Having visited Menorca earlier in the summer on an EDT, and having a full holiday in Majorca 3 years ago, the only Balearic island I hadn’t visited was Ibiza.
On Sunday 26th July, I completed the set. It was a strange old start to the day, an 0815 flight and my insistence of getting to the airport 3 hours before meant a walk starting at 4am. By this point, it’s a route I could do with my eyes closed. This morning though, it was raining, the fine kind of rain that finds a way to penetrate waterproofs. By the time I got to terminal 3, I was soaked.
Security was a bit sluggish, it was peak season so very busy and not only did I set off the body scanner, but my carry on needed swiping too. All clear in the end, it was fun having to open my bag then trying to put the buckaroo back together. I travel with 2 action cameras, a drone plus two battery packs, a change of clothes and accessories.
Having made this journey so many times now, I’m very efficient at getting round the terminal.
I headed to Costa for a few drinks to wake me up, then headed towards the gate. Todays aircraft was switched from a slightly larger 737 Max 8 to the older 737-800 Malta Air operated flight.
I noticed a lady with an extremedaytrips.com tag. I made a poster for this trip and advertised it on a Facebook group and I know at least one person booked as a result. At this point, I seem to be a minor Ryanair influencer.
In fact, another party sat behind me on the plane were also doing the same EDT. they really are popular now thanks to sites like extremedaytrips.com.
For large sections of the flight the fasten seatbelt signs were on, we had mild turbulence but several passengers completely ignored the cabin crews repeated instructions, getting up to go to the toilet. Now, it’s possible they had some hidden condition but it always amazes me how many people can’t cope without the toilet for a couple of hours, especially people in their 20s.
I got talking to a couple of ladies sat next to me, I had a camera suction cupped to the window and they were asking if it was for tiktok. I explained a bit about my travel adventures and they seemed quite interested in how it all worked. I love the people you meet on these trips.
The flight departed 20 mins late due to the standard French ATC summer strikes.
Getting through EES in Ibiza was a breeze. I’d gone from wet and cold in Manchester to mid 30s Celsius in Ibiza.
I hadn’t planned much for this trip, it was just a case of head to the beach. I had been given the impression it was walkable, so I set a walking route with google maps. At this point google maps decided it wanted to kill me. It had me walking down a dirt path then crossing a busy dual carriageway. After 40 mins of walking, I decided to abandon efforts and instead head back to the safe paths around the airport for a taxi. The queue was massive but the stream of taxis was like a conveyor belt so it wasn’t long before I was on my way.
I really enjoyed swimming in the med in Alicante, so I did the same again. I found a luggage storage place right next to Playa d’en Bossa beach called “Drop and enjoy”. It also offered showers but they were fully booked unfortunately.
I picked up some comfortable flip flops, the customary magnet and some swimming goggles. I was hoping for somewhere I could change into some swim shorts but there was nowhere so I just took off my socks, grabbed my waterproof camera, the goggles and flip flops and headed to the sea. The sand was nice and soft, the waves were a little less calm than alicante but the sea was refreshing and warm. I must have spent at least an hour in the water, leaving my flip flops and luggage receipt on the sand. It was a lovely way to relax. I experimented with the camera under water so I’ll see what that looked like at home. It was also nice watching the planes taking off so close to the beach and immediately turning.
I tried to dry off walking in the sun then I picked up my bag. I had to get changed in a public toilet. The toilet itself wasn’t flushing and had the contents of the last inhabitant inside. It was a good job I didn’t need the facilities. It was a bit awkward trying to de-sand myself with wet wipes, that shower would have been great, but anyway, I managed to get changed then went for a walk around the area and found a nice bar on the beach where I could sit down, enjoy a shandy and some nachos whilst watching the sea.
Suddenly the fluffy white clouds in the sky swapped for the wet kind but I didn’t mind, the rain was actually quite cold and refreshing against the warm air. The waitress offered for me to move to a table better sheltered, but I’m a northern lad, I wasn’t going to let a few drops of rain stop me.
By this stage, it was time to head back to the airport, I hailed a cab from the street and was back at the airport in 20 minutes. I still felt relaxed as I hadn’t tried to fit too much into the day, it was more a change of scenery kind of trip. No issues at the airport with security and I actually fell asleep on the plane back before getting a taxi home. 22,917 steps for the day, wish I didn’t have to go to work the next morning so I was glad of the sleep on the plane.
Overall, it was a lovely day trip. I did prefer Alicante and I think 4 EDTs in a month had left me a little bit more tired. I do prefer Saturday EDTs because it leaves me with a day off to recover, still, much nicer being in the sea in a gorgeous Spanish island than getting soaked in the grey Manc rainshine.
Formentera is a Balearic island too!