72 hours in the UK

20th June 2025, 5 days before my wife's birthday. Feeling a tad homesick, and being the good husband I like to think I am, I decided to book a quick 72 hour trip to the UK in order to surprise my wife for her birthday. Flying out on the 23rd June and returning on the 26th June, this was going to be one quick and tiring visit.

You may very well ask why am I blogging about a 72 hour trip to the UK. It's pretty simply really, and in keeping with the theme of my posts so far, the most important thing above all else is my family. My wife was feeling low and I wanted to do something to put a smile on her face.

Things between Israel and Iran were heating up, and just my luck, being the tight ass which I am, I had booked a flight to fly from Riyadh to Istanbul and Istanbul to London Stansted. Great, and for those good at geography, to get from Riyadh to Istanbul, I needed to fly directly between Israel and Iran.

Arriving at Riyadh airport at 2am and yep you guessed it, my flight had been cancelled. Frustrated, tired and in need of a coffee, I found a Tim Hortons (other coffee shops are available), composed myself and got straight onto Skyscanner. Within 20 minutes I had booked a new flight, Riyadh direct to London Heathrow, downside, it didn't depart until 9am (it was now 2:30am), and for the eagle eyed people reading this, the flight flew into Heathrow and not Stansted (I had a train pre-booked from Stansted to Birmingham).

Anyway, all minor blips aside, the main thing was I was heading back to the UK and I'd get to see my wife and kids and celebrate my wife's birthday together.

Key learning point: As an expat expect the unexpected and embrace it/ overcome it when it occurs.

Finding a quiet place in Riyadh airport, I grabbed another coffee, put my feet up and proceeded to watch some movies on my phone. Riyadh airport is relatively small with limited shops, however it has everything you need and like most things in Riyadh it's super clean.

Tip 1: If travelling with check-in luggage, ensure you have your phone charger, a fully charged battery pack (which has to be in hand luggage anyway) and any other necessities are in your hand luggage and accessible. Items like this are super expensive in airports and needed if your delayed or flight plans change.

Tip 2: If you plan on sleeping on the plane and want to use the airline blanket provided, ensure your belt is fastened up over the blanket, this way you won't get disturbed if the seat belt sign illuminates.

Arriving at London Heathrow and walking out into arrivals, who was there to greet me, only my dad, bless him. What an amazing gesture, he'd only gone and driven 3 hours to pick me up.

So here's where I tell you my wife now knows I'm heading home for a couple of days. The night before I was due to fly, I was on the daily WhatsApp call and she was really down, struggling with the isolation and being apart. I thought for a few seconds and decided I'd tell her my news in the hope it would cheer her up. Thankfully it did, but we decided to keep it a secret from the kids.

When I arrived home Ash was still out doing the school run, this gave me time to grab a much needed shower and hide in the living room ready to surprise the kids as they came through the door. The surprise worked with my youngest (Teagan) letting out a huge cry of happiness before running over to give me a huge hug. An emotional time and certainly made us realise we are only complete when together.

Recommendation: Regardless of whether you're a solo expat or doing it as a family, it's OK to be spontaneous sometimes and surprise your loved ones back home. For me, and being a solo expat, my 72 hours in the UK created memories which will last a life time and gave me the drive and motivation to continue my solo expat life.

Eating into my 72 hours, and my wife's birthday in less than 6 hours, what did we do, we went straight down to the local village pub, had some pub grub and a couple of much needed beers.

The following day, my wife's birthday. Waking up next to each other was simply an amazing feeling, however it was Ash's birthday, so me and the kids made her a coffee and took her breakfast in bed. We'd already agreed that the kids had to go into school on the Wednesday, however we'd allow them to have the Thursday off (sorry school).

Little things like the school drop off, which previously felt like a chore, felt amazing. We dropped the kids off and then had the day to ourselves. After a quick brainstorm, we decided to go to Trentham Gardens, walk around the shops and gardens and enjoy a drink together (we're getting old). Special time and lovely memories.

The following day was slightly more action packed with a morning hike/ dog walk followed by bowling. I did take a photo of the scores, however I lost both games so decided not to post it.

Unfortunately 72 hours really does pass quickly and before I knew it, I was packing my bag and making my way back down to London, this time I was flying from Stansted to Istanbul, Istanbul to Riyadh (with the issues between Israel and Iran calming down, my original return flight). Slightly deflated and on an anti-climax it was time to head back.

Key take away: Treasure every moment you get to spend with your family and loved ones. Regardless of whether your a solo expat or doing expat life with your family, enjoy and relish the opportunities as they come. 72 hours in the UK was not something planned, it was a decision made quickly, however turned out to be a great one.

'Realise deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life' Eckhart Tolle

If you're reading this and want to know a little more about KSA, or thinking of moving to KSA, feel free to drop me a message. If I don't know, I'll certainly try and find the answer for you.