It’s 6.30pm and I’ve arrived at Heathrow airport, Terminal 2. Here was my thinking… As a single traveller I would book my flights and check-in in person, hoping that if I turned on the charm, I’d be able to bag myself a swish free upgrade from economy class to business class (or higher). I’d simply dress smart, stroll up to the counter and nonchalantly ask if it was a busy flight whilst flashing my expensive watch (one which I don’t own) and mention how nice the attendant looked this cool November evening. Well there’s no harm in trying is there?

Here’s what actually happened. I arrived at Terminal 2 with a firm belief that if I tried hard enough then I’d be able to convince someone to give me an upgrade. I was a single traveller dressed smartly, surely they’d be able to accommodate little ol’ me? I walked through the doors and began to search for my designated check-in desk, A-J, got it! So I walked towards the desks and then I saw them… rows and rows of computer screens… and queues of fellow travellers stood at said computer screens… What… is… going… on? Self Check-in???! Tag ‘n’ Drop????! This wasn’t part of the plan!! How could I charm a computer in to upgrading my ticket?? And so I stood and waited, assessing the situation. Are there any people bypassing the machines, is there anyone going directly to a check-in desk. I spot a ‘Assisted Check-in’ counter, what’s that for? Could this be the desk described in my grand upgrade scheme? I waited and observed again, like Sherlock Holmes taking in all the information I could before carrying out my plan of ingenuity. 10 minutes passed by, ooh someone walked up to the counter! Did they self check-in? Were they technophobes? I couldn’t tell!!

Another 10 minutes went by and I was none the wiser. I conceded and asked an ‘on-the-floor’ attendant… DISASTER! I was going to have to self check-in. It was at this point that I realised. I don’t like the new Terminal 2.

It was surprisingly easy to get through security, as I went through the different areas I was being my most pleasant self. Looking a little clueless, a member of the security staff guided me in the right direction, “Over there sir, towards number 12”. “CHEERS MATE!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!”. There was little, to no, response, just a look of pure disdain. I was being a little too pleasant.

2 hours passed and it was time for me to take my ECONOMY seat on the plane (bloody self check-in machines). I was flying with Thai Airways and the staff were all very pleasant as I boarded, bowing their heads to their hands as they greeted me in a language that was a good half an octave higher than any other language I had heard! I had no idea what they said, but I would soon learn.

My seat was the middle seat of 3. An elderly Thai gentleman was to be my first plane buddy and moments later a young Londoner with a somewhat carefree attitude became my other, window seated, flying companion. I held high hopes for some riveting conversation over the next 11 hours.

So 4 hours go by and the unofficial sponsored silence was going well. London kid pretty much fell straight in to a comatose-like sleep and fidgeted on the hour, every hour, to remind me that the battle for the arm rest was not yet over. And Elderly Thai Man had had an apparent torture related nightmare as he suddenly, mid-sleep, grabbed his own mouth in a fish-face pose… very unsettling. It’s at this point that I’d like to mention how wonderful the food provided by Thai Airways was. Sweet Chilli Chicken with Rice and Veg. Lovely bread rolls and a full breakfast of fruit, warm croissant, yoghurt and chicken and asparagus omelette with all the trimmings. It was truly delicious and the best part of it was that London kid had totally missed the first meal and only got half of the breakfast! Ha! No one steals my arm rest space!

All in all it was a pretty good flight, the choice of in-flight movies was good (Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, Lucy and many more), no one had explosive diarrhea and stunk out the plane and the landing was pretty smooth. I like Thai Airways and I would fly with them again in future… which I did on the return journey.

And now I had arrived!.. In a country I had never been to before… Where I don’t speak the language… And I’m on my own… The excitement was still firmly sitting with my friends.