IanFirstly, sorry for the late blog! I’ll explain why below. Yesterday was Day 9, our travel day home from Seville to Gatwick. It’s been an awesome holiday, and we both really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the time had come to return to reality… and reality made us work for it!
It was a LONG day. Our flight home was delayed by 50 minutes, and then the M25, our main route home, was closed, adding another 25 minutes. I didn’t get home until 00:45, and I pretty much crashed! So, let me tell you how it all unfolded.
One last morning in Seville
With a 20:25 flight, we didn’t need to be at the airport until late afternoon. We had a late check-out for my friend’s room, which meant we could use it as a base until it was time to go.
First things first: our last breakfast. Afterwards, I headed to my room for the final bit of packing. I’d packed most of it the night before, so it was just my toiletries and the bits I’d needed that morning. I checked the room several times to make sure I hadn’t left anything behind, then grabbed my bag, suitcase and coat and left. It was bittersweet, but what a week it had been.
The 250 euro surprise
I dropped my bags off and headed downstairs to check out of my room, and, to my absolute horror, there was a charge of 250 euros! I was only expecting 29 euros for my room service!
We’d booked through Booking.com, and we were both sure our booking included breakfast, as we’d paid extra for it. But according to the hotel staff, the reservation they received didn’t include breakfast at all. So frustrating!
We reluctantly paid, and we’ll be taking it up with Booking.com to find out what went wrong. In future, I think we’ll book directly with the hotel! It was a real shock to the system after such a great holiday.
Top tip: when you check in, ask the hotel to confirm exactly what your booking includes, especially breakfast. It could save you a nasty surprise at check-out!
We headed back upstairs, obviously upset, and it did put a bit of a damper on things. What a way to finish the holiday… with a 250 euro bill!
A last lunch at Nervión Plaza
With that set aside, we finished packing up my friend’s room and relaxed there for a while. My friend wasn’t hungry, but I was, so I took one last walk to Nervión Plaza for some lunch. I went with Popeyes, and it was really tasty!
After that, I had one last wander around the centre to see if there was anything else I needed, then headed back. It was lovely and warm out, especially after all the rain we’d had since Monday. Typical!
Seville Airport: the waiting game
By the time I got back, it was almost time to go. We grabbed our bags, checked out of my friend’s room and waited outside for our Uber. It took around 25 minutes to get to the airport, which was slower than usual due to heavy traffic. We walked into the terminal at around 15:40. Then the next issue happened…
As British Airways aren’t based in Seville, they share a check-in desk with another airline, which meant we couldn’t check in yet. The plan had been to check in, drop our bags and spend some time in the lounge. Instead, we sat outside departures for about an hour and a half, waiting for the other airline to finish with the desk. Painful, and I was already tired!
Finally, the check-in desk opened at around 17:10… BUT they weren’t actually checking anyone in yet! We queued for a further 25 minutes, and when they did start, they were very slow. If that wasn’t foreshadowing what was coming, I don’t know what is!
Once we were through security, we finally made it to the lounge… and can you guess? It was terrible! It was overcrowded, the food hadn’t been restocked in ages, and there was hardly anywhere to sit. After five minutes, we gave up and left. A complete washout!
So we headed through passport control instead. There seemed to be an issue with the EU’s new border system, as each of us had to be approved manually by a border guard. I’m not sure what was going on there! And it kept getting worse…
Delay after delay
When we got to the gate, we thought, “Finally, we can get going!” But guess what? We couldn’t. First, they were late getting the previous flight’s passengers off, so ours was delayed. Then, once we were queuing to board, there was another 15-minute delay before they let us on, and it took a further 25 minutes to board everyone else. So much for a 20:25 take-off!
And it kept getting worse! Once we were on board, the captain told us there was a 10-minute delay loading the luggage. You can probably guess what happened next: the flight plan expired, and they had to negotiate with Spanish air traffic control to get us off the ground, which took another 10 minutes.
Once ATC finally agreed, I have never taxied to a runway so fast! We must have had a tight window. The captain picked up speed as we approached the runway and took off without any delay. I think we were in the air within about five minutes, which was impressive!
The flight home
The flight itself was probably the calmest part of the whole day. The food was nice, the atmosphere was relaxing, and the crew were friendly. This was my dinner:
Gatwick, the M25 and a wrong turn
Well, we landed at Gatwick! Yay! Think that was the end of the problems? No… The baggage took ages to come through, and we waited a further 20 minutes. When my bag DID appear, it looked like it had been flung onto the belt, sitting on top of someone else’s! I couldn’t take a picture, as it’s a secure area, but it was… interesting.
I grabbed a coffee, as I still had over an hour of driving ahead to drop my friend off. Then we collected my car, which was nice and clean. Looking at the mileage, it hadn’t been used other than being moved around the car park, which is always a plus! I kind of forgot how to drive for a minute, though. But once I was back in the swing of it (it’s like riding a bike, really!), we were on our way.
We got out of Gatwick and thought we were home and dry… and the M25 was closed, adding a further 25 minutes to the journey! You couldn’t make this stuff up.
I dropped my friend off at around 00:25, and, just to top it all off, I then went the wrong way home, so I didn’t get in until 00:45. What a travel day! I won’t forget that one in a hurry.
That’s a wrap on Seville!
And with that, guys, our holiday in Seville is complete. Despite the journey home, we had an amazing time and made some great memories.
It’s not quite the end, though! My full review of the trip is coming this weekend, with both of our scores, and there’ll be more videos on my YouTube channel, The Forward Shift Journal. If you missed any of the trip, you can catch up on every day in Spain 2026, starting with yesterday’s wet and windy Day 8.
Thanks so much for following along. See you on the next one!
