A woman flew over 1,300 miles from Cornwall to Malaga and back to the UK to pick her new car – as it was a cheaper than getting a train up to Manchester. Mum-of-four Kristina Coulson needed to collect a motor near Crewe after she was hit by a drunk driver. But she ‘could not believe how expensive’ getting a train would cost – up to £200 per person just for the one-way journey.
After some research the support worker found it was cheaper to fly from Newquay to Malaga and back to Manchester – with flights costing £54. On Sunday, January 19, gran Kristina, 43, and her husband Dan Coulson, 50, packed their bags and caught their flight to the south of Spain.
They spent the day there then flew back and spent the night in a hotel near the car then drove home. They spent £54 each on flights and £45 for a hotel – a total cost of £153.
Kristina, 43, from Lansallos, near Polperro, said: “A bit of good came from something bad – the car accident and having to sort out a car – as it sent me in the direction of sunshine on my way to pick up a new car. Everything was on time – it was just lovely and easy. On a flight you are guaranteed a seat – you don’t have to stand up for hours on the train and it is quicker.”
Kristina was hit by a drunk driver on December 12 in Devon. Although she didn’t suffer any injuries from the crash, she explained said it has ‘made things difficult’.
Kristina added: “It caused a lot of aggravation that didn’t need to be caused. Luckily I was checked over and nothing was broken and I went home several hours later.
“Having been hit by a drunk driver I’m not in a position to buy what I wanted but for now the car I’m getting is enough. So I got a Skoda Yeti in Crewe.”
She added: “On Facebook everyone is getting return flights for 30 pounds so it seemed like a no-brainer to do it that way. The cheapest place to go to and from was Malaga.”
Her flight arrived into Malaga just after 12pm – costing £19. The flight back to Manchester was set for 10pm and arrived just after midnight – costing £35.
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Kristina and her husband slept in the airport hotel for £45 and on the next day they picked up their new vehicle. “It is a bit of an out there idea – I haven’t heard anyone doing it just to pick up a car,” she said. “I once stood up for nearly seven hours although I paid for a seat I couldn’t actually sit down on.
“You are guaranteed a seat in the airplane – kill two birds with one stone and at least you can sit down and relax when you’re travelling.”
While waiting to pick up her car Kristina made the most out of her trip to Malaga – enjoying the sun, food and drinks. Kristina said: “Rather than sitting in a train you are travelling to Malaga I spent eight hours in the sun. It was quite a little adventure. Positive fun which has come from a few weeks of nightmares and phone calls.
“We had a couple of beers, food and we just enjoyed being on the sun for a bit – it was 18 degrees and we did 11 miles of walking.We did a lot of exploring while we were there.”
After eight hours in the sun the couple then arrived to Manchester Airport just after midnight. And on the following day picked up the car in Crewe.
Asking if it would be an experience she would repeat to get a car, Kristina said: “Definitely. It was easy – the flights were quicker. I had an amazing time this trip – we would love to go back for a couple of nights or so just to have a bit more free time to explore a little bit more.”
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