After a week on the road, with the best part of another week ahead of us on the return journey, my mum and I gave in. We booked a flight home. The prospect of another week constantly getting on and off trains, all the while trying to work, just didn't fill me with excitement.

Having spoken to others heading home from Tirana, we were already armed with a couple of top tips for navigating the airport.

Firstly, certain technology hasn't quite reached Tirana airport, so we had to print our boarding passes like it was 2010. Secondly, we knew we should skip the food kiosks and head for the lounge.

Instead of paying €10 or more for a box of salad or slice of pizza, you'll get unlimited freshly made byrek (both cheese and spinach), pilaf, yet more spinach in the form of burani, homemade cakes, local wines and beers… the delicious list goes on. 

But as we sat there, munching merrily, we were none the wiser to the happenings outside — a huge, unexpected thunderstorm. When one flight after another turned to 'delayed' on the departures board, we soon caught on. Luckily, we were able to use every last minute of our allotted 3 hours of lounge access to while away the time.

With our planned departure time being pushed back from 20:55 to 21:30, and then again to 22:30, before eventually taking off at nearly 23:00, some passengers were in doubt that we'd even get to land so late. After all, noise curfews can lead to all kinds of unforeseen diversions.

Thankfully, we did eventually land in Edinburgh at around 2am. Many of the ground staff looked as though we'd just woken them up, but it's probably just as well we did, since a raft of holiday flights back from the Canaries were hot on our heels. 

Happy travels and punctual landings,