The Time Bubble Box Set 2, стр. 282

How easy would it be to get a flight at this time of themorning and without pre-booking? It was bound to be expensive, but that wasirrelevant. I didn’t need to shop around to try and get the best deal. I justneeded to get on a plane and get somewhere hot, even if it cost thousands.Perhaps I could even upgrade myself to business or first class. I had never hadthat luxury before.

My main worry was that they wouldn’t take a booking on thespot for the next flight somewhere. With everyone booking everything onlinethese days, was it even still possible to turn up at an airport and book aflight at the desk? Fortunately, even though I arrived early, I was able tofind a counter open with one of the big national airlines.

Amazingly, less than four hours after leaving Oxford, I wason a flight to, of all places, Florida. I couldn’t believe how easy it hadbeen. The only worrying moment was at airport security where they had given mea good checking-over.

I was slightly worried at that point that I might be introuble, bearing in mind my recent spell as a fugitive from the police, butagain that was all paranoia. No one could possibly be looking for me now.

Perhaps it was just standard procedure to check anyonebooking last-minute flights. Security at airports was very tight during thisperiod after a number of terrorist incidents in the early years of the century.

Despite the flight taking nine hours, it was still onlyearly afternoon when I arrived in Orlando, local time. I still had the bestpart of two days to enjoy this place, somewhere I had always wanted to go. WhenI was little, my dad had always promised he would bring me here one day, but hefell on hard times after my parents divorced, and it remained a dream – untilnow.

I hired a car at the airport and drove straight to WaltDisney World resort where I spent the rest of the afternoon. I didn’t haveanywhere to stay for the night booked, but what did that matter? This wasAmerica. When I left the park, I drove until, to my delight, I found anold-fashioned motel, which looked exactly like the ones I had seen in themovies.

Just along from the motel was a similarly nostalgic diner,all decked out with a 1950s theme. I ate there, a huge hamburger with fries anda shake before moving on to the bar next door to celebrate the New Year,American-style.

I could barely keep my eyes open until midnight, bearing inmind the time difference between Florida and the UK, and as soon as the hourhad passed I went straight back to the motel and crashed out. I had enjoyed awonderful evening, fully living the American Dream.

The following day I was up very early, again thanks to thetime difference, and was away from the motel before 9am. I spent that day atUniversal Studios, where even with the full day at my disposal I didn’t havetime to do everything the park had to offer. I would have liked to have donemore, but I just ran out of time.

I didn’t bother booking myself into a motel that nightbecause I knew that I would be leaving before the end of the evening. Sureenough, at just 10pm local time, I was whisked away, back to the UK and theearly hours of New Year’s Eve 2017.

I was in bed this time, as I discovered when I woke up at5.15am needing to go to the toilet. Although I felt tired, I wasn’t going towaste any time sleeping, so I got myself up and dressed, packing my bag just asI had before. In less than an hour I was once again on the bus, Heathrow-bound.

Rather than trust to luck what might be available at theairport, I decided to try and plan ahead a little this time. With phone inhand, I got online while I was on the bus, managing to secure a last-minuteflight and hotel deal in Dubai departing that morning. I had wanted wintersunshine and I was certainly going to the right place.

Dubai was fantastic, what little I saw of it. I never leftthe hotel the two days I was there. I spent the first evening eating, drinkingand checking out the fabulous entertainment the hotel had to offer. Then thenext day, I spent the entire day by the pool just revelling in the sensation ofthe hot Middle Eastern sun on my skin.

I did absolutely nothing that day but was it wasted? Not inmy opinion – I was enjoying some much-needed recuperation.

The following year I decided to stay in the UK and go downto London for the fireworks. It was something else on my bucket list that I hadnever got round to doing but had the opportunity to do now with all the extraNew Years at my disposal.

Police were advising people not to travel without a ticketbut I soon sorted that out the same way I had got the ticket for Fever.I offered to pay four times face value on Facebook, and the offers cameflooding in.

Seeing 2017 in by the banks of the Thames was an awesomeexperience, so much so that I decided to up my game even further the followingyear. London celebrations were great but I had something even bigger in mind.

Thus, on New Year’s Eve 2015 I made my way to New York forwhat turned out to be one of the most amazing nights of my whole life. Packedinto Times Square with hundreds of thousands of others, I partied like neverbefore. Probably even more than Prince had when he sang about partying like itwas 1999. It was freezing but I didn’t care.

The celebrations went on all evening, to a backdrop of musicfrom some of American’s finest DJs. Just before midnight, Jessie J came on toperform a cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine”, then with just a minute to go, alarge, glowing ball descended onto the top of the Times Tower, which is toAmerica at New Year what Big Ben is to