At the beginning of January 2026, we went on an interesting trip that we had booked just three weeks earlier. The reasons for this sudden journey were twofold: attractive ticket prices and the days off we had due to the New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays in Serbia.

The first leg of the trip was Wizz Air's flight from Belgrade to Barcelona. The ticket cost about 70 EUR one way, and the flight was on Orthodox Christmas Eve, January 6. The scheduled departure was at 18:40, and we arrived at the airport about two hours prior to departure.

After checking in online, we immediately went through passport control and security. The whole process was very quick and hassle-free, which gave us more time to observe airport operations. While tracking the assigned aircraft on Flightradar, we headed to the gate. However, due to weather conditions, there were several sudden gate and aircraft changes within an hour. We ended up at gate A8 and boarded an aircraft that had arrived from Paris Beauvais instead of Basel.

Boarding began 50 minutes after the original departure time. Due to low temperatures that day, the aircraft had to go to the de-icing platform, which added another 30 minutes on top of the hour-and-a-half delay. We eventually took off two hours behind schedule. The plane was almost full, with only a couple of empty seats.

This delay could have caused a problem with our transfer from the airport to our accommodation, as the L9 Sud metro line from Barcelona Airport runs until midnight. Under normal circumstances, we would have arrived comfortably after landing.

The flight was mostly smooth, with only occasional light turbulence. The route followed the Croatian coast from Istria toward Italy, then via Genoa and Nice, and further along the Costa Brava to Barcelona.

Landing and disembarkation began around 23:15. Luckily, there was no crowd at passport control, so we passed through within 15 minutes and managed to catch one of the last metro trains that day.

We spent two days in Barcelona sightseeing, shopping and plane spotting. It is always a pleasure to see the Sagrada Familia, Camp Nou, the Columbus Monument, La Rambla, and the Gothic Quarter.

The next step of our journey was on January 9. We packed our backpacks and headed to the airport. Online check-in had been completed the evening before through the Ryanair app, and everything went smoothly.

Since the flight was late in the evening, we spent some time plane spotting. There are a couple of popular spotting locations around Barcelona Airport, all very close to the perimeter fence. Nobody has any issue with photography or filming; on the contrary, it is welcomed. I could not help comparing this with Belgrade Airport security, which is known for being quite rude toward plane spotting enthusiasts. They could certainly take lessons from almost every other airport in the world.

We spent a good part of the day watching landings before heading to Terminal 2. As we had digital boarding passes, we went straight to security and passed within 20 minutes. Since it was an intra-Schengen flight, there was no passport control.

The flight was delayed by 50 minutes on departure and 20 minutes on arrival. As it was late in the evening and we were tired from walking around the city, we slept for most of the flight.

The aircraft was a brand-new Boeing 737-8200 MAX, only three months old, and it still had that distinct “new plane” smell. After a long taxi in Barcelona, we finally took off from runway 24L. About 15 minutes after take-off, I managed to fall asleep. I was not very comfortable due to the limited legroom and the backpack under the seat in front of me. At 182 cm tall, my knees were pressed against the seat for most of the flight. I woke up when the captain announced “Top of Descent,” meaning we were approaching Malta Airport. This was not my first time in Malta, so I was already familiar with the airport. For the first time, I had the chance to use Ryanair’s famous mobile stairs, which are deployed to save on ground handling costs.

I would estimate the load factor at around 85%. The cabin crew were mostly Italian. The buy-on-board service was quick and brief, as most passengers were trying to sleep on the late-night flight.

The BCN–MLA ticket cost 17 euros, purchased about three weeks before departure. A pre-arranged taxi was waiting for us in the arrivals area and took us to our accommodation.

Malta itself is an amazing island. We had previously spent two consecutive summer holidays there but did not find time to visit many historic sites, including the old capital Mdina (the Silent City), Valletta, and the Malta Aviation Museum, so we made up for it during this off-season visit.

After a few days, it was time to head home. This time, we flew with Ryanair again due to the cheap tickets, which also cost 17 euros per person. We flew to Niš. Interestingly, three carriers connect Serbia and Malta: Air Serbia and Wizz Air from Belgrade, and Ryanair from Niš.

The departure time was 12:30, which gave us enough time to catch one of the afternoon Niš Express buses to Belgrade. Boarding began on time, and we were only 15 minutes late on departure and eight minutes late on arrival. The weather was nice that day, so we were able to see the coast of Sicily, Albania, Corfu in Greece, as well as Lake Ohrid and Skopje before approaching Niš.

The flight went well, without major turbulence, and the cabin crew were pleasant. The aircraft was three years old and clean. The flight lasted about one hour and 45 minutes. This time, I was lucky enough to have an entire row to myself. I would estimate the load factor at around 80%. Passport control took about 10 minutes, as we were among the first to disembark. We did not use the new terminal building; arrivals were handled through the older section.

Our first stop upon arrival was the Niš Main Bus Station. There is a direct Niš public transport bus line connecting the airport and the bus station, and it is free of charge. To fill the time before departure, we grabbed a “pljeskavica.” The bus ride to Belgrade took around three hours and was smooth and comfortable.