I booked a cheap flight that would take me from Porto to Dubrovnik. The catch? I had about a 6-hour layover in London.

To be honest, I was actually really looking forward to spending a few hours in London — even if only the airport. The idea of English menus and English signs delighted me immensely.

I left my hostel at 6:00am to get to the Porto airport with enough time. What I wasn’t planning? Being able to walk right up and check my backpack without a line. And security took all of ten minutes.

So that left me with a little under 2 hours to wait for my flight.

I went to the airport bookstore, but almost everything was in Portuguese. I found a tiny English section, and I picked the best book out of the options available.

Once I boarded the plane, I was tickled to discover I got a free beverage. You know you’ve been flying a lot of budget airlines when you’re happy for a little 7-Up.

After landing into London, I went through Border Control, reclaimed my backpack, found the departures terminal, checked-in with my new airlines, went through security, and finally made it to the airport lounge.

While browsing Gatwick’s stores, I realized I probably should have waited and picked out my book here. You know – in England. Where they speak English. And therefore their books are in English as well. Oh well. I’m actually quite enjoying this book, so I don’t mind that much.

But I mean – the options were making me drool a bit.

I also got to have a nice lunch while I waited. A California club was just what I needed.

Travel tip – try to book a seat as close to the front as you can when flying internationally. The sooner you get off the plane, the sooner you’re at border control. Being at the back of the plane generally means you’ll be at the back of the line – and that can take around an hour or more.

By the time I landed in Dubrovnik, I had been traveling for about 15 hours and was ready for my bed.

When I got to my hostel’s address, I couldn’t find the right door. I searched and searched. Eventually I emailed reception and the manager came out to find me.

Bed time yet?