flying in Malaga: what not to do

Just a few pointers that I’ve gained from my own personal experience this week.  I hope the tips can be useful to someone else:

• Don’t quit your job, having a leaving do, and go out drinking cocktails the night before an early flight.

• Don’t say that you should set two alarm clocks, and then not do it.

• Don’t sleep through the alarm clock, which was correctly set for 3am.  Even if there are two of you, you can easily sleep through the sound of crickets when you’ve only had one hour’s sleep.

• When getting a minicab to Gatwick in a fluster at 4am, don’t give up when the driver decides to take a different route to the one you instructed him to take.  It will be host to a massive accident and you won’t move anywhere.

• Don’t miss your flight.  The next flight will cost a mint.  All of your pre-planning three months in advance to get the best fare will be out the window.

• Don’t pre-book your currency collection at the airport and then not have time to collect it.

• Don’t pre-book your car hire with one of the major companies at Malaga airport, especially if it’s a Saturday.  The queue will be several hours’ long (seriously, don’t even consider booking through Gold Car).  Instead, use local company Autos Lido, who will have no queue  and save yourself a good four or five hours.  Oh, and just avoid booking with one of the other companies first, and save yourself a couple of hundred euros.

Once you’re there, drive to the Alpujarras, enjoy the scenery, and leave the trauma behind.