Day 203 - From London to Mexico: A Long Haul Flight, Turbulence and a New Home in Playa del Carmen

Day 203 was a huge transit day as we officially left London behind and made our way to Mexico.

The alarm went off around 5:00am, and Kia and I were straight into the final packing routine. Most of the hard work had been done the day before, so it was really just a matter of putting away the last few items, getting showered, dressed and ready to go. The kids had to be woken early as well, as they were sleeping near the route through to the kitchen and would have been awake soon enough anyway.

While everyone got themselves organised, I made coffees and cooked up the last of our eggs and bacon for breakfast. It felt good to leave with everything packed and under control rather than rushing around at the last minute.

By about 5:15am we were out the door and walking towards Selhurst Station. Our train wasn't due until 5:40am, so we had plenty of time. We decided to test a new system for public transport. The kids had tickets, while Kia and I used our phones and Wise cards to tap through the gates to see if it worked out cheaper.

The journey to the airport was straightforward. We caught a train one stop before changing to an airport express service that whisked us towards Gatwick. Once there, we arrived at the South Terminal before hopping aboard the airport shuttle. It was more like a monorail than a bus and the kids thought it was pretty cool.

At the North Terminal we found the TUI check-in area and immediately noticed the benefits of the great luggage cull we'd done the previous day. For once we didn't need special assistance or a lengthy check-in process. We simply used the bag drop, handed over our luggage and were done within ten minutes.

Security was equally painless. Before long we were through into the departures area and wandering through the seemingly endless maze of duty-free shops, perfumes, alcohol displays and designer stores before emerging into the huge waiting area filled with restaurants, shops and seating.

We found some seats around 7:40am and settled in. Our gate wasn't due to appear on the departure boards until an hour before departure, meaning we had almost another hour to wait.

Fortunately, we happened to be sitting near a LEGO store.

The kids disappeared for a look around and returned excitedly reporting that the prices were much cheaper than what they'd seen in Hamleys. Before long they'd convinced us to let them buy another set. They knew they wouldn't be allowed to open them on the flight and would have to wait until Mexico, but they were still thrilled.

At 8:40am our gate number finally appeared. It turned out to be quite a walk away, but once we got there the boarding process was remarkably simple. There were no lengthy customs queues or interrogations. A quick passport check, ticket scan and we were through.

The flight itself turned out to be far more comfortable than we expected.

Kia and Maddie had an entire centre row to themselves, while Emmett and I shared a row with a gentleman who essentially slept for the entire flight. Eventually Emmett moved over to sit with the girls, leaving the stranger and I with an empty middle seat between us.

The flight was surprisingly enjoyable. There was plenty of entertainment, decent food and a constant flow of drinks. The cabin crew regularly came through offering wine, beer and other beverages. Some passengers were even purchasing full bottles of champagne. Despite that, nobody became rowdy or disruptive. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant throughout.

As we approached Mexico, however, things got a little more exciting.

The turbulence was some of the worst I've ever experienced.

Nothing was flying around the cabin like some of those dramatic videos you see online, but the aircraft certainly felt like it was riding a roller coaster at times. There were some serious drops and bumps as we descended towards Cancun, enough to get everyone's attention.

Thankfully, we landed safely and soon found ourselves stepping into Mexico for the first time.

Border control was refreshingly straightforward. We were asked where we were staying, had our passports stamped and were sent on our way.

Then came our first rookie Mexico mistake.

We walked straight to one of the airport taxi desks and booked transport to Playa del Carmen. By the time we'd paid, it worked out to around AUD $150 for the family. At first it felt expensive, but once we were driving south and realised Playa del Carmen was around 45 minutes away, it seemed a little more reasonable. Since arriving we've discovered there are much cheaper transport options available, including Uber, so we'll know better next time.

Before leaving the airport we grabbed some pesos from an ATM to cover the first few days and then waited outside for our transport van. The humidity hit us immediately.

Dark clouds were gathering overhead and it looked like a tropical storm wasn't far away. Outside the terminal were little alcohol carts and bars catering to arriving tourists, which gave us our first glimpse of Cancun's reputation as a party destination.

The drive south was surprisingly pleasant. We managed to get our phones partially connected, which made organising ourselves easier, and as we travelled through the lush green landscape I couldn't help but think of Cairns. The tropical vegetation, humidity and rainforest feel made it seem strangely familiar.

Even once we reached Playa del Carmen, the driving wasn't over. The city is much larger and more spread out than we'd imagined. It took quite a while to navigate through various neighbourhoods before eventually arriving at our accommodation.

Thankfully, the wait was worth it.

Our home for the next three weeks sits inside a large gated complex filled with townhouses, swimming pools, gym facilities, barbecue areas and plenty of green space. The townhouse itself is fantastic—three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms and more than enough room for all of us to spread out and get comfortable.

After months of constantly moving, it feels like the perfect place to settle into a routine for a while.

There will be pools to swim in, a gym to use, beaches to explore and, hopefully, a chance to slow down and recharge after the intensity of Morocco and the whirlwind stop in London.

Although we were excited to arrive, we were also absolutely exhausted.

The jet lag was hitting hard, but at the same time we were all hungry. The kids immediately wanted to crack open their new LEGO sets, but we managed to convince them to come for a walk first so we could find some dinner.

We headed out into the neighbourhood and found a small minimart not too far away. The original plan was simply to buy a few essentials and then find somewhere nearby to eat. Looking around, most of the food options appeared to be small roadside vendors rather than restaurants, so we decided to do what we always try to do when travelling and eat where the locals were eating.

We pulled up at a little street food stand serving tacos.

There were two different pork options available—one cooked in a rich red sauce and another more traditional style pork. At just 25 pesos per taco, we figured we'd try both.

The tacos were much smaller than we expected, served on soft tortillas with a table full of condiments, garnishes and sauces to customise them. One particular green sauce looked harmless enough but turned out to be incredibly spicy. We discovered that lesson the hard way.

The tacos were so good that one round quickly turned into a second. Then we spotted larger wrap-style options and decided to try those too. Before long we'd ordered far more food than we'd originally intended.

At one point Emmett managed to get hold of some spicy onions and immediately regretted it as his mouth started burning. I made a quick run across to the minimart to grab a bottle of water and, while I was there, treated myself to a sneaky little beer before returning to rescue him.

Once we'd demolished dinner, we picked up a few supplies from the minimart. Almond milk, bread, eggs and a handful of essentials—just enough to get us through breakfast and the following morning before making a proper Walmart run.

By the time we got back to the accommodation, we were done.

Completely done.

We tried to stay awake as long as possible to help reset our body clocks, but there was only so much energy left in the tank. We eventually crawled into bed around 7:30pm local time, which would have been well into the early hours of the morning back in London.

It had been a massive day.

From an early morning train ride across London to a long-haul flight across the Atlantic, wild turbulence over Mexico, our first tacos on the side of the road and finally arriving at our new home in Playa del Carmen, it felt like we'd packed several days into one.

The kids handled the journey incredibly well, and having plenty of food, entertainment and space on the flight made a huge difference.

If our experience was anything to go by, we'd happily recommend TUI Airways for long-haul family travel.

As we drifted off to sleep, exhausted but excited, we knew the next chapter of our world trip had officially begun.

Mexico awaits.