The goal: Travel to as many European destinations as possible in 48 hours on Irish discount carrier Ryanair, which recently launched a price war in Europe by offering 10 million "virtually free" seats. Also, try to experience more than just the airport. Having booked seven flights at an average cost of $47 (the cheapest came to about two cents, taxes included), I set off on my journey last Wednesday in the early-morning hours to determine whether this is the future of travel.
Day 1: From London to
Dusseldorf, Barcelona
and Milan
3:15 a.m. I crawl out of bed. Somewhat confused and off-kilter, I stab my gums as I brush my teeth. I double-check my backpack to make sure I have everything I need for my journey. Camera, notebook and pen, check. Toothpaste and toothbrush, check. Passport and wallet, check. Porthos (a stuffed monkey in a tie - the perfect pillow and stand-in for photos), check.
3:55 a.m. I catch a bus to Stansted Airport, about 50 kilometres from London.
5:10 a.m. There is no lineup at the check-in desk, and the woman behind the counter greets me with a smile. This airport may be out in the sticks, but it still runs tight security. Porthos and my toothpaste both get cross-checked for drugs and explosives.
6:15 a.m. I head to the gate for my flight to Dusseldorf-Weeze Airport. Ryanair doesn't assign seats, so there's already a lineup forming for the scramble to the best seats on the plane. I'm at the back of the line and half-expect I will have to fly standing up.
6:30 a.m. The plane's only half-full. I have three seats to myself, but it's still a tight fit. I'm not exactly built like a refrigerator, but at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, I'm not small. I don't take the window seat because I don't think I'll fit. I opt for an aisle seat and hang one leg in the trolley path.
6:45 a.m. There's no free food on this flight. I buy a Pepsi to keep me conscious. It costs more than the flight.
8:35 a.m. We land 20 minutes early in Dusseldorf-Weeze. Before setting off on my first Ryanair flight, I did a bit of research into the airline and found they were notorious for not actually flying to the destinations they advertise. So I can't say I'm too surprised when I learn that Dusseldorf-Weeze is located halfway between Dusseldorf and Amsterdam and more than an hour from either.
I have five hours between flights and hope to get out of the airport to see a bit of Germany. The woman at the information desk suggests I take the shuttle bus to Kevelaer, a small town she says is "pretty and quiet."
I hoped to take out some euros at the airport, but that has proved impossible because the only cash dispenser doesn't like my debit or credit cards. It spits them back at me like a child rejecting his first taste of broccoli.
9:30 a.m. I negotiate a ride to a bank and then into Kevelaer with a cabbie. Once in town, I get my first taste of Germany - a bratwurst from a street vendor. Kevelaer is a small town where Germans aged 8 to 80 ride their bicycles down cobbled streets to the city's massive basilica for what seems to be Wednesday mass.
11:50 a.m. Re-entering the airport, I notice the word "Dusseldorf" is missing from the main sign.
12:30 a.m. There are a lot of people sitting in the terminal waiting for my plane. This time, I know the drill and walk straight to the gate. I'm pretty confident I'll get my first pick of seats - until a second queue of travellers carrying "priority" boarding passes are permitted to board first. They've paid an extra $4 for this privilege.
