RDU -> JFK -> MAN -> UoH: The Travel Experience

My visa arrived at my house at 9:30 AM on Monday morning, and by 11 AM, my family was in the car and on the way to a 4 PM flight out of Raleigh. We made a quick stop for lunch at Alpaca (which might just be some of the best chicken I've ever had) before headed to the airport. Fun fact that I learned, they cap your bag weight at 70 pounds, causing for some quick, last minute rearranging.

I got through security and found my gate pretty quickly, and by 3:35 PM I had boarded my flight to JFK. This was going to be my first time in New York, so I was excited. But I also knew I only had an hour to get from where I exited the plane to an unknown terminal once I got there. We flew out at 4:05, and I exited the plane at 6:05 at JFK. The flight was a bumpy and honestly, a bit stressful, but we made it to New York okay. We had to wait on the plane once we landed for about 20 minutes for a gate to clear up, and during this time I got an alert for what gate and terminal I needed to be at.

I was at terminal C, and I needed to be at terminal A. Once I exited the flight, I headed to the shuttle to take me to the other side of the airport. Unfortunately, the shuttle dropped everybody off at the end of terminal B and I needed to be at the beginning of terminal A. It was going to be a 20 - 30 minute walk across the airport, so I got going. I called my parents to let them know I had landed while I was walking. Once I arrived at the gate, I had approximately 5 minutes to grab a snack before we started boarding. I boarded the plane around 7:15 PM, and we took off around 8:30 PM.

Dinner was provided on the flight, so I was able to eat. I got my dinner of chicken and rice, a role, and a brownie at 10:30 PM. After dinner I settled in and tried to get some sleep. I slept for maybe an hour and a half in 15 - 20 minute increments, so by the time we landed at 8:05 AM in Manchester (3 AM in EST) I was exhausted. I scanned my passport, grabbed my bag, got to skip customs somehow, and headed to check in with my parents, grab some coffee, and see if I could adjust the pickup time for my cab.

I was originally supposed to be picked up at 1 PM (13:00), but by 8:30 I was ready to leave the airport. Cutting customs from my arrival cut down my waiting time a lot. I was able to move my pickup time to around 10, told my parents that I was doing okay, and grabbed some coffee from the Starbucks. The menu was the same, but the way they made the drink was different. Just something to keep in mind if you're traveling.

I found the pickup line for terminal 2 and waiting for my car from Hull Cars. It was crazy at the pick up center, but people watching was a lot of fun. I was picked up right around 11 AM by a kind man who helped my load my gigantic suitcase into the car and then we were on our way to Hull.

It is such an experience to watch people drive on the opposite side of the road. Hull was about a two hour drive, so I was able to see some hills, sheep, and the UK highway. The driver and I had some random conversations about different things in the UK, Hull, and Manchester, and before I knew it, I was arriving on campus at my accommodations (what they call the residence halls) around 1 PM (or 13:00).

And that was it! I unloaded my bags and checked in, but my arrival was pretty painless. The biggest stressor was doing something I had never done before. But pretty much everything that could've gone wrong simply didn't! To find out more about my first day and a half on campus, check out my next blog!

In Order: My parents and I at the RDU airport when they dropped me off, me waving goodbye in the security line, my flight route from JFK to MAN, the view out of my window on my flight from RDU to JFK, my dinner on the way to Manchester, Manchester Airport International Arrivals sign, the side of the highway from Manchester to Hull