

Ok, it’s military precision time at the unforgiving drop off zone. Still feeling the sting of a £30 charge last September, we pile out of the car quicker than an F1 pit crew, high five Dad, and send him on his way before the 10 minute curfew…phew; 3 minutes to spare. God Speed Paulos…

Just like that…we are finally here!!! Honestly didn’t think we’d make it after yesterday evening, but thanks to Super Dad, we made it; only 7 hours to wait. Ok, I may have overestimated the journey time. Better to be early though right?

Quick check in before we head to the dreaded bag drop. A simple task for most; a complex task of luggage Tetris for the Fletchers as the baggage drop work floor depicts scenes of a Primark Saturday afternoon as we shuffle clothes across the cases to make the weight limit. “Oh they won’t complain if it’s 0.8 kg over”; incorrect Jordan…they certainly will.

Following the world’s worst game show, we drop off the bags and stroller, and head through security where Grayson and Alaska are stopped and searched. It’s ok, you can detain them for a few weeks if you want; honestly, we don’t mind 🙄

Happy in the knowledge that the only bombs the kids were smuggling were fart bombs, security gives them a pass and we make it to departures and through the worlds most expensive chocolate shop. Well, there’s other things too, but the World Duty Free shop selling Toblerone for almost a tenner each is criminal.

Alaska dances through the shimmery floor before stopping dead like a moth to a flame; ah…Makeup. She’s a proper girly girl, but not at this cost sorry babes; though I do enjoy a random visit to Alaskas nail salon. Yes I have pink painted toenails…what’s the problem??!!

Quick brekkie at spoons; half decent to fair. Time to chill out, settle down and keep a very close eye on the boarding times; we don’t want a repetition of last year…think I have PTSD.

Boarding info in 3 hours…

After an eternity, some random star jumps and push ups from Grayson; “work it baby!!” (calm down Gray), and a few tours of Gatwick Departures shopping district…our gate number finally flashes up. Quick…leg it; we ain’t having a repeat of last year!! Luckily we made good time, and made it to the gate without almost passing out. This was success. To be fair mind, they don’t give much time…had Jordan been mid poop again, we’d have been breathlessly battering down the BA gates again.

Right…boarding, seats, sky…bewsh; we’re away!! A bumpy start, but 2 hours in and I’ve watched some bloke go on a murderous rampage (don’t panic…it was just a movie), been bathed in apple juice and watched Alaska eat her weight in cheese. To be fair…the BA meal booking system did proper screw her over and neglect to give her the kids meal I’d ordered. “FISH AND CHIPS PLEASE!!”. Not today sorry Alaska; just eat your cheese.

Time flies when you’re being tormented by overhyped children right? 7 hours in and Alaska had made sure that sleep eluded me; you guessed it, I drew the short straw and had to sit next to the maniacal princess. 2 hours to go and Alaska has already watched 5 minutes of every movie BA have to offer, has switched her headphones a solid 10 times and ensured that just as I drop off to sleep, she every so conveniently needs to use the toilet.

Ahhh sleep is for the weak though right?

“Cabin Crew prepare to land”…Grayson adopts the brace position. Bloody hell Gray don’t tempt fate, do you know something I don’t? Panic sweeps the cabin as a chain reaction of brace positions are adopted, an unwitting crew member runs up and down the aisle in a blind panic, some bloke at the back of the plane starts looting the beer fridge…pandemonium!! Nice one Gray. “Ahhhh, it’s raining!!”. Grayson, just stop!!!

To be fair…hammering down with rain; apparently there have been storms all day. Great…must have brought the weather with us as well.

After calming down the cabin, it’s finally time to disembark (the plane had now landed safely…just incase you wondered).

First stop…pick up the “Soup Cases”…the what Gray?! “Yeah I’m pretty confident it’s Soup Case”. You be confident kid…I mean totally wrong, but…

Case collection takes almost as long as the flight as Gray and Alaska simultaneously lose the battle with sleep and decide the tiled floor of baggage claim makes a damn comfy bed. Poor buggers…quick Jo, run and leave them here!!!

Baggage claimed, but the kids managed to catch up with us just in time to make our way through passport control and car collection.

Ooooo decisions decisions…

Alamo gave us too much choice; ahhh yes, the bright red jeep please. Perfect to fit our stupidly big cases; doesn’t matter that it’s got more gear knobs than it has tires…I hate the first night drive from the airport. Jo and Gray were way too excited for this mind; me and Alaska just went along with it and hoped for the best.

Obligatory stop at Walmart to guide a sleep deprived zombified Grayson for a quick Maccas (try the Gold Sauce; it’s delicious!!…Disney, I have copyrighted, don’t get any ideas), before heading for a brief browse for brekkie and Mountain Dew.

Success!! Next stop…Cabana Bay!!

I bloody love this resort, especially around Halloween…only downside; I got robbed in the Lobby :(…oh don’t worry, it was by the Cabana Bay team…$423 to park for 14 nights; absolutely criminal.

Bugger it, committed now, grin and bear it. Wake a sleeping Grayson up for the last time today, and manage to drag his grumpy butt along with us to the room.

Decent room; but honestly, I’m so tired I’d sleep anywhere at the moment. Bath and shower before bed…Islands tomorrow for Day 1!!