December 19th

20:05     Leave keys at King's Porter's Lodge, say goodbye and head off.

20:20     Meet Rebecca, a friend, at her place on Maid's Causeway and we head to Parker's Piece.

20:45     Arrive at Parker's Piece, well in time for the bus, which should arrive at 20:50.

21:03     No bus.

21:08     Still no bus, we call home to let them know we may be late.

21:25     National Express hotline closed. Still nothing on website.

21:40     We wind up at Cambridgeshire Police Station, trying and find a warm place to wait. They inform us that National Express have "completely abandoned their customers over the past three days" but that there have been delays on the M11. We decide to try waiting a little longer.

22:20     A National Express bus finally arrives, but it's not ours. The driver informs us all buses to airports have stopped (except Stansted). "What can we do?" I ask. "Not my problem" comes the curt reply. I attempt to get some more information but he accuses me of: "attempting to impose your reality onto mine". Too tired and cold to be angry, we decide to go somewhere warm to figure out what to do next.

22:30     We head to the Fountain Inn for some warmth and a much-needed glass of whisky. Bitter laughter at being back here instead of on our way home.

22:50     Cambridge train station. Tickets for 23:14 to King's Cross.

23:28     Get on to the (slightly delayed) train.

December 20th

1am       Arrive in London, buy food at an off-license and take the N73 to Victoria.

Arrive in Victoria, Gatwick Express service has ended for the day. Fuck. We eat food     and wait.

2am       We meet Forrester, a DnB/DubStep DJ from London, and Floriana, a panicking                 woman trying to return to Sicily. We all buy tickets for the 3:30am train.

Cheeky cigarette while we bitch about Britain. "Things are going to get worse in this    country", Forrester predicts.

03:30     Train. Feels good to be headed in the right direction. Flights still not cancelled - as        far as we can tell. Forrester leaves us along the way, Floriana still stressed.

4am       Arrive Gatwick's South Terminal. We leave Floriana and head to North Terminal.

Gatwick Airport

Incredible queue at easyJet, never seen anything like it. Dealt with surprisingly              efficiently by easyJet staff, and before too long Rebecca is checked in.

5am       We bunk down for a nap.

6am       Rebecca wakes me up, she's leaving. Quick breakfast and we say our goodbyes.

For the next 8 hours, nothing more than intermittent sleep on the hard floor. Constant security announcements, morning clean-up staff and other tourists wake                me up. Cold, alone and completely shattered - lowest point of the journey so far.

13:00     Give up on getting more sleep and finish leftover breakfast. A friend calls me from Heathrow. His flight (also to Geneva) is cancelled, and he is told by BA that they can't do anything for him for two weeks.

15:20     Join queue to check-in.

15:40     I check-in! Not wanting to hang around, I pass through security. Staff are very polite and friendly.

5pm       Much needed free Baileys shots at the duty-free. I kill some time, reading the papers. Meet some Swiss girls and we bitch about the UK. There is absolutely no flight information.

6pm       Information desk. Apparently easyJet is still flying, although some flights are delayed. The BA side is more hectic; some of their flights have been cancelled, and their staff have received instructions to give food vouchers only to customers from one flight (Tenerife). "It's disgusting", spits one woman. She's been waiting two days and has received little information and no compensation. Another woman tries to explain that it is the law to give customers who have been waiting more than 12h compensation. Not particularly interested in their arguments, I find out that my flight is delayed from 18:15 to 20:40 before extricating myself from the mob so I can start making preparations for a bed in London.

19:35     Gate for my (delayed) flight meant to be displayed. Nothing.

19:44     Nothing.

19:55     Still nothing, head back to information desk where an even larger group has amassed. Apparently planes are flying overhead but can't land. "Why not?" The runaway is closed - but they can't confirm this officially yet. One young girl, travelling alone, almost faints.

We wait for the phone call. "Can we leave?" One person asks - no, we are literally locked in. One woman describes it as a "holding pen".

20:30     Long-awaited phone call confirms our fears: the runaway is officially closed till 6am tomorrow. We can't just leave, apparently - we are told to wait for enough staff so that we can be "de-controlled". Many travellers are in tears as they call home.

20:55     Fortunately my flight is picked to be "de-controlled" first. Terse laughter spreads as the staff announce that anyone who bought duty-free items will have to return them to the shops.

21:00     Immigration. "Where are you coming from?" they innocently ask one grounded traveler. To say he seemed annoyed is an understatement.

After retrieving bags, I head through customs. Gatwick Arrivals has never been more depressing.

I head to easyJet check-in, where we are meant to receive information regarding alternate flight arrangements and provisions for overnight stay. The one member of staff there explains that she has no information of use to us, and then leaves despite pleas from us. She shuts the office and we are, effectively, stranded.

21:10     Growing anger amongst abandoned easyJet customers - we were promised information and accommodation and are being offered neither.

21:12     Call home, ask when the next flight is: Christmas Eve. Eurostar is "unpredictable" according to one friend. Another tells me he's trying to arrange for a bus home, but the earliest is on Friday.

21:15     Meet a guy who is also headed to Geneva. Since I have a place to stay in London, I offer for him to crash with me. He says his parents might be driving up to pick him up tomorrow morning. He offers to potentially give me a ride.

21:20     Joined by a girl, also stranded. We decide to crash in Gatwick for the night.

21:30     The three of us return to waiting area and introduce ourselves to one another - my new-found companions are called Mike and Freya. We get water from Costa and leave our phones there, charging, before attempting to persuade a restaurant to give us free food.

Travel Tip #1: If lucky enough to be in a group, quickly stake out your territory before venturing out to get provisions, always leaving at least one person to guard.

22:00     We play 100 questions to get to know one another better. Turns out Mike lives in a village 5 minutes away from mine, near Geneva, and we have mutual friends. What luck!

23:00     The restaurant rewards us with two full fry-ups. Best thing that's happened all day!

23:15     Happier, we settle down for bed. Freya leaves us (her uncle picked her up, she'll be spending Christmas at home instead of going to Edinburgh as planned).

23:30     Sleep.

Travel Tip #2: When with no padlocks, tie all your bags together, then tie a strap to yourself or to your clothes before kipping down - just tight enough so if someone tries to take your bags, you'll wake up. Keep valuables in inner pockets.

December 21st

07:00     Wake up. Very glad to have packed clean socks. Interrupted sleep due to the constant announcements and noisy Italian group nearby.

On the bus

07:30     Shuttle to South Terminal, train to Folkestone, with changes at Redhill, Tonbridge and Ashford. Little respite and both Mike and I are groggy, but we meet Anne. Anne is  a cute brunette from Dresden. She's stranded, trying to get home as well, so she join us.

10:56     We're in Ashford being filmed by the BBC.

11:15     Arrive at Folkestone West.

11:27     The railway bathrooms are 'out of order', and in search for somewhere to 'go' I find a Red Cross building with friendly workers. They tell me that the Red Cross regularly offer to help stranded travellers in British airports, but apparently Heathrow continuously refuse their offers. Gatwick, according to these workers, are usually more open to having outside help.

11:42     We take a taxi to the local Tesco, where Mike's parents are to meet us.

11:49     "So, what's Folkestone known for?" I ask, attempting to make conversation. "Foxton? Nothing! It's useless!" our taxi driver laughs, before returning to hurl abuse at slow motorists. "Roads are for driving!" he shouts.

12:07     We arrive at Tesco. Mike's mother asks Mike to buy christmas decorations because their dog has eaten through their lights. Anne and I wait in the cafe.

12:11     Mike returns. He was ID'd when he bought christmas crackers; we laugh at his expense.

12:39     Opera music playing in the background. I'm reading The Week; Mike is asleep, occasionally muttering to himself; Anne is trying to plan her journey back to Dresden.

12:44     Finished The Week. A Tesco sign is telling me me to "Enjoy Finest Christmas". I just want to be with my family.

13:07     Mike calls his parents. "Have you boarded yet?" There are complications in Calais; another two hours to wait before they're let on to the tunnel... at least.

13:27     Mike's parents call with bad news. The tunnel is essentially blocked and trains have been cancelled. Mike smashes his phone in anger. We decide to attempt to get the ferry and meet them there instead.

13:29     We hitchhike and a lovely couple instantly pick us up. Hopefully we can make the 14:50 in time!

Travel Tip #3: When hitch-hiking, standing on the side of a road with your thumb out is not nearly as effective as asking people for rides. Petrol stations, road-side cafes and shops are the best. If there is a chance the car could drive off without you, never put your possessions in first.

13:46     The couple kindly offer to take us all the way to Dover. We book ferry tickets in advance while Ken and Dot (the couple) tell us that this is one of Britain's most dangerous roads in the snow. "There was a 100-car pile up here, the other year" Ken proclaims, cheerfully.

Having never seen the white cliffs of Dover before, I'm very excited. Anne is cheered up by the prospect of a night in Paris. "It's an adventure," she decides, "an annoying one, but still an adventure."

13:54     Dover. Huge queue and police presence, presumably to pacify the hundreds of travellers. Anne waits with Ken and Dot while we collect the tickets.

14:14     Tickets in hand, we say goodbyes to Ken and Dot.

14:17     A lady randomly goes up to Mike and offers to translate his name into Korean. She does this (writing his name on the back of a Korean Court of Justice business card) before immediately walking off. We are very confused.

14:23     Another random encounter: Anne bumps into a girlfriend of hers. Hugs ensue.

14:29     We're being filmed again as we queue for the bus.

Mike, boarding the ferry at Dover

14:43     We're let on to the bus and head through passport control to the ferry.

15:19     Captain apologises for the 25-minute delay; we're just happy to be on the incredibly comfortable vessel.

15:27     We celebrate with a much-deserved glass of Cambridge's finest cheap wine. My childhood wish to see the white cliffs of Dover is fulfilled. It's a forbidding, grey sight... but beautiful and enthralling nonetheless.

15:54     Dire Straits is playing on the intercom and wine is flowing. Life is good. Night falls as we continue towards France.

16:13     The Bee Gees are telling us we make them feel like dancing. Vodafone kindly tells me that I'm in France. All this calls for more wine!

16:39     After asking several fellow travellers, we find someone who has toothpaste and brush our teeth for the first time in far too long.

16:44     Calais arrival. Hour moves forward.

17:54     Mike, Anne and I stay behind to let the others queue for the exit. Mike and I are dicking about doing handstands, but this leads to a conversation with the waiters. "Try joining the circus", they laugh. "How about a free sandwich for our troubles?" I reply. We make a more serious offer to help clean up the lounge in return for food, and they say yes! It takes literally a few minutes, but they reward us with sandwiches. Food tastes so much better when it's free.

18:01     First footsteps on French land.

18:07     I'm slightly confused when a man and a woman hugs Mike, before remembering that they must be his parents.

18:11     We make sure Anne is safe with people also headed to the train station and we sadly part ways.

18:18     In the car with Mike and his family. They've thought of everything - blankets, roadsalt, winter tyres, a shovel and pillows. We set off; should be home by around 2:30am if all goes well.

19:17     We're at Arras.

19:41     Pit stop.

20:52     "Can we have some music?" Mike asks. Turns out the family have just bought the Susan Boyle Christmas Collection Box Set - FML.

20:56     Hmm... Susan Boyle isn't actually that bad. Kind of lacking a beat, and some bass... but not bad. Very Chrismassy, so appropriate, I suppose.

21:21     Pit stop #2, somewhere near Champagne.

21:47     We navigate our way out of the car park and back onto the road.

22:50     Pit stop #3.

22:54     Mike's dad has just won 50 euros of petrol in a random draw.

23:52     The thought that my next meal could feasibly be the wonder that is home-cooked food is very encouraging, as we drive down the French autoroute.

December 22nd

00:00     Two days till Christmas eve. Glad I did my shopping in England. 283km till home.

00:18     GPS problems, we U-turn on a sketchy French backroad between Quincey and Agencourt.

00:26     Seem to be back on track on the autoroute towards Paris.

02:08     57km to go.

02:30     "Welcome to SWITZERLAND", Vodafone informs me. 26km to go.

02:35     I could be in an airport or in London waiting for a flight that might not happen but I'm not - I see the first recognisable building since I left home - I'm in Geneva

02:43     Getting off the autoroute, almost home...

02:49     1,200 kilometres, 3 days and an inordinate amount of stress later, I'm home.